ANZAC Day offers a rich context for cross-curricular learning. Learners in the Middle School engaged in a variety of learning experiences that explored many different aspects of ANZAC Day and why it is important us.
Some of the learning areas that linked in well with ANZAC Day were writing and art. In writing learners looked at emotive language and how it impacts our writing to add interest to the targeted audience. Inspired by their reflections, learners wrote powerful pieces in the voice of a soldier. Some described their piece as exciting and exhilarating whereas others remembered those we lost, and how the soldiers could have felt while serving. Others shared what it felt like to be in a faraway land, facing fear with courage.
There was sadness, but also pride. Their writing showed a depth of emotion that surprised even them. Words flowed from the heart, words that carried the voices of people who served, and the thoughts of young learners doing their best to understand.
To bring our learning full circle, some classrooms created ANZAC-inspired art that reflected each learner’s understanding and emotion. Using a range of mediums, such as paint, pastels, collage, and silhouette, the middle school classrooms transformed into a gallery of remembrance.
There were fields of red poppies beneath dusky skies, and letters woven into artwork to show the connection between word and image. Each piece told a story, each stroke of colour a tribute.
Our Middle School students learned what it means to be brave, kind, and thoughtful, which linked win well with our schools R.I.S.E. values. They used their imagination to understand others’ experiences, and their creativity to express what they felt.
Through writing and art, they learned and remembered. Through their hearts, they understood. Lest we forget.
