32
intheclassroom
AUSTRALIAN TEACHER • JUNE 2010
www.ozteacher.com.au
INBRIEF Kinglake to Kabul
BUSHFIRE RESOURCE
Diamond Valley College English
teacher David Williams is now
using a book written by his
students in the Year 9 literacy
curriculum.
Tasty treats for teaching
LAUNCESTON, April 29 - Business studies
teachers at Tasmania’s Riverside High School
took teenagers on a tour of food producers
to give them tips on creating an enterprise
venture in Term 2. Students from Grade 9
and 10 hopped on the bus for a visit to
Anvers Chocolate Factory, Ashgrove Cheese
Farm and the Christmas Hills Raspberry
Farm. They tasted the treats on offer and
learned about advertising techniques.
Street parade for 150th
BENDIGO, May 7 - Students at Huntly
Primary School are preparing for the
school’s 150th anniversary street parade by
designing decorations for the procession.
As part of the celebrations, the school is
holding a parade on June 12 featuring
everything from vintage cars to scooters
and even a horse and cart. Teachers are
helping kids get crafty with their bikes in art
classes, ready for the big day.
Pitching in for penguins
SYDNEY, May 5 - High school and primary
students are joining forces with Taronga Zoo
to promote the plight of the penguin.
Students from the Northern Beaches
Secondary College will be working with seven
neighbouring primary schools. The project is
being launched at the zoo on June 22 and
the resulting work will go on display at
businesses throughout the Manly CBD.
Email briefs to [email protected]
A BOOK featuring stories from
students affected by the Black
Saturday bushfires is proving
so popular that teachers are now
using it as a curriculum tool and
publishers have agreed a deal to take
it Australia-wide.
Diamond Valley College English
teacher David Williams is the driving force behind 1000 Pencils – From
Kinglake to Kabul and says its success
in reaching out to other educators has
far exceeded his wildest expectations.
“Looking back on it now, it was a
bloody horrible year ... it was probably a hard year to do such a massive
project (above and beyond my normal load),” Williams reflects.
“I can’t tell you the number of hours
these things involve, but I was willing
to do it for myself and the kids and
I’m pleased it came out better than I
would have ever hoped — that in itself
is a big boost.”
The book brings together fictional
and autobiographical stories of hope
in the face of adversity, penned by
students at Diamond Valley College
and the International School of Kabul.
Williams secured funding to enlist the
help of author Neil Grant as an artist
in residence on the project and the
school published an initial print run
of 1000 copies.
Now Williams and colleagues are
using the text in several year groups
and publisher Allen & Unwin has
David Williams standing outside the
remains of his home, devastated by the
Black Saturday bushfires.
signed a deal to release a second version early next year, ready for distribution to schools across the country.
“There will be a few new contributions, especially more related to
actual interaction between the kids
in Kabul and our school. We didn’t
really get time to do that last time but
now the kids are writing pieces on
how they relate to the experiences of
others,” Williams adds.
“We’re conscious of not losing the
soul of the first version, and so is the
publisher. They’ve said to us that they
don’t want to lose anything of the
voice of the students. They’re leaving
it up to us to make any changes and
are not dictating anything, so we’re
pleased with that.”
Williams, who lost his home in the
bushfires, is still coming to terms
with the events of Black Saturday. He
says the writing process for students
proved something of a cathartic exercise. “It’s one of those things where we
waited six months and thought, ‘well
this might be a bit raw’, then when we
said to the kids ‘let’s do it’ they were
actually bursting at the seams to get it
out,” Williams explains.
“It was a great thing to see them
just get it all out for themselves, for
posterity and then be recognised, not
just for their experience and what
they went through ... but also showing
strength and resilience in succeeding
at their studies.”
Teachers can visit www.1000pencils.
com.au to find out more details about
the project.
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