Main Curriculum Focus
Term 2: Health - Being healthy, safe and active
Technologies - Sequence of steps, algorithms and branching
Term 3: Geography: Places are both similar and different
English – Persuasive Writing and Language for social interaction
General Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Capability
Cross Curriculum Priorities: Sustainability
Main Objective
In a class of mixed abilities, literate students through to some who were still attempting to grasp reading and writing, the aim was for students to understand how they could control the ways their bodies work, self-regulation and implementing creative habits which aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) No. 3 — Good Health and Wellbeing. Exploring the connection between food, exercise and emotional wellbeing was instrumental in recognising how choices can impact both body and brain and learning to interpret what physical sensations can tell us. The hope was that with awareness they would implement personal responsibility, emotional regulation, and recognise the signals the body sends when it feels unsafe.
Once identified, students would build on these foundations to expand their learning into a national and environmental context, aligning with UN SDG 13 — Protecting Our Planet and Goal 15 — Protecting Animals and Nature. Using their creative characters and storytelling skills developed in Term 2, they would practice and create persuasive scenarios encouraging classmates to “travel” to different parts of Australia. Through books, maps and art making, students would explore how places, landforms and animals change as we move around the country while considering how humans can protect and care for the natural world.
Project Overview
TERM 2
Using student generated ideas around health and wellbeing with a focus on the ways in which they would like to learn, term 2 reflected on how different foods and activities can make us feel.
TERM 3
Exploring the location and natural features of Australia’s different states and territories, students worked in groups, combining Geography, English and Technologies to research landmarks, animals and natural features before persuading each other to travel to various Australian locations.
How did we make the curriculum come alive?
Over two terms, Year 3 students worked in constantly changing small groups to explore the curriculum through movement, making, mapping and storytelling. What began as warm-ups such as Pass the Clap or Partner Trust Balance became more than energisers. They built a momentum of increased collaboration, cooperation and sharpened attention before evolving into sculpture, puppets, film-making, desert landscapes and persuasive oral presentations. Students explored Health through physical, outdoor warm up activities, Geography by identifying landforms, places and animals across Australia, connected Science and Art by crushing rocks to make natural pigments, and used English skills and Technologies to script, film and present short character skits and persuasive reports. Each activity invited participation and experimentation. From making ‘seed towers’ to discovering that warm water is easier for mixing ochre, students connected to their learning by doing, feeling and imagining.
How did we make the 5 Habits of Learning come alive?
Incorporating movement into warm ups, integrating games that recognised strengths, similarities and differences and creating characters using repurposed materials, students used continuous methods of reflection to identify how the feelings in their bodies shifted and how the increased use of creative habits made them ‘think more’. Nature inspired characters, scripts, filming and group reflection served as tools to practice communication and social skills as students discussed their character’s creative habit strength and how it could be used. They learned to listen to each other, share ideas and work together. Their curiosity deepened as they became more inquisitive and asked thoughtful questions. Linking Zones of Regulation colours, which they were already familiar with, and their use of Creative Habit colours at the beginning and end of each session, students coloured in flowers, sometimes for themselves and sometimes for someone else. They established creative habit poses as ‘attention grabs’. These methods helped them share, understand and identify the habits used and recognise how their feelings and mood changed throughout the session.
How did we activate student voice and learner agency?
Students were encouraged to co-design, be imaginative and share creative ideas. Sometimes they selected partners based on a required skill set and at other times they had to practice ways of working with someone they were less familiar with. They determined their own storylines, built creatures and gradually became more disciplined as they practised taking turns, refining their work, and giving and receiving feedback to improve their ideas. Their persistence increased as they became less fearful of getting things wrong and learned to keep trying, gaining courage to share their thoughts. Students decided in their groups the best method for mixing raw materials to create paint. By Session 8, groups were directing and filming their own Creative Habit 2-minute videos using iPads under strict filming parameters such as ‘only one take and no moving the camera’. Later sessions saw the class reflect on other’s use of creative habits to design reflection flowers for someone else.
What was the impact?
The emergence of student-led organisation was especially strong in later sessions. Collaboration, self-regulation and expressive language improved. Students nominated group leaders, tallied points during challenges and suggested how to mix groups for better teamwork. By Session 15, students were independently organising warm-ups, devising video news reports and writing collaboratively which were outcomes that had, at one time, felt out of reach. The teacher has adopted a questioning approach which has fostered genuine thinking and shared discovery by answering student questions with new questions to encourage inquiry.
Their ideas began shaping future learning with requests such as ‘we want to keep using the earth paints’ and ‘we want to create maps in sand’. Attendance on Creative Schools days improved. Previously disengaged students participated. They developed a ‘want’ to try more challenging work. One student who had once struggled to regulate emotions waited patiently and took a break for the first time. Learners began suggesting activities, offering feedback, and were able to celebrate each other’s successes. A student who previously, rarely attended school, came each week, gradually shedding her oversized jumper as she felt more comfortable participating.
Quotes
“I'm loving Creative Schools.The professional learning was really interesting—like having all the pieces of a puzzle and then finally getting to put it all together. I’m really glad I was paired with Jody. Her sustainability focus has been amazing to work alongside. I’m also the school mascot—Captain Recycle—so the kids see me reinforcing sustainability both in class and at assembly. It all connects beautifully.I’ve talked to other teachers about the Creative Schools approach. Especially through the sustainability program. I’m part of the Science and Sustainability Committee, and we talk about this a lot—like using rammed earth, natural materials, and avoiding plastic or unnecessary printing. It’s really opened things up for the students. They have more freedom to think about what they want to do, what they need to do, and how to combine those ideas. It’s awesome. Even in other lessons, my regular students are starting to bring across different ways of thinking and learning. I’ve always had a few who think outside the box, but now the ones who normally hold back are stepping out of their comfort zones too. It’s making a huge difference. I have a student with pretty severe attendance issues—and every Wednesday, without fail, that student turns up. It’s made such a huge difference to her wanting to come to school.
Some of the kids are really starting to connect with the 5 Creative Habits of Learning. They’re bringing them into other subjects—even when the lesson isn’t particularly creative. More than I expected, actually. They’re having much more in-depth conversations with each other. They’ll say things like, “We could do this,” and then someone will ask, “What habit or skill are we using here?”—and they’ll actually stop to think about it, sometimes coming up with different ideas and then discussing which one fits best.Seeing them share ideas and reflect respectfully is a big leap for my class. These are students who would usually jump straight to shouting or arguing, and now they’re thinking, listening, and talking through ideas together. It’s been really, really good.” (Katy Hough - Teacher)
“Creative Schools is helping me with my imagination. I’m also getting a bit better at collaborating. I’m getting used to working with lots of different people. When we were making 3D creatures, I had to think really hard. But I did it in the end—I was persistent. In Creative Schools, we get to go outside, make things, and use different materials. Normal lessons are kind of boring—unless it’s maths, sport, or science. I’m going to university one day. I’ve always dreamed of seeing inside a university.” (Student)
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