Advertising Our Centre
Phase of Development: Early Childhood
Overarching Learning Outcomes
I focused, in particular, on the following overarching learning outcomes in this series of lessons and on the links between these outcomes and the relevant learning area outcomes.
| 1. | Students use language to understand, develop and communicate ideas and information and interact with others. |
| 2. | Students select, integrate and apply numerical and spatial concepts and techniques. |
| 3. | Students recognise when and what information is needed, locate and obtain it from a range of sources and evaluate, use and share it with others. |
| 4. | Students select, use and adapt technologies. |
| 5. | Students describe and reason about patterns, structures and relationships in order to understand, interpret, justify and make predictions. |
| 6. | Students visualise consequences, think laterally, recognise opportunity and potential and are prepared to test options. |
| 7. | Students understand and appreciate the physical, biological and technological world and have the knowledge and skills and values to make decisions in relation to it. |
| 10. | Students participate in creative activity of their own and understand and engage with the artistic, cultural and intellectual work of others. |
| 11. | Students value and implement practices that promote personal growth and well being. |
| 12. | Students are self-motivated and confident in their approach to learning and are able to work individually and collaboratively. |
| 13. | Students recognise that everyone has the right to feel valued and be safe, and, in this regard, understand their rights and obligations and behave responsibly. |
The following matrix describes the key learning area outcomes that were spotlighted in this unit of work. It should be recognised that many other outcomes, from these and other learning areas, will also be achieved during the course of the unit.
Learning Area Outcomes
Curriculum Framework | Strand Statements
Outcomes & Standards Framework |
English Level 1 SOS
Viewing
Students view a wide range of visual texts with purpose, understanding and critical awareness.
Writing
Students write for a range of purposes and in a range of forms using conventions appropriate to audience, purpose and context.
Reading
Students read a wide range of texts with purpose, understanding and critical awareness. |
Listening
Students listen with purpose, understanding and critical awareness in a wide range of situations.
Speaking
Students speak with purpose and effect in a wide range of contexts. |
Speaking and Listening
Students speak and listen with purpose, understanding and critical awareness in a wide range of contexts. |
The Arts
Communicating Arts Ideas
Students generate arts works that communicate ideas.
Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies and Processes
Students use the skills, techniques, processes, conventions and technologies of the arts.
Responding, Reflecting on and Evaluating The Arts
Students use their aesthetic understandings to respond to, reflect on and evaluate the arts.
Understanding the Role of The Arts in Society
Students understand the role of the arts in society.
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| Technology & Enterprise |
The Technology Process
Students apply a technology process to create or modify products, processes, systems, services or environments to meet human needs and realise opportunities. |
The Technology Process
Students apply an understanding of how attitudes towards technology, its development and use are influenced, when they pursue and realise opportunities through the development and application of innovative strategies. They apply a technology process and appropriate technology skills to create or modify technologies to meet human needs. |
Information
Students design, adapt, use and present information that is appropriate to achieving solutions to technology challenges.
Technology Skills
Students apply organisational, operational and manipulative skills appropriate to using, developing and adapting technologies. |
Information
Students use appropriate technology skills when designing, adapting, using and presenting information to meet a technology need. |
Brief Description
The children had to collaborate with each other and incorporate a range of technologies to produce a poster (or equivalent) encouraging people to visit their Centre. An Orientation Day for four year olds provided them with a real purpose for the activity.
Project Duration
Three weeks
Context
Expected Outcomes
Students will:
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speak and listen with purpose to others during collaborative work. |
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view and read advertising texts with awareness of how they work to be persuasive. |
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consider their intended audience when planning and creating advertisements. |
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create their own adverts with an understanding of the need to be persuasive. |
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take turns, listen to each other and speak appropriately when working in pairs and groups. |
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share materials and space with other group members. |
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improve their ability to collaborate in order to create an advertisement. |
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recognise the various ways information can be presented in a range of advertising texts; and demonstrate this recognition in producing their own advert. |
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understand simple ways of gathering, sending, receiving, recording, and presenting information in advertisements. |
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express their feelings about the text created by their group, and about the final class advertisement. |
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design their group's part of the poster project, working through trial and error and experimentation to create their product. |
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identify the important features of the computer, tape recorder and digital camera, through safe use of the first two, observation of my use of the digital camera and comparison between it and the instamatic camera. |
Learning Experiences
Stage 1: Introduction
| 1. |
Before I introduced the topic, we held a general discussion on holidays (this was initiated by the school holidays the children had just had), and looked at a range of advertising for holidays. I immersed the children in various forms of advertisements including newspaper ads, junk mail, travel brochures, TV commercials and magazine advertising. |
| 2. |
We conducted small and large group discussions/comparisons on the format and inclusions of the brochures. I encouraged the children to think particularly about how the words related to the photographs and other visuals. |
| 3. |
We then held an initial brainstorm session:
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how to advertise our pre-primary centre (i.e. the medium we should choose). |
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what words and visual images to put in an advertisement. |
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ways of getting to our Centre. |
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things the children have learnt in our class. |
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 to see our poster of Things we have Learnt. I used the entire back wall for this project. As we completed each stage we put all brainstorming, photos, work samples etc, that the children undertook on the board. As the display grew we presented the entire process with labels that told parents about each stage in language that the children would understand.
 Assessment
I was continually monitoring the understandings of selected students in:
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English (Viewing and Reading Strands). |
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The Arts (Responding, Reflecting on and Evaluating the Arts, and Understanding the Role of the Arts in Society). |
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T&E (Information Strand, and the Technology Process Strand, Investigating Substrand). |
to see the relevant Level 1 Outcome Statements.
| Stage 2: Preparing an Advertisement
Students then made an ad of their choice using a variety of art techniques and incorporating maps, legends, pictures and writing.
They could elect which information to use, and could work in collaboration with others if they wished.
Assessment
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I assessed each child's example by individual discussion. I used an Observation Criteria Table based on relevant student outcome statements in:
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English (Writing Strand) |
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The Arts (Communicating Arts Ideas, and Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies and Processes) |
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T&E (Information, and Technology Process, Devising and Producing Substrands) |
| The children were involved in reflection on their advertisements individually and at a whole class level by considering, What could be added? deleted? improved? used? etc.
During these discussions the children suggested using learning technologies to develop the advert, including a computer, a camera, and a tape recorder for interviews.
Assessment |
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I monitored selected students in:
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The Arts (Responding, Reflecting on and Evaluating the Arts) |
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T&E (Information, and Technology Process, Evaluating Substrand) |
Stage 3: Collaboration on Class Product
During this stage, we focused particularly on interpersonal skills:
The children then had to decide on one advertising format that they would all help to produce. They decided to have a class vote as to what the final class product would contain, and I graphed the preferences. We then unanimously agreed that all preferences could be represented within a poster format.
Children selected groups to work in and collaboratively planned, designed and created their part of the end product.
Assessment
I monitored the children's understandings and skills in terms of the Speaking and Listening Strand Outcomes.
to see an example of the Observation Criteria Table.
Stage 4: Group Work with Learning Technologies
Computer for Word Processing a Letter
| One group elected to write a letter using the computer. These children participated in a discussion on content. The children decided the order in which they would write, and cooperated to spell the words: they looked for print around the room; sounded out words; copied a few key words; and guessed! |
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The children then took turns to write a sentence each on the computer (once again helping each other). They then read the entire letter to the class, each child reading his or her own sentence.
to see the letter that the children wrote. We did not send this letter to parents, as we were working towards the final display. Instead we added it to the wall display so that parents could see it when the process was complete.
Assessment
I assessed this group's skills and understandings in the Writing and Speaking and Listening Strands of the English Learning Area.
Tape Recorder for Interviewing
Another group decided to interview people about the Pre-Primary Centre. They brainstormed interview questions (which I typed) and elected those they would like to interview.
They also had to resolve how to ask the questions, and then had to work as a team to carry out the interview.
They knocked on several classes in the school and used appropriate interview techniques to ask their questions, recording their findings on a tape recorder. Parents and staff were interviewed at pre-arranged times. The children were then asked to relate this experience to the remainder of the class and to reflect on their feelings and techniques.
I transcribed the interviews for the children, and we discussed findings to compare the children's thoughts with the results of the interview. We placed the transcribed interviews on the back board along with the other work for everyone to see.
Nearly all of the parents came in and commented to the children about the interview results, and many answered the questions in an informal, unrecorded, way to their own children. In fact, throughout the project, the parents often questioned the children about what they were doing and what information they had found out.
When we discussed the findings many children had input in the discussion because of their own interactions with adults. The comparisons and discussions were done verbally, and I summarized these and placed the summary on the board for everyone to see.
to see a summary of our discussion.
Assessment
I monitored these students' progress in:
English (Writing and Speaking and Listening Strands)
T&E (Information and Technology Process Strands)
Digital Camera for Photos as They Worked
The class requested that I use the digital camera to take specified photos of them participating in the variety of activities they had chosen. These were to be included in the end product. Although the children did not take the photos, they were involved in the selection of them, and their placement on the final poster.
Stage 5: The Final Product
| As the children worked to create the final poster there was lots and lots of collaboration, and lots of excitement that everyone would like the poster because it was colourful; looked pretty etc.
On a couple of occasions children placed something on, but they did not like the result so they changed it themselves. They wanted to be happy with it because others wouldn't be if they weren't. (They haven't yet learnt to see things as objectively as we do.)
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At this stage as well as creating an art work of their own, they began to demonstrate understandings of the role of The Arts in society to please, move and persuade.
As they worked on the poster, I sat with the children and asked appropriate open-ended questions, and challenged them into rethinking any suggestions that I could see would not work well. The children had to give me good reasons as to what they wanted to do on the poster, and why. They then had to place everything on it and make it work!
Assessment
all Arts strands.
the T&E Information, and Technology Process strands.
Reflection
All children indicated a desire to use the various technologies and were very keen to continue interviews. However, due to our time frame (i.e. to be ready for the Four-Year-Old Orientation Day) we were not able to extend this activity at the time.
I would class this time issue as a hiccup. When the children are so intrinsically motivated by an idea/activity, then it is essential to follow it through at the time. The children will pursue a topic until they have explored it to their satisfaction, or until they lose interest. Imposing our restrictions on them can have a detrimental effect on the children's learning.
To allow for continuity it is necessary to commence a project like this with as little disruption to the daily routine as possible. Children of this age can be easily distracted and with relatively short attention spans it is advisable to complete activities while the children are on task.
Some children elected to work with a partner in the initial stages of this project. The children quickly delegated jobs to each other, and assumed roles within that partnership.
I have found that partnership work is an extremely useful tool in many areas. It is particularly powerful when dealing with children's esteem, and in developing values in children. Even at this level of education, collaborative work leads to self reflection, and children will focus on their strengths and the strengths of others when forming partnerships. However, I try to ensure equity by questioning children individually about their input, and about what they have learnt.
When I introduced the digital camera, the children were very interested and asked many questions. These included:
| How does it work? |
| How are the pictures put on the computer? |
| What happens if you make a mistake taking a picture? |
We then compared this camera to the instamatic that the children were used to seeing. (A couple of children wanted to have a look at the preview screen on the instamatic!)
Parents are generally excited by the projects we do because they have input, and because the children participate with such keenness. Our projects are often discussed months after they have been finished-it depends on how involved the children were and what impact it had on them, good or bad.
If I were to attempt this project again, I would probably get the children to do the interview at an earlier stage. The results of this could have impacted on the content the children wanted to use, and the direction established could result in an entirely new range of outcomes.
Identifying Information
Lesley Harris
Kensington Pre-Primary
Banksia Tce
KENSINGTON
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