The Curriculum Through ICT Program

Ideas Bank

A Special Gift

THE TASK

Students were asked to advise the school's parent body about appropriate children's gifts to purchase for donation to a local appeal. In this example, the gifts would be for the 9 - 11 age group and in the following price ranges:

up to $10;
$11 - $20; and
$20 - $50.

Students decided what data they needed to collect, from whom, and how they would conduct the survey. They used print catalogues and an online toy shop to locate gifts in the different price ranges over a range of categories (games, clothes, shoes, sports equipment). Using these suggested gifts, they surveyed students in the appropriate age group.

The data was collated and students discussed how they could best represent their findings to the parent group. Most students presented their findings in writing for the parents; some chose to present orally using presentation software.

ICT ENRICHMENT

Telephone and email were used purposefully to find prices of suggested gifts from a local toy shop.
Students compared the cost of purchasing identical gifts using an online toy shop with a local toy store. A summary discussion, aimed at developing critical use of the Internet, also considered mailing costs, time taken to visit a shop and the experience of shopping.
Students were given the choice of recording and representing their data using a spreadsheet or with pen and paper. At the close of the activity, the advantages and disadvantages of each were discussed.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

Task assessment rubric (pdf doc)
Cooperative work rubric (pdf doc)

ASSESSMENT

The Chance & Data outcomes were monitored through the learning activity using the task rubric.
The written and oral presentations were used to monitor the English outcomes.
Students self-evaluated their learning and cooperative work skills during and at the end of the task using the two assessment rubrics.

LEARNING AREA OUTCOMES

Mathematics
Chance & Data
Collect & process data
Interpret data

English
Speaking
Writing