Students were given postcards from my grandmother's collection from different places around the world and asked to decode them and rewrite them using today's handwriting style. I shared the ones written in German and French; now to decode them...that would have been a real challenge! They worked in groups of three and each group were supplied with a magnifying glass and a dictionary. They were allowed to use the world wideweb to aid them in their research of the postcard illustration or photograph, stamp and anything else they may have been intrigued by. Many did not realise that all of these postcards were written using an ink pen and ink. Some of the postcards had some strange Aussie colloquial expressions. We talked about the ways that communication have changed over the last century. Indeed, most of these postcards are over one hundred years old! I began the unit by reading the book Never Mail and Elephant. They then shared their findings with the class.
 |
| Super sleuth historians |
 |
| Up close and personal with the past |
 |
| Magnifying glasses came in handy |
 |
| Sometimes the writers only used phrases and no punctuation! |
 |
| There was a large collection of postcards |
 |
| This one was complicated |
 |
| Sample |
 |
| Mrs Wells, the principal, joins in the fun |
Oral Literacy - Part of the Big Six
Each partnership received an unsighted button; most were of some kind of bear from my button collection. One person in the pair was the describer and the other the drawer. We brainstormed ideas which would help the describer, Students then shared how they fared. They the swapped and were given new buttons. As a class we shared the outcomes and reflected on the use of using precise language in giving clear directions.
