Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: See-Think-Wonder

20 minutes

Find Out: What role has the ocean played in my life?

20 minutes

Take Action: Reflecting on personal experience

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

begin to understand the nature and value of reflection and personal experience and the connection between these in terms of telling stories
begin to understand and articulate the role the ocean has played in Australia and for both visitors and citizens alike.

Success criteria

Students can:

write a clear and concise reflection about their real or imagined experiences with the ocean using reflective language and some description
explain the role that the ocean has played for people and communities in Australia and explain, where relevant, the way it has influenced themselves.

Tune In: See-Think-Wonder

Step 1

Explain to students that in this lesson, they will look closely at a number of images of the ocean. Point out that these images communicate meaning and that they will be asked to think about what they see and what this makes them think and wonder. Encourage them to think about their real or imagined experiences of the ocean while completing this routine. Explain to the class that a 'See-Think-Wonder' routine is a visible thinking strategy that encourages them to make careful and thoughtful observations and interpretations about what they see and can help them establish goals for further learning.

Display the Ocean Stimulus Images (also on the Student Worksheet) and ask students to look carefully at the images and select one that draws their attention. Invite them to individually complete the 'See-Think-Wonder' routine in the space on the Student Worksheet.

Hot tip: Depending on the nuances of your class and how familiar they are with this visible thinking routine, you could model an example for them by selecting an image and working through the 'See-Think-Wonder' routine.

Step 2

After students have completed the routine, encourage some volunteers to share their thoughts and what they wonder about a few different images. Where possible, facilitate discussion based on student responses. The following questions might help prompt this discussion:

What was something in the image that made you think/feel that way?
Did the image bring back memories of a particular experience you’ve had?
Did anybody think or feel something different about this image?
What might that be able to tell you about the ocean?

Remind students that they have been looking at how still images have communicated some meaning and stimulated memories of personal experience and that these experiences can help shape the broader community’s understanding and appreciation of the ocean.

Find Out: What role has the ocean played in my life?

Step 1

Introduce the next phase of the lesson by explaining to students that while the ocean plays an important part of the global ecosystem, it also plays a very significant role in Australian culture. For many people in the Australian community, the ocean has been a very important part of their childhood or lifestyle, and this could include from family holidays, to where they live, or a school trip. Explain that some people may not experience the ocean when they are young due to their upbringing or location and understand the ocean only through what they see and hear. If further reading is required about the environmental contribution, refer to the Our Oceans Factsheet.

Step 2

Watch the following video with the class (also on the Student Worksheet) and ask students to watch closely and think about the significance of the ocean. Write/project the following question on the board to prompt students:

What role does the ocean play and what role does it play in my life?

What is the role of the ocean? (https://vimeo.com/1056609624/add45a78eb)

After watching the video, invite students to complete the 'Think-Pair-Share' visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet. Explain to the class that this is a routine that encourages them to think about something (in this case reflecting about the ocean) then put their thoughts into words, promoting understanding through active reasoning and explanation. Point out that because they are listening to and sharing ideas with each other, they have the chance to consider multiple perspectives.

Step 3

Invite students to complete the THINK section individually and after a few minutes, ask them to PAIR with the person next to them and discuss their responses and experiences together. After a few more minutes, bring the class back together and facilitate a discussion where students SHARE their thoughts from their pair work. For example, students might refer to a family holiday, a school excursion or trip, weekend activities or even goals to live near the ocean.

Take Action: Reflecting on personal experience

Step 1

Explain to students that having thought about an experience, memory or idea about the ocean from their own perspective, they will now develop this into a short passage that demonstrates some meaningful reflection. Point out that reflection is a valuable way to think about and identify the significance of something in our lives, as well as how it might have shaped or influenced who we are.

Project or write the following prompts on the board and give students time to think about and reflect on a personal experience with the ocean. This could be based on a person, place, or event in their life so far. Alternatively, some students might not have had experience with the ocean so they could reflect on a prospective, future experience they might like to have, or one based on their understanding/imagination.

Think of a specific experience you’ve had with the ocean:

Who was involved? Where was it? What happened?
Describe the experience using sensory/descriptive language
What did you learn from the experience?
Did the experience shape or influence you in some way?
What does this make you feel about the ocean?

Step 2

Encourage some volunteers to share their reflection with the class, if they are comfortable. Facilitate a brief discussion with the class about the experiences they have reflected on. For students uncomfortable with sharing in front of the class, you could facilitate a gallery walk by having students print and display (anonymously) their reflections and asking students to quietly and safely walk around reading each other's passages.

Learning extension: Students can enhance their reflections by combining the written work with some visual imagery of the location or photographs (if available) of the experience. Students could also prepare a short PowerPoint presentation incorporating visual images and written extracts from their reflection.

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on the lesson by completing a 'Colour-Symbol-Image' routine on the Student Worksheet to illustrate what the ocean means to them. Explain to the class that this visible thinking routine involves selecting a colour, a symbol and an image that summarises their understanding or interpretation of a concept, in this case, their experiences with the ocean.

Point out that by using visuals to represent meaning, students can begin developing their skills in non-verbal, non-linguistic communication. Encourage a few volunteers to share their 'Colour-Symbol-Image routine' with the class.

Blue - Experiencing the Ocean

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will:

Success criteria:

Students can:

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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