Drysdale Primary School is committed to planning and implementing a curriculum (outside the core subjects of English and Mathematics) that uses an Inquiry approach incorporating the E5 and Kath Murdoch models. Inquiry learning is a way of teaching our Victorian Curriculum which encourages the children to engage, question and explore the world around them. The students will work through an Inquiry process that supports them in becoming the leaders of their learning.
Inquiry learning process
Kath Murdoch’s Inquiry Cycle
/E5 Inquiry Model |
Explanation |
Tuning In/ Engage
|
Students are hooked into the unit during tuning in provocations, they uncover the Big Idea, develop individual wonderings and then group similar questions together. |
Finding Out/ Explore | Via explicit teaching and student exploration, students will begin to learn about the Big Idea through each of the Essential Understandings. |
Sorting Out/ Explain | Students will assess which wonderings they have answered by sorting out their knowledge and discoveries at this point. |
Going Further/ Elaborate | Students will consider which wonderings remain unanswered after sorting out and how they could take their learning further. |
Making Conclusions/ Evaluate | Students make decisions about what they have learnt in the unit, demonstrating their understanding of the Big Idea through a summative assessment task. |
Taking Action & Reflecting | Students take action, applying their learning to the real world. Students reflect on the unit and look back on their learning journey. |
Each unit has a ‘Big Idea.’ This is a statement written in student-friendly language which summaries the central idea, key information or concept that students will understand in this unit. Below is a table showing the Big Idea for each Year group this term. If you have any questions regarding the Inquiry curriculum don’t hesitate to speak to your classroom teacher or Felicity Stark (Assistant Principal).
Year group | Big Idea |
Prep | Families comes from a range of countries so we have different places and events that are special to us. |
Year 1 | Everyone plays a role in using and protecting Earth’s resources |
Year 2 | We use science to create and change the everyday materials we use in life |
Year 3 | Australia has its own geography, people and celebrations that have grown and changed over time. |
Year 4 | Forces, weather and human activity all affect Earth’s surface and our daily lives |
Year 5 | The world’s geography has an impact on the reciprocal relationship between Man and Earth. |
Year 6 | Significant events have shaped our nation and influenced who we are today. |