Winding up our History mini-unit

For the past few weeks, we have been engaged with the new History content from the Australian Curriculum for Year 2.
Our focus has been on our local War Memorial, as a site of cultural significance, and this has led us into exploration of Anzac Day and its associated symbols.
I have enjoyed the opportunity to make the history component of our learning more engaging for the students through a variety of craft activities.
I have written posts about these over the past few weeks during my planning, but I wanted to show some of the finished products in case they might be of use to others in the future.
Here is an example of the finished slouch hat:

The template for the slouch hat activity is available through my TpT store.
We also baked Anzac biscuits. This activity linked to History, Science and English.

One of my favourite activities (because it was both simple and fun) was our poppy potato prints. We ended up doing these in several steps. First we painted a blue wash and sprinkled it with a pinch of salt. The salt soaks up some of the moisture so it leaves patterns that look like clouds in the blue sky, and added a bit of interest to the activity. Next, we used a dry brush technique to make some green stems. We didn't try to match the stems one-to-one with the flowers because we were going for the "field" effect. Thirdly, we printed some bright red poppies with the potatoes. Once they were dry, we used dabs of glue to attach some real poppy seeds to the flower centres.

It is a very simple piece but they look effective as a frieze along one wall of my classroom and it gave the students an opportunity to experiment with a few different techniques.
I have a freebie poem activity about poppies that goes nicely with this idea.
For assessment, the students used an iPad app, SonicPics, to sequence some photos of the memorial and record some thoughts about how it has changed over time.
Next week we have two more simple art activities planned to finish up our War Memorial mini-unit, as well as a concept map as an assessment piece.
The first art activity is a simple watercolour rosemary using a cotton tip as a brush:

And the second will be a photo montage with crayon and watercolour based on the artwork of Patricia Mullins in the book, Only a Donkey.

Anzac Biscuit Science and English

I love a good science experiment and a chance to get messy, so I am cooking up a storm this week! Well, cooking up a batch of Anzac Biscuits, actually.
I have developed a series of ideas around the idea of Anzac Biscuits that will tie in nicely with our History unit on the Anzac Memorial.
I have linked the lessons to the Australian Curriculum for both Science and English for Year 2, but the activities could be useful to anyone who wants to do some science and writing about cooking.
The first part of the lesson (or series of lessons really) is the Science. Our Science concept this term from the Year 2 Australian Curriculum is: Different materials can be combined, including by mixing, for a particular purpose (ACSSU031)
The experiment question looks at the changing size of the biscuits as they cook, so it really addresses the Science Inquiry Skills - making predictions, participating in guided investigations, measuring, comparing observations etc.

Download the science experiment for free at my TPT store.
After the science and cooking part, I will look at the recipe itself. I have made a file with a number of resources in it to support these activities.

You can find it at my TPT store also.
The students will complete a cloze activity for the procedure text which draws attention to the verbs used in the text. This highlights they way that most of the instructions begin with the verb. The words are written in the right order down the bottom of the page. It is not really designed for a comprehension test - more a lesson on procedures.
The next page is a comprehension page (NAPLAN style multiple choice - just so they have been exposed to this style of question) and then a reflective activity on the cooking which looks at adjectives.
I plan to do a joint construction of a recount of the cooking and we will post it on our class blog. I have made a sheet in case someone wants to do individual written recounts. Or maybe I will change my mind between now and then, and at least I will be prepared.
Finally, I will compare the two different texts - the procedure and the recount. I have made an Anzac cookie Venn diagram worksheet which we will probably do in small groups during literacy blocks.

Anzac Day Poppy Potato Prints!

As part of our History study this term we will be looking at Anzac Day, and in particular focusing on our local war memorial as well as other symbols associated with the day.
I love using simple craft activities to help introduce new concepts to my class. Not only do they learn more when having fun, their products really brighten up our room and are a good reminder of key ideas in future weeks.
Poppies have been associated with Anzac Day since the 1920s. The red poppy reminds us of the sacrifice - the blood lost - in war. Poppies are also significant because these flowers grow naturally in the fields on the Western Front where many soldiers fought and died.
To teach my students about these pretty flowers that have such a sad significance, I am going to make some simple potato prints. I had a practice run with my nephew this afternoon.

To make these pretty poppies, you need to cut a simple flower shape from a potato and use red paint to make the prints. To make the black centres, I used real poppy seeds which can be easily and cheaply purchased from the supermarket. A dab of glue in the centre was enough to hold them in place.

When I make these with my class next week, I will put the sheet of paper in a paper box lid so they can shake the seeds around easily and keep reusing the bits that fall off. This should mean less little black seeds all over the room too, I hope!

If you are doing Anzac Day activities with your class, you might also like to try my Anzac Day Slouch Hat craft.

Lest We Forget

Anzac Day is approaching so I am creating some activities that will be suitable for Australian and New Zealand children to commemorate this special day.
This simple Slouch Hat Craft will be a great Anzac Day Craft Activity.
Slouch hats were worn by the diggers in World War I. The Light Horsemen proudly wore slouch hats adorned with an emu feather plume.
If you can find emu feathers this would be an interesting touch, otherwise a chicken feather might be easier to come by! I made my feather in the photo out of paper. Even a paper feather gives the effect, although I think real emu feathers would make this Anzac craft much more special.

I plan to use painted paper for my craft, but this mock up done with ordinary coloured paper still gives you the idea.
To purchase the pattern and instructions for this Anzac Day Craft, visit my TPT store.
This craft idea could support the Australian History Curriculum for Year 2 or Year 3.