Year 9 teach Geography to Woodstock
Geography is a living, breathing subject as Woodstock discovered recently, with Ms Siebels’ Year 9 Geography students sharing their knowledge of biomes.
Our K to 2 students have been learning all about biomes.
They’ve even had their very own large-scale biome of Australia - complete with sand and real plants - inside Woodstock itself! So the timing was perfect for Ms Siebels’ Year 9 Geography students to drop in and spend a day sharing their knowledge with the younger students.
Year 9 read stories they’d personally researched, written and developed to the younger students, using eBooks to help enrich the experience and make the subject more dynamic and relevant.
Their enthusiasm proved infectious. It helped the younger students to understand that Geography is basically a great adventure with a purpose. Most importantly, it presented the older students with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, hone their technology skills, and to think critically about the knowledge they were imparting.
Together they helped K to 2 access more information about different ecosystems, climates, plants and animals that live in biomes across the Earth.
Mia (Year 9) said, "I learnt from the eBook experience that the children need more engaging stories and simpler ways to learn about the biomes. I also learned how to use the website that created the book, which is a helpful and useful source for the future."
Similarly, Mya (Year 9) said, "Sharing our stories about the biomes allowed me to consolidate my understanding of the topic. It was really enjoyable to interact with the younger students and explain geography concepts to them. I felt that my learning was deepened and thought it was good that we utilised technology to create the eBooks."
Kate (Year 9) said, "I thought the eBook experience was really interesting and fun, as we got to meet the Woodstock girls and read them stories. I learnt some important IT skills by using eBooks and it was a lot quicker and easier to learn about biomes and engage the young students."
Ms Siebels agreed that the day itself was great fun. Not only did it help all the students gain a better understanding about how to use technology, it was also great to see the older students stepping up to help the K to 2 students.
So many of the planet’s current issues boil down to geography, and the geographers of the future will play a major role in helping us to understand them. Global warming, overpopulation, food security and the degradation of land and soil are just some of the challenges facing the next generation.
Thanks to Year 9, perhaps some of the budding geographers in Woodstock will be the people who help to solve them!