Years 5-6 Spark Program
Spark is an elective-based ‘hands-on’ STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics program for Years 5 and 6 students, unique to Canterbury and Queensland.
Each semester, our students choose one genuinely engaging subject to study, from a wide range of 12-14 topics.
Sample Spark Subjects
$20 Boss, Medieval Madness, Profit From Plants, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 3D Movie Animation, Epic Engineering, Aquatic Biology, Fighting Fast Fashion, Mission To Mars, Pottery With A Purpose, Bodywise Explorers, Recycle & Repurpose, Industrial Technology Skills, Arts Renewal: Bookbinding & Decorating, International Space Farming, Creative Communities, Techno Tales and more…
Then students from both year levels who select the same option are combined into the one classroom and taught by relevant staff.
Spark is about building curiosity, encouraging students to try something different, and providing an exceptional opportunity for them to embark on their own ‘World Ready’ learning journey.
Spark happens once per week for two hours, with students encouraged to continue their learning beyond the classroom.
Spark focuses on the Australian Curriculum’s general capabilities of critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.
At the end of each semester, our Junior School hosts a Spark Learning Expo, where the students exhibit their special topic projects to parents, carers, staff, other student years, and the wider Canterbury community.
Giving students a choice in their learning early on can boost engagement, encourage them to capitalise on their strengths, and build student autonomy.
Spark also exposes students to subjects from Senior School, further strengthening their transition and familiarity with staff.
Spark curriculum options are typically sourced from the subject areas of History, Geography, Philosophy, Science, Technology, Health and Sport, but they vary each semester.
All Spark learning follows an inquiry model, with a focus on building student inquiry skills in questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating, reflecting and communicating.
When it comes to assessing critical and creative thinking, the learning continuum provides checkpoints on how this thinking should develop.
The four interrelated elements in the learning continuum are:
- Reflecting on thinking and processes.
- Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures.
- Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information.
- Generating ideas, possibilities and actions.
These elements make their own contribution to learning and need to be explicitly and simultaneously developed.
By following an inquiry framework, the focus is less on the ‘end product’ and more about the learning and understanding that occurs along the way.
This may look different for each student.
