This blog will show you how to use a THEME-DIRECTED AND INTEREST-LED LEARNING FRAMEWORK that HIGHLIGHTS NATURE AS A LIVING TEACHER to create a homeschool learning program.
The guide also links back to THE AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION CURRICULUM.
I have added the example of a year 8 math academic focus learning program below to showcase the unique syllabus created by Thematic Education.
All the information, resources, charts & templates used below to complete a learning plan & program will be available to you when joining the Exclusive Thematic Education Club. Become a life time member for one simple payment and gain access to our kindergarten to grade 12 curriculums.
1/ STARTING A JOURNAL:
At Thematic Education we begin the year with starting a journal.
Our first page in the journal consists of setting both short and long term goals.
Each term we revise these goals & identify specific actions to improve &
plan the next steps needed to accomplish the set goal objectives.
We use the SMART GOAL method to reach any of our academic or personal goals.
SMART goals set you up for success by making goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
(Link to our blog on why setting & achieving goals to monitor self - assessment is important)
Below you will find an example of both the long and short term goals we set to accomplish
during our year 8 academic focus learning plan.
On the second page of the Journal the student lists his/her learning interests starting with excursion ideas.
We then visit the local library and opportunity shops so the student can choose books, DVD's, games and craft items he finds interesting.
We continue to do this activity at the beginning of each term and base the items found around learning experiences & lesson plans.
2/ BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITY:
Thematic Education uses a brainstorming worksheet to:
A- List Topics of Interest.
and
B- Compile Questions to be answered.
Year 8 academic focus work sample:
While cooking in the kitchen and working in the garden the student asked the questions:
What size circular pan do I need to use to make a pizza big enough for the whole family?
How big does my circular garden bed need to be to plant herbs in my yard?
The student used the measurement of circles in everyday life experiences as his topic for the brainstorming activity. (circles in the kitchen and garden)
(link to our blog on The Significance of Brainstorming & Brainstorming worksheet)
3/ LESSON PLAN IDEAS:
The next step we take in planning our homeschool learning program is to write lesson plan ideas.
These ideas come from the topic, ideas to research and the questions to be answered identified in the previous brainstorming activity.
We use both the INTEREST INVESTIGATION & GOAL DRIVEN - LEARNING PROGRAM SUMMARY GUIDES,
along with the
THEME INVESTIGATION & GOAL DRIVEN - LEARNING PROGRAM ELABORATION CHARTS,
to help complete this process.
This gives us a clear outline on a study path to follow.
Below you will find an example of the lesson plan ideas we set to accomplish
during our year 8 math academic focus learning plan, along with completed summary and elaboration guides.
CIRCLE STUDY LESSON PLAN IDEAS FOR ALL SUBJECTS:
THEME / INTEREST INVESTIGATION PROGRAM SUMMARY:
WHAT IS THE INVESTIGATION QUESTION, TOPIC OR TASK OBTAINED FROM THE THEME OR INTEREST THAT REQUIRES EXPLORATION?
A brief outline of each topic, task or question, covered during exploring the theme/interest.
Along with a short description of all the learning areas investigated.
The student asked the questions:
What size circular pan do I need to use to make a pizza big enough for the whole family?
How big does my circular garden bed need to be to plant herbs in my yard?
To explore these questions further the student started with investigating parts of a circle. (Term 1)
The student then moved onto learning how to calculate the area and circumference of a circle.
(Term 2)
The student investigated how the measurement of circles is applied in every day life.
(Term 3)
Lastly the student applied the knowledge he had learnt to measuring the area and circumference of a pizza & a cookie, in order to figure out the pan size needed during the cooking process and built a spiral herb garden bed in the garden.
(Term 4)
The student also used Nature as a Living Teacher Program to incorporate circle study into his lesson plans and learning.
LIST OF SPECIFIC LEARNED CONCEPTS IN ANY GIVEN SUBJECT FOR:
( Math Study On Circles. )
Theme/Interest: Circles in the kitchen and the garden.
Topic: Parts of a Circle.
Task: Identifying the different parts of a circle and then Calculating the Area and Circumference of a Circle.
Questions:
A/ What size circular pan do I need to use to make a pizza big enough for the whole family?B/ How big does my circular garden bed need to be to plant herbs in my yard?
As you can see even though the lesson plan idea is based around Math as its field of study. The theme can actually apply to all educational subject learning areas.
THEME / INTEREST INVESTIGATION PROGRAM ELABORATION:
A detailed elaboration on the investigations listed in the above Summary.
( I have only covered the Math column in the Interest Investigation Elaboration & the Math Goal Elaboration Summary. )
GOAL DRIVEN - LEARNING PROGRAM SUMMARY:
GOAL DRIVEN - LEARNING PROGRAM ELABORATION:
4/ WORK SAMPLES:
Below you will find examples of the learning work samples we used while creating our year 8 math academic focus learning plan.
They will help you get and idea of the lesson plans and work evidence you will need to gather to send in your yearly report to the Home Education Unit in your state or territory.
A record of all learning, resources, activities, lesson plans & work completed by the student when investigating: ( Math Study On Circles. )
TERM ONE:
To answer the following questions:
A/ What size circular pan do I need to use to make a pizza big enough for the whole family?
B/ How big does my circular garden bed need to be to plant herbs in my yard?
The student started with the basic concept of learning all about circle parts.
He Began by watching the following video on parts of a circle on YouTube.
The student visited mathslamanders.com and completed worksheets on parts of a circle.
These included diagrams with definitions.
He was able to identify and learn the definitions of the following circle parts:
Segment, Chord, Radius, Circumference, Tangent, Arc, Secant, Sector & Diameter.
He then moved onto investigating and researching parts of a circle on google math sites.
The student really enjoyed the website called mathspace.
https://mathspace.co/textbooks/syllabuses/Syllabus-842/topics/Topic-18500/subtopics/Subtopic-251060/
He completed all tasks, worksheets and lessons offered on the website pages.
The topics included:
Naming the indicated parts of circles:
Arc length
Perimeter of a sector
Area of a sector
Annulus
Each topic had examples of math problems to figure out, a watch question walk through and a worked solution - create a strategy and apply the idea section.
The student completed these task independently at his own pace and with confidence.
Work Sample Evidence:
TERM TWO:
After feeling confident about gaining all the knowledge needed on parts of a circle, the student moved onto Math Antics.
He watched videos on circles, circumference and area.
and
What is Pi?
Before attempting his own calculations.
The student uses the online calculator to follow the area and circumference formula to come up with an answer to the written math problem.
TERM THREE:
After confidently completing both fraction and decimal values on the area and circumference of different types of circles.
The student spent term three investigating and researching Area & Circumference of circles and Real Life Situations.
He watched the following video and then moved onto his research using google.
The student found the following information while doing his research and kept the material he found most important and interesting in an online folder.
This material can be seen below under the heading Helpful Tips:
Helpful Tips:
Remember Pi (π): Understanding that π is roughly 3.14 helps, but for precise calculations, it’s often best to use the π button on your calculator.
Practice: Work on different problems to become comfortable with switching between radius/diameter, circumference, and area.
Units Matter: Always keep track of the units you are using—whether they are in inches, cm, meters, etc.—and ensure consistency throughout the calculation.
Visual Aids: Drawing the circle and labeling the given values can help visualize the problem and prevent errors.
Memorizing Formulas: Keep the key formulas handy (circumference, area) for quick reference but understand how they are derived rather than just memorizing them.
By mastering these concepts, you'll have a strong grasp of circle measurements that you can apply in various mathematical and real-world contexts.
TERM FOUR:
After completing his research on the importance of circle measurement in every day life the student ordered a pizza and cookie from Pizza Hut.
The student used the knowledge he learnt from his previous lessons to use circle measurements in real life circumstances.
He used the family sized pizza and cookie he ordered from a restaurant to measure the radius and diameter of both before calculating there area and circumference.
He then used these measurements to make his own pizza and cookie in the kitchen.
He was able to answer the question - What size circular pan do I need to use to make a pizza big enough for the whole family?
Nature As A Living Teacher Program :
A long, long time ago, maybe two hundred thousand years ago, and in a few places still today, the native people who lived off their land schooled their children – but they did it invisibly.
Our ancestors’ children didn’t go to school.
School surrounded them.
Nature was a living teacher.
There were many relatives for every child and every relative was a mentor.
Stories filled the air, games and laughter filled the days, and ceremonies of gratitude filled mundane lives.
Do you remember learning to talk? Probably not. Spoken language happened around you all the time, and allowed you to experiment with words, make mistakes, and every single day grow vocabulary.
Mentoring with the language of nature happens just the same. With stories, games, songs, place-names, animal names, and more, you invisibly and subtly stretch your students’ language edges.
Using nature as a living teacher allows the child to soak up the language of plants and animals as naturally as any of us learned our native language.
The developed world we live in largely ignores the need for connection with nature.
Childhood today is dominated more and more by indoor focus and technology. Fears of strangers and dangers keep children tightly supervised.
Growing population replaces wilderness with houses and roads. Growing emphasis on test scores and schedules keeps kids busy in structured activities.
These things each have value. But collectively they result in no time left for children to bond with nature.
Not only do kids get the short-end of the developmental stick, but the natural world has fewer people who know and love it, fewer adults who have nature built into their habits of awareness,
and therefore fewer humans who care to be good tenders of their habitat.
Playful, meaningful connection with the wild world outdoors needs to be a fundamental ingredient of every childhood. We cannot let it invisibly slip away.
We must consciously choose it for our children. We’ve never needed to more than now.
Combining both a Thematic - Directed and Interest - Led Learning Program with Nature as a Living Teacher, encourages you to straddle both the human-made world with its vast scientific vocabulary
and technology, and the instinctive, imagination-based world of our ancestors.
Both worlds offer rich, educational potential.
Below you will find examples of the Nature as a Living Teacher work samples we used while creating our year 8 math academic focus learning plan.
The student participated in an outdoor nature walk. He collected sticks, leaves, rocks, seed pods and pine cones.
He used these items to construct different sized circles on the grass and in the dirt, he then measured the diameter and radius of each before calculating their area and circumference.
The student also used a tape measure to compare the answers from his calculations.
While on his nature walk the student pointed out all the circles he spied along the way. He list included wheels, clock faces, road signs, tyres, birds eyes, and tree trunks.
The student researched the following information online in order to answer the question:- How big does my circular garden bed need to be to plant herbs in my yard?
He and his dad layed the bricks in a spiral formation. The spiral walls set 1.5m apart.
How to Make a Herb Spiral Garden Bed:
Choose a sunny spot.
Many herbs need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
Dig over and weed the area, and rake it flat.
If the herb spiral is being constructed on lawn, lay down a thick sheet of cardboard to smother weeds.
Use a single layer of brick, stone or timber to lay out the shape of the spiral.
While there’s no set size for herb spirals, a size of 1.5m wide allows for easy maintenance and harvesting.
Make sure that the outer end of the spiral is on the south side of the garden bed
- this will create a shady microclimate where there is the most moisture.
Add more layers to the spiral so the height gradually increases towards the centre.
Add a layer of gravel or scoria at the base of the garden to improve drainage.
If desired, dig a swale or small pond lined with pebbles at the bottom end of the spiral to capture excess water.
Fill the spiral with good quality soil, or a mixture of soil and compost.
Plant the garden with seedlings or seeds according to their preferred microclimate:
While researching spirals and circular structures the student came across articles, video's and pictures of traditional weaving designs by First Nations Australians.
Through exploring and investigating the traditional weaving styles used by Australia's First Nations People, he was able to understand the significance and use of circles within their culture.
This unit of study gave the student a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.
He was able to look at how Culture and the First Nations Australians’ ways of life reflect unique ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing.
The student's research is shown below:
What is the significance of the circle in Aboriginal culture?
The Healing Circle is symbolic of the cycle of life; all beings are interrelated.
The Elders and the teachers use the Talking Circle as a place to teach important lessons about the sanctity of all of life: the trees, water, the sky, plants, animals, and all four races.
What does the Aboriginal spiral mean?
Aboriginal Spiral Meaning
It represents the path from external materialism and egoism to internal awareness and authenticity.
Ultimately, the spiral represents the awareness of the self and the expansion of awareness outwards. It is a highly recognised symbol of the spiritual journey.
What is the cultural significance of First Nations weaving?
Woven objects are a tangible link between the weaver, country and ancestors.
Weaving is used as a mindfulness tool and for social connection.
Weavers can have a signature style which identifies their work. Both men and women weave.
Features of Country: Weaving plants and fibres (Australian Museum Resource)
5/ PARENT ASSESSMENT & STUDENT SELF - EVALUATION:
A short summary on the students learning including the progress and achievements made.
These are linked back to The Australian Education Curriculum Content Descriptions.
Monitoring your child's progress is vital for assessing their development and making necessary adjustments.
It ensures their accountability and keeps them motivated to stay on course.
Regularly reviewing your child's goals helps maintain their focus and allows for celebrating their achievements along the way.
Consider another situation: if your child aims to enhance their math skills, scheduling weekly check-ins to evaluate their progress can keep them motivated and concentrated on their goal.
These check-ins also provide opportunities to address challenges together and brainstorm potential solutions, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.
Establishing personal growth goals equips your child with problem-solving skills, enabling them to make well-founded decisions based on evidence and reasoning.
Pursuing these objectives lays a robust foundation for critical thinking and personal development, enriching their skills for a lifetime.
Research demonstrates that quality assessment can have a greater positive impact on student learning than any other intervention.
The primary purpose of assessment is to promote learning.
Assessment provides evidence of how students are progressing according to defined standards, as well as achievement at the end of the learning period.
Below you will find a completed example of the parent assessment and student evaluation
we used while creating our year 8 math academic focus learning plan.
We link the student's progress and achievement for the year back to the content descriptions listed on The Australian Education Curriculum website.
Year 8 Math level Description:
The proficiency strands understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning are an integral part of mathematics content across the three content strands:
Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.
The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within the content and describe how the content is explored or developed.
They provide the language to build in the developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics.
The achievement standards reflect the content and encompass the proficiencies.
At this year level the student should aim to accomplish the following:
• understanding includes describing patterns involving indices and recurring decimals,
identifying commonalities between operations with algebra and arithmetic, connecting rules for linear relations with their graphs, explaining the purpose of statistical measures and explaining measurements of perimeter and area.
• fluency includes calculating accurately with simple decimals, indices and integers;
recognising equivalence of common decimals and fractions including recurring decimals; factorising and simplifying basic algebraic expressions and evaluating perimeters and areas of common shapes and volumes of three-dimensional objects.
• problem-solving includes formulating and modelling practical situations involving ratios, profit and loss, areas and perimeters of common shapes and using two-way tables and Venn diagrams to calculate probabilities.
• reasoning includes justifying the result of a calculation or estimation as reasonable,
deriving probability from its complement, using congruence to deduce properties of triangles, finding estimates of means and proportions of populations.
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