Session 7 Rostrata Primary School Year 6 Kristy Nita Brown and Mariya Konig

Warm Up: 

Today’s session was a little more challenging than usual. Mariya shared with me that some unexpected issues had come up with the students last week, and many of them were feeling out of sorts, tired and ready for the upcoming break. With that in mind, we were mindful about how we approached groupings for the warm up activity.

Given the recent challenges, we opted for a whole-group warm up rather than splitting students into small, changing groups. We played a game called Fruit Salad, which involved the students forming a large circle. Each student selected a fruit or vegetable name, and one person stood in the middle. That student would call out someone’s fruit, and the named student had to try and say their fruit name three times, faster than the person in the middle.

While the game was fun and encouraged group interaction, we did encounter a few hurdles. The instructions could have been clearer at the start, which led to some confusion and a need to swap roles to help the game flow better. Additionally, because it was a large group, some students were too quiet when trying to call out their fruit names, which affected the energy of the game. 

To top things off, another class began practising their assembly performance nearby, complete with loud music. This made it difficult for our group to hear, so we relocated to the other side of the building, only for it to start raining! It really felt like a series of unfortunate events were testing us today.

Despite all of this, the students stayed positive and engaged as best they could, and we adapted where needed. Today was a good reminder of the importance of flexibility and patience both for us and for the students.

No photo was taken of the warm up unfortunately due to the series of unfortunate events.

Main Activity:

For the main activity, the students were eager to continue working on their toys for their buddies. Since no one had finished their toy yet, despite my last session and the two building sessions that followed, there was a strong sense of motivation to make progress today.

We began by reviewing the safety rules and clarified expectations for working respectfully in the classroom. Once those were established, the students got straight into building.

Throughout the session, I roamed the room, checking in with students individually. I offered guidance on how they could test and improve their toy designs, encouraging problem-solving and iteration. Students were hands-on with the materials, and a significant portion of my time was also spent helping with tool use, particularly cutting materials with the hacksaw and blade to meet their design needs.

It was great to see their creativity and persistence, and despite the earlier challenges in the day, the students remained focused and engaged with the task.

Reflection:

Formal reflections did not take place today, as I made a conscious decision to read the room and respond to the students’ needs in the moment. The class was highly focused on their toy building and many were feeling anxious about not finishing in time. Given their level of engagement and the pressure they were feeling, I chose to prioritise their building time.

During this session, Mariya also took the opportunity to work individually with some high-needs students, supporting them with both their planning and building processes.

No photo was taken of the reflection unfortunately due to the above reasons.

Planning With The Teacher:

I will be returning to the classroom on Wednesday and plan to structure the session differently. We’ll start with another warm up game, shift focus to developing their toy pitches, and dedicate extra time at the end for reflections. This will include working with the origami lucky stars and revisiting the Five Habits of Learning to support deeper thinking and self-awareness. I also plan on delivering a matching worksheet with photos of the students on it and the Five Habits. They will draw lines to connect themselves to the Habits.

Mariya has been unwell recently and is understandably feeling quite tired, as am I. Colds and COVID have impacted the school community significantly, affecting both staff and students. Once Mariya has had a chance to rest and recover over the holidays, we’ll meet to discuss and plan what will work best for the Term 3 project.

Working With The Students:

As mentioned above, many of the students have been feeling unsettled due to an incident last week, combined with general fatigue as they head into the final days of term. They’ve had a lot on their plates and are still facing events such as the cross country carnival and Crazy Hair Day this week. It’s been challenging to work with them at a time when it’s clear they are in need of a break.

The needs of some students also seem more heightened than usual, and with a large class in a small classroom space, emotional regulation becomes even more difficult. In light of this, I believe it’s important to recognise when enough is enough. Allowing things to calm down and giving everyone time to reset over the holidays will be beneficial for both students and staff.

It's also worth noting that the Year 2 teacher, who coordinates with the Year 6 buddies, is currently on leave until next term. As a result, the Shark Tank event will need to be scheduled for Term 3.