Teacher Information
Year 1
1. Topic: Railway train graffiti is ugly
2. Aim:
This activity is designed to teach basic concepts about keeping our suburb, school, shops and other
buildings clean and beautiful. It encourages children to understand that graffiti on any building, wall, or
vehicles such as trains or buses, is ugly, dirty and unnecessary. Graffiti is any writing or drawings on
property that you do not own. So, anyone who writes on children’s property such as their school bag is
producing graffiti. Most people in the community dislike graffiti. This activity is designed to help children
understand what graffiti is, that it is a crime, who perpetrates it, why the community does not like graffiti,
that it costs Queensland Rail a lot of money to remove graffiti, and what to do if you see graffiti or someone
writing, spraying, or marking graffiti.
The Class Discussion aims to enhance children’s knowledge and skills in understanding this issue.
Teachers may also scaffold students where necessary, by assisting them to think clearly about the
questions, the issues involved, and the many consequences. This activity helps develop logical thinking
and literacy skills in students by completing the “Graffiti Sentence Matching Train” which helps to
synthesise the class discussion that preceded it.
3. Prior Knowledge:
• Students should be aware of what a clean suburb, clean school, clean shops and their clean walls look
like.
• Most students will have seen graffiti somewhere.
• Most students will have the opinion that graffiti is dirty, defacing, unliked, and unwanted, and that most
people do not like graffiti.
4a. Focus Question: Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
4b. Appropriate Vocabulary:
graffiti, ruin, spray, deface, walls, clean suburb, clean school, clean shops, clean walls, buses, trains, paint,
painting to care for buildings and lengthen their life, clean environment, dirty, ugly, mess, scribble, damage,
scrawl, crime, jail, against the law, vandal and criminal, police, unnecessary, unwanted, costly, quality of
our suburb, quality of life, good citizens, Queensland Rail.
5. Essential Learnings: Year 1 Learning Statements
• Social and Personal Learning
Sense of self and others
Children build knowledge, understanding and skills to:
• investigate their sense of self as a member of different communities including home, school and
broader cultural groups
•
participate in the development of social rules and suggest roles and responsibilities for maintaining
these rules.
•
identify and discuss values associated with being fair and behaving with respect
•
reflect on and identify how strategies contribute to fairness and respectful behaviour.
Active Learning Processes
Social and environmental enquiry
Children build knowledge, understanding and skills to:
• pose questions and communicate ideas about social and environmental points of view.
Page 1 of 9
Teacher Information
Year 1
Language Learning and Communication
Speaking and listening
Children build knowledge, understanding and skills to:
communicate for different purposes including to build relationships, express and explore ideas, tell
stories, identify feelings and opinions, give and follow directions and instructions, describe events, and to
get things done
participate in conversations and discussion in one-on-one, small and large group situations
use and respond appropriately to statements, questions and commands to support the purpose for
speaking
use active listening strategies and agreed conventions for speaking to participate in conversations and
discussion.
Reading and viewing
Children build knowledge, understanding and skills to:
•
use concepts of print, including alphabetic knowledge and knowledge of symbols, when reading
written, electronic or multimodal texts
•
read with automaticity and fluency using prior knowledge and by predicting and confirming words
using graphophonic semantic and syntactic clues.
6. Core Learning Outcomes, Strands and Processes:
Studies of Society and Environment
•
Key Values: Ecological and economic sustainability and Peace.
Strand: Place and Space
Communicating
•
•
•
PS 1.4 Students organise and present information about places that are important to them.
Reflecting
PS 1.5 Students describe the relationships between personal actions and environmentally friendly
strategies in familiar places.
Strand: Time, Continuity and Change
Participating
TCC 1.3 Students share points of view about their own and others’ stories.
Strand: Systems, Resources and Power
Investigating
SRP 1.1 Students identify how elements in the environment meet their needs and wants.
•
Health and Physical Education
Strand: Promoting the Health of Individuals and Communities
PHIC 1.3 Students decide which people and things make environments and activities safe.
Strand: Enhancing Personal Development
EPD 1.2 Students identify relationships they experience in their daily lives, and can demonstrate the
behaviours appropriate for these.
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Teacher Information
7a. Syllabus Links:
Lifelong Learners
• Participant in an
interdependent world
• Reflective & selfdirected learner
Cross-Curricular
Priorities
Learners and
Learning
Equity
• Literacy
• Lifeskills
• Unique individual with
divergent views
• Occurs within
particular contexts
•Meets the needs of
students
Recognition of
Difference
Connectedness
• Inclusivity
• Group identity
• Knowledge integration
• Connectedness to the
world
7b. Productive Pedagogies:
Intellectual Quality
Supportive
Classroom
Environment
• Substantive
conversation
• Knowledge as
problematic
Year 1
• Social support
• Self-regulation
7c. Rich Task (culminating activity):
• After further discussion and sharing of knowledge, encourage students to draw pictures about preventing
graffiti on trains.
• Collage their pictures onto butcher’s paper for public display in the school foyer or library. Have students
rehearse and show their poster to other classes in the school.
8. Suggested Follow-up Activities for Teachers:
• For information about rail safety, check out Railsmart at queenslandrail.com.au/railsmart
•
•
For educational visits about safety on railway stations & trains email [email protected]
Ask the school’s librarian for resources, to be shared with your class, which will encourage discussions
about graffiti. Ask your School Librarian to recommend some books. Read books on communities and how
we all should try to keep our suburbs and public facilities clean and liveable for people, animals, birds and
pets.
9. Useful Links:
http://www.graffitihurts.org/. This site contains useful educational activities for both lower and upper
primary students.
http://www.warangers.asn.au/graffiti.htm. This Western Australian web site gives some history on
Graffiti and also provides information on how to deal with this crime.
http://teachingzone.org/railway/primary.htm. This web site contains lesson plans for all levels of
Primary and Secondary school.
http://www.graffitihotline.co.uk/graffitieducation.htm#lesson. This UK website contains ideas for
lesson plans regarding graffiti prevention and an example of a school that has taken action.
http://www.graffiti.nsw.gov.au/cpd/graffiti.nsf/pages/crime_prevention. NSW Government web page
which debates the distinction between art and vandalism. This web page also provides a link to a
“Streetwise” comic book, which was commissioned by this government to educate children about the
illegality of their actions.
Page 3 of 9
Teacher Information
Year 1
10. Sources:
The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority). (2006). Early Years Curriculum Guidelines.
Brisbane.
The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority). (2000). Studies of Society and the Environment
Years 1 to 10 Syllabus. Brisbane.
Queensland School Curriculum Council. (1999). Health and Physical Education Years 1 to 10 Syllabus.
Brisbane.
This Educational Module was compiled by Dr J. D. G. Goldman ACM, Faculty of Education, Griffith
University, Australia.
11. Anticipated Student Responses to the Activity:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Teacher leads the Questioning and Class Discussion, using the suggested questions.
Teacher introduces an Activity Sheet depicting “Terry Train” who has six carriages, each with
a word printed on it. Together, in the right order, the carriages make up the sentence, “I don’t
like graffiti on me”. Teacher asks students to identify the words and discusses what the
sentence might be. Students cut, colour and paste the carriages into the correct order on a
piece of cardboard.
Students reflect on other words that Terry might put on his carriages to tell people how he
feels about graffiti. They make their own sentences up and display them in their class.
Students complete the Self-Evaluation Sheet, check that they have completed it, then hand it
to their teacher. Teacher completes the Teacher Assessment Criterion Grid Rubric provided
for each group.
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Teacher’s Sheet
Year 1
TEACHERS MAY PRINT THIS PAGE FOR THEIR OWN USE.
Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
Teacher-directed Class Discussion in preparation for the Activity below.
Teachers may scaffold students where necessary by asking questions and directing whole class
discussions.
ORIENTATION
1.
a) Who can tell me the name of the place we are in right now? (Answer: school, room, a street, suburb,
town, city, Australia)
b) How would you describe this school room that we are in now? (Answer: big, small, noisy, clean etc.)
ENHANCEMENT
2.
a) Do you like this room when it is clean?
b) What do we mean by a clean classroom?
c) Why do you like it when it is clean?
d) Do you like the school walkways to be clean? Why?
e) Do you like the school grounds to be clean? Why?
f) Do you like our town to be clean? Why?
g) Do you like our streets to be clean? Why?
h) Do you like our buses and trains to be clean? Why?
i) What do we call it when somebody writes on a thing that they do not own, such as your book or
school bag? (Answer: Graffiti)
j) Where else do young people write graffiti? (on railway trains, buses, walls, concrete bridges etc.)
k) Do most people in the community like graffiti? (No, they hate it.)
l) Why do they hate it? (It looks awful. It is dirty & ugly. It is wasteful. It makes the place look rundown.)
m) What do you think happens if you write graffiti? A Police Officer takes you away to jail.
n) Does anyone know the name for what you have done? A crime.
o) What does a crime mean? (It means it is wrong. The law says that you must not do that. “The law” is
the name for all the rules that we all have to obey. So, we say that graffiti is “against the law”.
Graffiti is a crime.)
p) Does anyone know what we call the person who did the crime? Yes, a criminal or vandal.
q) What should you do if you see someone writing on walls of schools, buildings, buses or trains? (Tell
a trusted adult such as your teacher, Principal, parents, the shopkeeper, or the police)
SYNTHESIS (summary of everything we have talked about today)
3. a) Who could tell us what we have learned today? (Yes, and what else?)
Well done, class
Page 5 of 9
Activity Sheet
Year 1
TEACHERS MAY PRINT THIS PAGE FOR THEIR USE.
Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
1. Class Discussion. Teacher-directed class discussion in preparation for the Sentence Sequencing
Activity below. Teacher uses the questions on the previous page, prior to having students complete the
remainder of this page.
2. Terry Train sentence sequencing activity.
• Teacher shows the students the Activity Sheet (see next page). Teacher discusses the word on each
carriage individually, asking children to identify each word using phonic and grapheme cues.
• Teacher models cutting carriages out from the Activity Sheet and sorting into the correct sentence,
with the help of student responses. Teacher then models pasting carriages, in correct order, onto a
cardboard sheet.
• Teacher then asks the students to complete the activity.
3. Reflection. Students reflect on other words that Terry might put on his carriages to tell people how he
feels about graffiti. They make up their own sentences and display them on their class wall.
4. Self-evaluation. Students complete their Self-Evaluation Sheet, check that they have completed it, then
hand it to their teacher.
If anyone sees a person doing graffiti, or if you know a graffiti writer, call Crimestoppers, anonymity
guaranteed, on 1800-333-000, for rewards of up to $1000.
Page 6 of 9
Activity Sheet
Year 1
Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
(Source: Learning Solutions)
Page 7 of 9
Student Self-Evaluation Sheet
Year 1
TEACHERS SHOULD PRINT THIS PAGE FOR STUDENTS’ USE.
Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
Name:___________________________ Class:______________ Date: ____________________
Write your name, class and the date at the top of this page.
1. Draw a picture of how you think Terry Train would feel if someone painted graffiti on his
carriages.
2. Write two sentences that Terry Train could say about how he feels about graffiti.
1.__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Colour in the number of faces to show how well you worked on this activity.
☺☺☺☺☺
4.
Check that you have completed every part of this sheet. Then, hand this sheet to your teacher.
Page 8 of 9
Teacher Assessment Criterion Grid Rubric
Year 1
TEACHERS SHOULD PRINT THIS PAGE FOR EACH STUDENT GROUP’S ASSESSMENT.
Do I know how ugly railway train graffiti is?
Name: _________________________________Class: _________________ Date: __________
B) Participation in Sentence Sequencing
A) Class discussion & comprehension.
Category
Very High
Achievement
Very high level
comprehension
about our clean
school
Very high level
understanding of
what graffiti is.
Very high
positive
contribution to
discussion about
graffiti.
Very high use
of vocabulary.
High
Achievement
High level
comprehension
about our clean
school
High level
understanding of
what graffiti is.
High positive
contribution to
discussion about
graffiti.
Sound
Achievement
Sound level
comprehension
about our clean
school,
Sound level
understanding of
what graffiti is.
Sound positive
contribution to
discussion about
graffiti.
Limited
Achievement
Limited level
comprehension
about our clean
school,
Limited level
understanding of
what graffiti is.
Limited positive
contribution to
discussion about
graffiti.
High use of
vocabulary.
Sound use of
vocabulary.
Limited use of
vocabulary.
Very Limited
Achievement
Very limited
level
comprehension
about our clean
school,
Very limited
level
understanding of
what graffiti is.
Very limited
positive
contribution to
discussion about
graffiti.
Very limited use
of vocabulary.
Very high level
participation in
Sentence
Sequencing.
Very high
application to the
task.
Very high
concentration
prior to completing
Sentence
Sequencing
Very high level
of ability to
sequence
sentence in
correct order.
High level
participation in
Sentence
Sequencing.
High
application to the
task.
High
concentration
prior to completing
Sentence
Sequencing.
High level of
ability to
sequence
sentence in
correct order.
Sound level
participation in
Sentence
Sequencing.
Sound
application to the
task.
Sound
concentration
prior to
completing
Sentence
Sequencing.
Sound level of
ability to
sequence
sentence in
correct order.
Limited level
participation in
Sentence
Sequencing.
Limited
application to the
task.
Limited
concentration
prior to completing
Sentence
Sequencing.
Limited level of
ability to
sequence
sentence in
correct order.
Very limited
level participation
in Sentence
Sequencing.
Very limited
application to the
task.
Very limited
concentration prior
to completing
Sentence
Sequencing.
Very limited
level of ability to
sequence
sentence in
correct order.
Teacher’s Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Page 9 of 9