Investigations into geography has every student in ISN Elementary Class drawing maps, calculating quantities and deciding what is necessary for survival. Island X is an imaginary island that students are carefully planning to inhabit. Group discussions have helped students choose the best solutions to a number of important questions:
What are the important geographical features of the island?
Where is the best place to set up a community?
How many people should live on the island?
Which occupations would be most helpful?
How many buildings need to be built?
Are there any good timber trees on the island that could be used for building?
After discussion and reflection students record their ideas in note form and on their planning map. They then transfer their final decisions onto a slide show. These presentations will allow each student to communicate their ideas to others and also to gain feedback for further planning.
These are the exciting culminating tasks for our unit: transdisciplinary theme – “Where we are in place and time”; and our central idea – “Geography influences how people interact with their environment.”
After presenting their slide show to their peers at school, each student looks forward to sharing their Island X adventure with their family and friends.
