The Goldrush Era - grade 5 focus

This unit is firmly based on the curriculum for the grade 5 students, and as a result all grade 5 students are expected to do a talk to the picture presentation for 1-2 minutes, plus one activity. Each picture has been scanned and will be on the Smart Board (which is incidentally now safely attached to the wall and highly unlikely to fall on their teacher again) displayed in full as they deliver their speech. I sat down which each individual grade 5 student and thoroughly discussed the job and the expectations. Students chose the accompanying activity. They each have a small aspect of life on the goldfields in Australia to talk about. The presentations are sequenced from a famous historian, Peter Taylor's, book. They are working from a secondary document but can introduce a primary document if they wish. The picture scans are logically organised and allow for the selected audience to come away with a basic understanding of this aspect of Australian history. Presenters can use cue cards to aid them with their delivery and can cut their own palm cards or I will supply them with some. (paint selection cards from Mitre 10). It is not a matter of reading out the information they were given. It is more about looking closely at the accompanying picture and locating the key information (on which we have had five lessons this year)... and presenting their ideas expressively and clearly to the grade 5 and 6 students. Each student will receive an assessment from me, and from randomly selected grade 6 students. 

The grade 5 students will be assessed on:

1. content (are the main ideas from the text represented in some manner?)
2. clarity - logical sequencing, audibility
3. confidence - body stance, eye contact with the audience
4. originality (Did they research and bring any new information to the presentation?)

Now grade 6 students need not be so relaxed ...because soon it will be their turn to present on some aspect of Federation. Therefore, I would like them to have a healthy dose of  empathy for their classmates and an understanding of how these kinds of presentations need them to be a captive audience and very respectful of the presenters.

Here is the peer assessment form:

Grade 5 Australian History Presentation Talk to the Picture Assessment

I felt that I

gained very little from this presentation

gained a bit of an insight into the topic from this presentation

gained a lot of insight into the  topic from this presentation

The presentation

made little sense ( I found it hard to follow) and/or I couldn’t I quite hear most of it

seemed logical and clear to me and I could hear it clearly

was very logical and exceedingly clear and expressive

The presenter seemed

to be lacking a little in confidence

reasonably confident

very confident

The presentation

was okay but a bit boring

had me mostly interested and had something extra

had me really involved and really entertained

Model of a windlass by GK

Model of a windlass by GK