Copyright licensed copy.Further copying andon of fee or communication

Jenny Scheffers is teacher librarian at

Caddies Creek Public School, NSW

Schoo! contexthe library at Caddies CreekPublic School (CCPS)integrates cooperative

planning, programming and teaching(CPPT), flexible timetabling,resourced based learning (includingICT), Quality Teaching and informa­tion skills to foster the development ofstudents' knowledge and understand­ing of targeted syllabus outcomes. Theteacher librarian works collaborativelywith the teaching staff, striving to

provide relevant, motivational andchallenging teaching and learningexperiences for students.

In 2007, the teacher librarian attendedtwo professional development dayscentred on Guided Inquiry, anevidence based instructionalframework to foster the developmentof deep learning through informationresources. Guided Inquiry is defined as

carefully planned, closely supervisedtargeted intervention of an instruc­tional team of school librarians andteachers to gUide students throughcurriculum based inquiry units thatbuild deep knowledge and deepunderstanding of a curriculum topic,and gradually lead towards indepen­dent learning. Guided Inquiry isgrounded in a constructivistapproach to learning, based onthe Information Search Process(ISP) developed by Kuhlthau, fordeveloping students' competencewith learning from a variety ofsources while enhancing theirunderstanding of the content areasof the curriculum.

ClSSL <www.ciss1.scils.nttgers.edulgUided_inquiry/introduction.htmb

In Term 2 2007, after undertakingfurther professional reading, theteacher librarian felt inspired to takethe plunge with Guided Inquiry. Themotivation for this came from the factthat Guided Inquiry is backed by overtwenty years of research studies in theUSA and, more recently, in Victoria,Australia. Guidec1lnquiry places greatimportance on initially buildingstudents' background knowledgebefore launching studeuts into theresearch task. This development ofbackground knowledge providesstudents with a grounded footing inreadiness for their research task. Asnoted by Fitzgerald (2007), Kuhlthau'sInformation Search Process (ISP)which comprises seven researchstages, not only provides input on thethinking and behavioural processes ofstudents, it also accounts for the feelingsstudents encounter as they cany out aninquiry project. This affective domainof ISP adds further depth to theresearch framework for learners. Inaddition, the School Library ImpactMeasure (SLIM) survey toolkit,developed by the Center forInternational Scholarship in SchoolLibraries (CISSL) to chart the devel­opment of knowledge through inquirybased units, provides valuable insightsinto students' learning experiences aswell as being a most useful tool forevidence based practice. GuidedInquiry also incorporates manyaspects of Quality Teaching includingdeep knowledge and deep understand­ing. It was felt that Guidec1lnquirywould help to lift the bar for teachingand learning at CCPS.

Getting startedDuring Term 3 2007, all five Stage 3classes participated in a ten weekCPPT Guided Inquiry unit. ThisInternational Aid OrganisationWebQuest program, which was based

on the NSW Department of Educationand Training's Country Areas Program(CAP) WebQuest, supported theclasses' current Human Society and ItsEnvironment (HSIE) program basedon Global connections, and addressedthe learning outcome:

S5S3.7: Resource systems Describeshow Australiau people, systemsand communities are globallyinterconnected and recognises globalresponSibilities.

The research task posed was: You andyour partner ,are members of a DistrictCommittee which has raised $20 000 foroverseas aid. Your tash is to research 2worthwhile aid projects.

Choose the one YOU feel most worthy ofthe donation and write an expositionsupporting your choice. You will presentyour case to the class (format to berevealed later!)

You will need to consider:

• location of projecttype of project e.g. education, health,agriculture etc.

• who is helped by the projectexpected outcomes of the project.

Throughout the research unit, moststudents were highly motivated andconscientious. The responSibility ofdonating $20 000 to a chosen organi­sation was viewed seriously. Generally,students' final exposition presenta~

tions (in the form of colour brochuresor PowerPoint presentations) were ofau exceptionally high standard anddemonstrated the higher orderthinking processes that studenthad undertaken.

All Stage 3 students completed thethree SLIM surveys throughout theunit. However, because the data entrywas a very time consuming task, onlythe Year 6 students' surveys werecollated for evidence based practice.This sample size was forty- six

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students. The results indicated agrowth in students' factual knowledgeand, in a few cases, a growth instudents' conceptual knowledge andunderstanding. Most students werevery motivated with the research task,although their interest declined duringthe Exploration stage. However, therewere some conflicting findings. Whilstsome students indicated that theyfound it easy to develop and usesuccessful strategies for locatinginformation, copy and paste relevantinformation and to work cooperativelywith a partner, other students foundthese same tasks difficult. Whensurveyed as to what they learnt fromthis research unit, most studentsstated factual knowledge aboutInternational Aid Organisations, howto produce an appropriate presenta­tion, and how to think critically.

An additional question regarding whatstudents enjoyed about their researchwas included in the final survey.Students listed producing a PowerPointor brochure, working cooperativelywith partner and using book markedinternet sites and books to findrelevant infonnation.

At the conclusion of the unit the fiveclass teachers were also surveyed.The teachers expressed overwhelmingsupport of Guided Inquiry and itsfurther development at CCPS.Teachers believed that the combina­tion of the Guided Inquiry frameworkand open ended, higher order thinkingWebQuest resulted in higher levels ofstudent motivation and achievement.

In Tertn 4 2007, the teacher librarianpresented an overview of this trial GuidedInquiry unit at astaff meeting. TheGuided Inquiry approach, the WebQuesttask, students' responses and final presen­tations were outlined. The teacherlibrarian explained that the libraryprogram would be adopting GuidedInquiry as the framework for future units.

Further developments in 2008In Term 2 2008, a Stage 3 GoldWebQuest Guided Inquiry unit was

trialled with six classes. This unit wasintegrated with the classes' currentHSIE program and addressed the HSIElearning outcome:

CCS3.1: Significant events and peopleExplains the significance of particularpeople, groups, actions and events inthe past in developing Australianidentities and heritage.

Several planning meetings wereconducted with the Stage 3 teachersprior to the commencement of theunit and tasks delegated, including thereviewing of relevant and user friendlyinternet sites and designing of studentproformas. The teacher librarian alsoexplained and revised the concept ofGuided Inquiry with the teachersinvolved; four of whom had collabo­rated on the earlier Guided Inquiryunit. The use of the modified Shinnytoolkit to track students' progressthroughout their research journeyswas also discussed. The Shinny toolkit,which is a Simplified version of theSLIM toolkit, was suggested by teacherlibrarian, Lee Fitzgerald, iu her trialsof Guided Inquiry.

In addition, teachers were keen to trialWeb 2.0 in the form of a Gold questblog <goldquest.edublogs.org>. Theteacher librarian made enquiries withcolleague, Ian McLean (teacherlibrarian at Penrith Public School),who has expertise in Web 2.0.Coincidently, it was discovered that thePenrith Stage 3 classes would also bestudying the topic of gold. Whilststudents at CCPS would be focusingtheir research on fouf major Australiangoldfields, students at PPS would bestudying Australian bushrangers. Ajoint blog was set up to enablestudents from both schools to sharetheir research findings and experi­ences, internally in their own schoolsand also between the two schools. Thiswas a most exciting development forstudents and teachers alike!

As detailed in the accompanyingprogram, the Guided InquiryWebQuest task, based on the CAPWebQuest, Gold! Gold! Gold!, was:

It is period 1850-1870 in Australia-thetime of Australian History hnown as thefirst Gold Rush. You live in Old SydneyTown and Ii he many others, you andyour friend are rather poor and aretempted to head to the goldfields tomake your fortune. ;There areseveralgoldfields to choose'from altd muchorganisng to do before youfind any gold.

1. Which one of the followinggoldfields will you chose to try yourluch at and why?

- Bathurst

- Ballarat

- Charters Towers

- Gympie

2. Compile a list of mining equipmentand provisions that you will need toeither tahe with you or buy once youreach the gold field.

3. What possible problems mightyou face?

Remember, you have little money and noexperience.

Points to Consider:

Distance to the gold field: How fardo you need to travel and how willyou get there?

• Which gold mining area offers thebest chances of 'strihing it rich'?

• Which type of gold mining best suitsyou?

• What mining equipment and otherprovisions will you need?

• What problems might you face?

Assessment:

• student self assessment rubric• teachers' student assessment rubric

• Shinny (modified SLI.) surveys)

Presentation:

Students will be given a choice of presen­tation formats, which will be announcedonce all research is completed.

Instructional interventionsThe program was implemented fromWeeks 2-10 ofTerm 2. Each classbooked in for two CPT lessons perweek (I X hour lesson and I X 30minute lesson) over 9 weeks (Figure1). Students worked with a partner of

Figure 1 Mrs Scheffers checks the students' progress

their own choice, with the exception

of Class 5/6L who a used a lotterydraw for selecting partners. Eachstudent was issued with a research

booklet, kept in a plastic sleevetogether with their partner's booklet.The booklet contained: the WebQuesttask, sequenced scaffolds andproformas, three Shinny toolkitsurveys and students' journal sheets.

Throughout each of the ISP steps,students progressed through a seriesof explicit teaching and learningactivities (refer to unit program):

L Initiation:

whole class discussion of students'

prior knowledge about gold(brainstorming using interactive

white board)

• WebQuest task explained to class,and students organised into pairs.

2. Selection:

Students build their backgroundknowledge about gold and theAustralian gold rush by:

completing general internet search

of various bookmarked goldinternet sites using profonna ego

What is gold? What are some proper­ties of gold? Where & when has goldbeen discovered in Australia?

viewing Australian gold video '"complete View, listen & connectproforma.

3. Exploration:

• research the four given goldfieldsusing bookmarked internet sites

and non reference books.

Complete Australian goldfieldsproforma (eg. distance fromSydney, year of first gold discovery,types of mining, problems).

4. Formulation:

• pairs of students narrow choice of

goldfields from four to two.Complete Comparison of 2preferred goldfields proforma(advantages and disadvantages ofthe two chosen goldfields)

• pairs of students decide on whichgoldfield they will try their luck atand reasons why.

5. Collection:

draft their historical recount statingtheir case for choosing this particu~

lar goldfield, listing miningequipment and provisions required

and possible problems they mayface. Students are reqnired to list atleast three reasons for their choice.

design one PowerPoint slide to useas a supporting backdrop to theiroral presentation.

Figure 2 Student partners present an oral recount

6. Presentation:

pairs of students present an oral

recount, with the support of one

PowerPoint slide (Figure 2).

7. Assessment:

three Shinny toolkit surveys, selfassessment rubric and teacher

assessment (of student) rubric

Dippillg our toes ill Web 2.0Amost exciting and valuableextension of this WebQuest was thejoint Gold quest blog with PenrithPublic School (PPS). The two teacherlibrarians from both schools workedclosely together to establish the blog,and then oversee its ongoing develop­ment. Teachers and students from

CCPS set up their own Edublogusernames, passwords and avatars,

whilst the teacher librarian at PPSposted students' and classes' messages

on their behalf.

The structure of the blog program wassimilar to that of a book rap, with thefollowing sequence of teaching andlearning activities:

Class introductions from each ofthe ten classes (six from CCPS andfour from PPS)

Fascinating Gold quest researchfindings - pairs of students fromCCPS shared two interesting factsabont gold and the Australian goldrush and described their feelingsand thoughts about their researchjourneys thus far

Law on the goldfields: plus, minusand interesting facts - classes fromPPS shared their learnt facts aboutAustralian bushrangers

• CCPS WebQuest presentations ­classes voted on the best three

oral recount presentations which

were then posted onto the blogfor students from both schoolsto read

PPS Bushranger bounties - Studentsposted their own newspaper

clippings about the most notorious

or most dangerous Australian

bushrangers.

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Students and staff felt very prond ofwhat their first attempts at a blog hadachieved! Stndents within each schooland between the two schools were ableto share their research experiences andfindings. As each school was studyinga different aspect of the Australian goldrush, the blog broadened the topic forstudents. If tuore teaching time hadbeen available, further online discus­sion, questioning and sharing couldhave occurred.

Class 5/Ls journal entries highlight thevalue and excitement felt by thestudents about the blog:

I felt excited about blogging withPenrith PS. It was really fun and Ican't wait to do it again!

Student One

I felt very pleased because mypartner and I worhed hard to mahean excellent (blog) message.

Student 1\\10

I felt excited because I've neverposted a blog message before.

Student Three

I felt great because we got to type amessage to our Penrith PS bloggerson the Gold Quest blog.

Student Four

Collated Skinny sUlrlley resultsStudents from the six classescompleted the three Shinny surveys; atthe commencement of the unit(Selection), in the middle of theirresearch (Exploration) and after theirfinal presentations (Presentation).When time permitted, the respectiveclass teachers and teacher librariandiscussed individual comments withstndents. The surveys providedvaluable insights into individuals' andpairs' progress and what difficultiesthey were experiencing.

At the conclusion of the unit, data wascollated from the thirty- two studentsin Class 51L, (the highest academicclass) in order to obtain an overallpicture of students' performances andexperiences. The findings are listedbelow.

Survey 1Question I: What do you hnow aboutgold and the Australian gold rush?

As expected, 75% of students statedfactual knowledge they had gainedabont the history of the AnstralianGold Rush, such as facts aboutEdward Hargraves and the WelcomeStranger nugget. Many students(63%) stated the properties of goldand 25% students recorded theuses of gold.

Question 2: What difficulties are youhaving with your gold research?

Many stndents (47%) indicatedthat they were experiencingdifficnlties finding nseful and relevantinformation from book markedwebsites. In some instances,students were encountering

conflicting information.

... many sites give you differentinformation and that mahes it

difficult to write what is true.Student Five

About one third of students hadtrouble note taking whilst watching aDVD gold documentary.

I found when we were watchingthe DVD I found it difficult becausewhen I was writing, something else,there was some other thing thatwas good.

Student Six

Survey 2Question]: What more do you hnowabout gold and the Australian gold rush?

Students were instructed to record anynew knowledge or understandingsthey had gained since completingSurvey I. About 40% of studentsreported that they had gained greaterfactual knowledge about the fourrespective gold fields, whilst 30% ofstudents had increased knowledgeabout the mining equipment needed.About 25% of students also stated thenecessary provisions for life on thegoldfields and the various problemsfaced by gold miners.

Simple things lihe blanhets wereneeded.

Student Seven

Many people didn't find gold.Student Six

Question 2: What difficulties are youhaving with your gold research?

The majority of students (63%) werecontinuing to experience problemsfinding relevant and specific informa­tion on the internet (eg. the amount of

gold discovered at particnlar goldfields and information about Ballarat).

A few students expressed their strongobjection to not being able to freelysearch for alternate sites on Google.

I really hate not being able to searchGoogle! It is really annoying me!The sites in Favorites are a little bitoff trach.

Student Eight

Such comments provided immediateand valuable feedback to the teachers,who then reconsidered allowingstudents the freedom and flexibility ofindependently searching the internet,once the bookmarked sites had beenexhausted.

At this stage of their research task,several stndents (28%) were havingdifficulties cooperating with theirpartner. This may have been partly dueto the fact that in this particnlar class alottery draw was used to randomlyselect partners. Other difficultiesincluded note taking and recordingkeywords (25%), DVD note taking(19%) and finding relevant infortna­tion in nonfiction books (16%).

Information in the boohs is veryunfamiliar and most informationwe don't need and use (for ourresearch tash).

Student 3

Survey 3Question]: What do you nowunderstand about gold and theAustralian gold rush?

In the final survey, 38% of studentsstated that they increased factual

l_~_'_\t --.J~J -----1. I JI I Scan· Vol 2] No 4November 2008

knowledge about the Australian goldrushes. About 18% of the class alsostated that they had increased knowledgeregarding the properties of gold, its uses,the various ways of mining gold andmore about the Eureka Stockade,

Importantly, 22% of students noted thatthey had a greater appreciation aboutthe problems at the goldfields. Asdemonstrated in the following quotes,about one quarter of the class displayeda deep understanding about thestruggles experienced by gold seekers,

1understand that life on thegoldfields was hard.

Student Nine

Life I those days was tough - findingfood and money was not easy to findand earn.

Student Five

In those days you could only counton yourself and nobody else.Bushrangers could steal your goldand your partner could betray you.

Student FIve

I understand that the gold rush dayswere very tough. You had to worryabout many different things tosurvive. I also found that when itcomes to gold people are crazy, butthey should know that gold isn'teverything.

Student Three

Question 2: Thinking back on yourresearch, what did you find the mostdifficult to do? Please list as manythings as you like.

Although the teachers had checked thebooicmarked internet sites prior to thecommencement of the unit, half the classexperienced difficulty finding relevantinformation from these sites and nonfic~

don texts. Many students (28%) also hadproblems working cooperatively withtheir designated partner,

Sometimes I had difficulty under­standing what my partner had to say.

Student Three

About 25% students noted that theyhad trouble drafting their jointrecount / speech.

The most difficult thing was to putall our research into a recount.

Student 10

We had difficulty putting the speechinto perspective.

Student One

As would be expected, severalstudents (25%) were nervous ahoutpresenting their speech to the class.

... getting over my nerves andpresenting the speech.

Student 11

Getting the confidence to speak infront of the crowd (class).

Student 12

Question 3: Thinking back on yourresearch, what did you find the easiestto do? Please list as many things asyou like.

A large number of students (63%)found designing their PowerPoint slideeasy, whilst 31% found working andcooperating with a partner easy.Interestingly, 19% of studentsindicated that they had no troublewith note taking and finding relevantinformation. This finding contrastedwith the results in the previousquestion.

Question 4: What skills did you learnin doing this research project? List asmany things as you like.

About one third of students stated thatthey learnt how to cooperate with apartner.

Cooperating with a partner fromYear 6 (student in Year 5).

Student 13

Working with different people.Student to

Making new friends.Student 14

One quarter of the class noted thatthey had increased their factualknowledge about gold and theAustralian Gold Rush.

. how to actually pan.Siudent IS

About 19% of students alsocommented that they had learnt

to write an oral recount presentationand 16% stated they had improvedtheir note taking skills.

Writing things that are appropriate.Student Three

Question 5: What did you enjoy ahoutthis research unit? List as many thingsas you like,

About one third of students enjoyeddesigning a PowerPoint slide, whichwas used as a presentation backdrop.Many students (25%) enjoyed workingwith a partner and presenting theirfinal speeches. Several students (16%)liked finding out more informationabout gold.

I enjoyed increasing my knowledgeon the topic of gold.

Student Eight

Some students enjoyed viewing andnote taking from DVD documentaries,the open ended WebQuest task andcommunicating on our shared blogwith Penrith Public School.

... having afree choice.Student 15

Chatting witk Penrith P.S. on theEdublog.

Student 16

Student learning journalsAt the end of most lessons, studentsrecorded their research activities andtheir related feelings. Many of thejournal comments, which werecollated from Class 5/6, reflectedKuhlthau's affective domain of the ISP.

Initiation:

I felt challenged because it was hard,(Building background knowledge- 1st lesson, introductory goldresearch on internet)

Student 17

I felt great today because eventhough I was worbng with myopposite gender (which is a bit outof my comfort zone) everytkingworked out quite well.

Student Flve

I felt sought of relieved to have

finally started on our CPT sessionsin the library. I also felt glad becausemy partner is not so bad as Ithought.

Student Three

Selection:

I was interested to see and not justread about what happened on thegoldfields. (viewing documentaryand note taking)

Student 11

I felt shocked that EdwardHargraves took all the credit.(DVD viewing)

Student 12

I was interested because I saw whathappened visually in the Australiangold rush. (DVD documentary)

Student I'our

Exploration:

I felt bored because I couldn't findmuch and (Student Three) was goingtoo fast.

Student 18

I felt disappointed because I didn'tget enough information. (research­ing a particular gold field)

Student 19

I felt disappointed because it washard looking for research onBathurst.

Student 20

I felt sparkly because I got furtherthan I thought I would.

Student 20

Formulation:

I felt happy because we narrowed itdown to only one goldfield and weare doing our draft presentation.

Student 21

Collection:

It was fun because my partner andI worked well and I was reallypleased with how far we got in therecount.

Student 22

I was completely concentratedbecause I really wanted to finishour recount.

Student Four

Presentation:

I felt nervous talhing in front ofeveryone. (Presentation)

Student 12

Assessment:

I feel excited because we have learnta lot.

Student Nine

Teacher surveyAt the conclusion of this GuidedInquiry unit, a survey of the seven

teachers was collated.

Question 1: What research skills andknowledge did the students develop?

All of the teachers had observed anincrease in students' factual

knowledge about gold and theAustralian gold rush.

... more thorough understanding oflife on the goldfields which linkedwell with in class lessons.

Teacher One

In addition, students' internet research

skills, Web 2.0 blogging skills,summarising and note taking skills,

and social skills were all enhanced.

... promoted decision making andcommunication skills among eachpair of students, when deciding onwhich goldfield to visit.

Teacher One

Question2: In general, what aspects ofthe unit / program did students havedifficulty with?

The main perceived student difficultieswere the time frame, as an additional fewlessons would have benelited someclasses. Some students needed a lotof assistance with finding enoughrelevant information from the internetand books, and editing their recountspeeches.

Question 3: In general, how did thestudents respond to the unit?

All seven teachers reported thatstudents were generally very keenabout their research tasks, althoughthis enthusiasm did wane duringthe Exploration Stage, when

students were wading through largeamounts of information about thefour nominated goldfields. Studentswere highly motivated about thecollaborative Gold quest blog andwere always eager to post and readmessages from both schools.Generally, students' final oralpresentations were of a high standard- all the hard work had paid off!

They responded very well. Very keenand interested. Also responded wellto being put in groups / pairsrandomly.

Teacher Two

Children loved the unit and wereheen to learn and find out facts.Children cooperated well witheach other.

Teacher Three

The majority of students worhedvery well. I was surprised with thecooperation shown by students.Very impressed with their speeches.

Teacher Four

Students enjoyed the goldfields tashand really lihed the pair work.This also worhed well whendelivering the oral presentation asstudents had not experiencedspeahing [presenting] with anotherperson before.

Teacher One

Question 4: Were the resourcessufficient / suitable / useful?

The teachers felt that the bookmarkedwebsites had basically all theinformation students needed althoughpermitting students to independentlysearch the Internet may haveresulted in additional information.

The library'S bank of sixteencomputers facilitated pairs of studentsresearch work and there was also avariety of nonfiction books, atlasesand DVDs.

Question 5: What other resourceswould have been useful?

The main recommendations were foradditional related nonfiction texts andwebsites and extra lesson time.

r!!

Question 6: What aspects of the CPTGuided Inquiry WebQuest could havebeen improved and how?

Most of the teachers agreed thatadditional lesson time would havebeen useful. Perhaps by reducing thenumber of nominated goldfields fromfour to three this problem could havebeen alleviated.

Always difficult but more time forspeech preparation would have beengood - last little bit seemed a bitrushed.

Teacher Five

Question 7: Were there any benefits foryou worhing collaboratively with theteacher librarian on the GuidedInquiry WebQuest unit? If so, whatwere they?

All six class teachers responded mostpositively to this teaching partnershipand were very keen to be involved infuture Gnided Inquiry units.

The stated benefits included the sharingof professional expertise, knowledgeand ideas and development of Web 2.0blog skills. Several teachers alsocommented on the lower teacher: pupilratio which enables students to receivemore responsive teacher assistance.

Many! Expertise, hnowledge ofresources, Guided Inquiry process,hnowledge of Web 2.0, teamwork.

Teacher 1\vo

Two of the teachers made very directand supportive comments aboutGuided Inquiry:

I was impressed with the finalpresentations. I thinh the (GuidedInquiry) process helped bring thisout - quality [of students' worh]was improved.

Teacher Five

I have used the same approach IGI]in my class last year and this yearand thinh it worhs very well.

Teacher One

Future directionsNow that our school has startedso successfully down the path ofGuided Inquiry and Web 2.0, weintend to further develop, extendand refine these teaching programs.Currently, Stage 2 classes at CCPSare participating in another GuidedInquiry CPPT nnit, based on theConvicts of the First Fleet WebQuesLOnce again, the Skinny toolkit surveyswill be used to assess and guidestudents' progress.

With the recent implementation ofthe New South Wales Department ofEducation and Training's ConnectedClassrooms Program, the opportunityfor fnture Guided Inquiry and Web 2.0collaborations will be accelerated.By working cooperatively withteachers within onr school and fromother schools, students are sure toexperience even more exciting andrewarding learning journeys! III

i!

Appendix ft.: Guided Inquiry model: Gold! Gold! Gold! Webo.uest

Caddies Creek Public School Stage 3Library CPT Guided Inquiry Unit:

GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! WebDuestWebOues! Problem & Task:

It is period 1850-1870 in Australia - the time of Australian History known as the first Gold Rush. You live in Old Sydney Town and like many others; youand your friend are rather poor and are tempted to head to the goldfields to make your fortune.

There are several Gold fields to choose from and much organisng to do before you find any gold.

TASKS1. Which one of the following gold fields will you chose to try your luck at and why?

• 8athurst / Ophir• 8allarat• Charters Towers• Gympie

2. Compile alist of mining equipment and provisions that you will need to either take with you or buy once you reach the gold field.3. What possible problems might you face?

Remember, you have little money and IlQ experience.

Points to consider:• Oistanee to the gold field... how far do you need to travel and how will you get there?• Which gold mining area oifers the best chances of "striking it rich"?• Which type of gold mining best suits you?• What mining equipment and other provisions will you need?• What problems might you face?

Assessment:• student self assessment rubric• teachers' student assessment rubric• SLIM surveys

Presentation:Students will be given achoice of presentation formats, which will be announced once all research is completed

l-_S_ca_o_._VO_12_7_NO_4_N_oV_e_mb_er_2_00_8 ---"~L f!l'm!_'_(1_

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Resources:• prepared students' research sheets {booklets!, including 3 Skinny Surveys {adapted SLIM survey sheetsl and journal sheets• relevant Australian gold rush internet sites, which will be bookmarked for students to access in Favourites on the school's intranet• numerous nonfiction gold DVD resources from Our library• interactive white board {IWBI• Microsoft PowerPoint for supporting presenting students' final oral presentations• double side evaluation rubric (students' self assessments and teachers' assessments of students' performances)• Gold questblog to trial with CCPS Stage 3classes and Penrith PS Stage 3classes

Syllabus outcomes:Human Society and Its Environment K-6syllabus (1998)

CCS3,1Explains the significance of particularpeople, groups, actions and events in thepast in developing Australian identities andheritage.

Subject matter:• the Australian gold rush• difficulties / problems of the gold rush

era

Focus computer competencies• access bookmarked Internet sites• navigate various relevant Internet sites• use PowerPoint as a support / prop

for final oral presentation• all Stage 3 classes trialling a Gold

quest blog with Stage 3 students fromPenrith PS<goldquesl.edublogs,org>

Gold quest blog program:Class introductions - from each of the10 classes (6 from CCPS and 4 from PPS)

Fascinating Gold quest researchfindings - Pairs of students from CCPSshare 2 interesting facts about gold andthe Australian gold rush and describe theirfeelings and thoughts about their researchjourneys thus far.

Law on the goldfields: Plus, minusand interesting facts - Classes from PPSshare their learnt facts & opinions aboutAustralian bushrangers.

CCPS WeblJuest presentations­Classes vote on the best three oral recountpresentations which are then posted ontothe blog for students from both schools toread.

PPS Bushranger bounties - Studentspost their own newspaper clippings aboutthe most notorious or most dangerousAustralian bushrangers.

Teaching and learning activities / strategies (and related Information SearchProcess skills):Note: Students complete a journal entry at the end of each lesson. Most weeks, classeswill read and / or post messages to the Gold quest blog.

Week 3: Introducing the WebOuest TaskLesson 1: Pre-unit assessment to gauge current level of understanding:• Whole class discussion of students' prior knowledge about gold and the Australian

gold rush L1sing the IWB, each class constructs a concept map about gold & theAustralian gold rush.

• The teacher librarian and class teacher explain the WebOuesttask to the class.Students are organised in to pairs. (Initiation)

Building background knowledge:

• The teacher librarian demonstrates how to access gold sites, which have beenbookmarked on the school's intranet.

• Working in pairs, students complete ageneral internet search of various bookmarkedgold sites, using a proforma in students' booklets - What is gold? What are theproperties ofgold? What are the uses ofgold? Where & when has gold beendiscovered in Australia? How is gold mined? (Selection)

• Students complete their individual journal entry, which includes the date, activitycompleted and at least 1sentence about how they felt and why. {eg. I felt.because ....... 1

Lesson 2: Building background knowledge - viewing & notetaking of DVD• As a whole class, students view DVD about gold, Finders' Keepers and complete

View listen connect proforma. Students then share their thoughts & ideas withpartners & other groups {Think Pair SharellSelectionl

• Individually, students complete Research reflection survey Sheet no. 1{modified SLIMToolkitl

Week 4: Continuing to build background information, Gold quest blDg &commence gold fields research

Lessons 1& 2:• In classtime, students view another DVD about gold and complete View listen

connect proformas. Students then share their thoughts & ideas with partners & othergroups {Think Pair Sharel (Selection)

• Teachers explain & demonstrate the Gold questblog to students. A class introductorymessage is posted.

• Working in pairs, students commence Australian goldfields proforma, which focuseson 4specific Australian goldfields (includes locations of goldfields, how to travelthere, year of first gold discovery, size of gold finds, equipment needed etcl. Pairs ofstudents access relevant bookmarked Internet sites and non fiction books to locate &select relevant information. (Exploration)

Week 5: Researching 4 nominated Australian goldfieldsLessons 1& 2:• Continue with gold field research (Exploration)

Week 6: Complete researcbing 4 nominated Australian goldfieldsLesson I:• Working in pairs, students complete Australian goldfields proforma (Exploration)• Individually, students complete Research reflection survey sheet no. 2{modified SLIM

Toolkit)

Lesson 2: Narrow choice of gold fields & make final selection• Pairs of students narrow their choice of preferred Australian goldfield from 4to 2 and

record the advantages & disadvantages of these 2goldfields.• Each group then decides on their final choice of goldfield &reasons Why. (Formulation)

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Weeks 7& 8: Drafting PresentationsLessons 1&2:• Teacher librarian and class teacher explain & model the presentation choice to class:

Speech IHistorical recount text typel• Pairs of students draft their oral recount presentations; stating their case for choosing

this particular goldfield, listing mining equipment & prouisions required & possibleproblems,

• Pairs of students design PowerPointl1 slidel as a prop / support for speeches.• Students consult with a teacher about their draft presentations, (Collection)

Week 9: Final PresentationsLesson 1: Practising presentations• Pairs of students practice & refine their presentations.

Lesson 2:• Students present their final oral recounts to the class. Audience provides positive

feedback and suggestions for improvement Each class votes on the best 3presentations, which will be published on the Gold questblog (Presentation)

• Teachers complete rubrics for students' oral presentations.

Week 10: AssessmentLesson 1:• Individually, students complete a self evaluation rubric of their research work & then

consult with a teacher who completes the assessment rubric of student pertormance(Assessment)

• Indiuidually, students complete their Research reflection survey sheet no, 3 (modifiedSLIM Toolkitl

• Students, whose oral presentations were voted the best in each class, post theirrecounts on the Gold quest blog.

Post unit assessment to determine progress towards stated outcomes:

• observation of individual students during Library lessons• students' work booklets• students' final presentations• students' journal entries• students' 3 SLIM Toolkit surveys• students' self evaluation rubrics and teachers' rubric evaluations of students'

performances

References and further reading

Beveridge, S. (2008) 'Connected Classrooms Program', Scan 27{3l, pp. 46--47.

Connected Classrooms Program. NSW Department of Education and Training. Viewed 11 September 2008. <www.det.nsw.edu.au/straLdirection/schools/ccp!index.htm>.

'Convicts of the First Fleet'. Online research modules, NSW Country Areas Program (CAPjViewed 11 September 2008.<www.cap.nsw.edu.aufbb_site_intro/stage2_Modules/Convicts/Convicts.htm>.

fitzgerald, l.120071 'Investigating Guided Inqui~: abeginning', Scan 26 12) pp, 30-37

'Global connections', Online research modules, NSW Country Areas Program (CAP), Viewed 11 September 2008, <www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_siteJntro/stage3_Modules/globaLconnections/global_connections.html>.

'Gold! Gold! Gold!', Onfine research modufes. NSW Country Areas Program (CAP). Viewed 11 September 200R <www.cap.nsw.edu.aulbb_sitejntro/stageLModules!gold/gold,btml>,

Gold quest blog, Edublogs. Viewed 11 September 2008. <goldquest.edublogs.org>.

Hunter. J. &Beveridge, S, (2008)'4 xC+1xl", VC +QT aka Connected Classrooms creating learning communities using video conferencing technology and Quality Teaching',Scan 27141, PO 4-1

Kuhlthau. C. et al (2007) Guided fnquiry learning in the 21st century, Libraries Unlimited, Westport. Conn.

Kuhlthau. C. &Todd, R. (2005) 'Guided inquiry: aframework for learning through school libraries in 21 st century schools', Guided Inquiry. Center for International Scholarship inSchool Libraries (CISSl), Rutgers University. Viewed 11 September 2008. <cissl.scils.rutgers.edu!guidedJnquiry/foundation.html>.

Todd, R., Kuhlthau. C. &Heinstrom, J. (2005) 'School library Impact Measure: SLIM: atoolkit and handbook for tracking and assessing student learning outcomes of GuidedInquiry through the school library', Guided (nquiry, Centre for International Scholarship in School libraries (CISSL), Rutgers University. Viewed 11 September 2008.<cisstscils.rutgers,edu!guidedjnquiry/slim,html>.

Quality teaching in NSW public schools: discussion paper, (2003) Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate, NSW Department of Edu'cation and Training, Sydney.SC1S 1131553 [For the full range of Quality Teaching support materials go to <https;//www.det.nsw.edu.au/proflearn/areas/qt!resources.htm#1>.]

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