Bringing the Australian
Curriculum to life
A conversation with Mary-Alice Williams at Allenby Gardens primary school
Site context
Allenby Gardens Primary School caters for 540 preschool to
year 7 students from the local area. With a high level of
English as an Additional Language or Dialect students
coming from a wide variety of cultures including Serbian,
Greek, African and Indian, Allenby Gardens school is a
highly valued hub of diversity.
The main sustainability focus at the site for the last four
years has been the students’ food garden. There are eight
plots and the classes each maintain one of them. There are
also compost bins, worm farms and Bokashi bins to
support learning about the nutrient cycle: from food scraps
into compost and back into food.
Mary-Alice’s Reception class
 23 children
 3 English as a Second Language (ESL) students, one who
speaks Spanish only
 2 with Negotiated Education Plans
 1 select mute child
 1 with Type 1 diabetes
 4 with social and emotional problems around anxiety
separation (being 4 years and 8 months of age)
 5 identified with other specific learning needs.
Why is the food garden important in implementing the
Australian Curriculum and the Teaching for Effective
Learning (TfEL) Framework?
The garden provides a context for our learning. The
children are engaged with their tasks which are set at the
appropriate level. I plan activities in and focus on the
natural environment to cater for the wide range of
individual needs in my class. For example, sorting natural
objects by 2s, observing the annual cycles and seasons (the
apricots are now ripening), digging up the garlic. Another
activity was the drawing of garden maps (abstract) and
then constructing them in foil containers using natural and
other objects (concrete). The children and I set a goal each
week to also explore at home. One of our science goals
was to explore the connection between grapes from the
garden and sultanas.
How do you select and program the learning?
The learning intentions come
directly from the Australian
Curriculum. We use and
explain the direct language
with the children. The
learning intentions are based
on what the children need to
know, whilst incorporating
what they have identified as
things they like to do in the
garden e.g. exploring,
digging and planting.
An example of learning intentions.
intentions.
Vicki, the School Support Officer for the garden and I
decided to integrate maths and science with the garden
focus and connect general capabilities such as literacy and
numeracy and the cross-curriculum perspectives with a
strong focus on sustainability. Primary Connections
provides further ideas for connecting science and literacy.
Oral language and literacy are big focuses for the group.
After each garden lesson the children use a recount
graphic organiser to draw and write about what they did in
the garden.
Each week the stars of the week record our questions,
findings, and excitements in our class science journal book.
The children sharing their learning.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is
another strong focus; it draws the children in. Every week
the star students take photos and films while the children
work in the garden and then share them; for example, I saw
Jack pulling weeds out, and I saw Jane digging dirt. They
learn from and with each other and Vicki and I help them
to reflect on that learning. The children enjoy viewing the
photos or footage of themselves working on a task and
then writing and drawing a recount using a graphic
organiser. One child was filmed making mud pies, learning
about capacity. We discussed the words he was using in
the film which clarified for him the difference between the
language of capacity and size.
Program support
I am lucky to have the support of Vicki, her ideas connect it
all. We have been sharing our expertise using ICT. When we
are planning I demonstrate an activity and Vicki films it.
Then Vicki implements the same activity and I film her.
Then we discuss aspects of the film such as questioning
techniques to meet the learning intention and the use of
curriculum language. This way we are upskilling Vicki and
raising her confidence to work with children, use
curriculum language and know the Australian Curriculum
requirements and Primary Connections. She now has a
curriculum headset as well as a gardening one. Vicki has
visited other schools to see what they do and has brought
back new ideas. Vicki’s work with other teachers is now
curriculum based e.g. using procedural texts about growing
food and cooking.
The Australian Curriculum provides the ‘what’ and TfEL
provides the useful ‘how’ tool. In order to set up this group
approach to working in the garden I focused on creating a
learning environment with safe conditions in first term. I
structured teamwork and explicitly talked about teams
using a Y-chart. Digital cameras were used to catch
learning moments so we could talk together about what
team work looks, sounds and feels like. I can now
personalise and connect learning by planning activities
using the natural environment with lots of team work
involving different roles and responsibilities. To encourage
children to think we set up questions and made a big book
exploring the concept of a question which was new to
some of them.
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Stars
Create a water cycle
Pattern and order
Growing and drawing
What’s in our garden?
1. Talk about the water
1. Put on art smock and
1. Check class garden bed -
1. First draw a map of the
cycle and look at the
collect 12 rocks.
weed, water.
garden.
2. Group the rocks into 3.
2. Check general clean up
2. Share and ask questions
around the garden.
about where you might
2. Stars can wander around
find things on your garden.
and observe / help other
pictures provided.
2. Using the sand in the
sand tray and items from
the garden make a water
3. Choose 4 colours to
paint rocks.
cycle.
4. Paint rocks.
3. Pour water from a
5. When paint is dry make a
watering can to see if the
pattern with the rocks. Add
water cycle works.
eyes and antennas.
Did the water go from the
6. Put numbers 1 to 12 on
top to the bottom?
each rock. Put them into
Science- primary
Connections - weather
order.
7. Play a game by mixing
up patterns or numbers
and correcting the pattern
3. Flowers- select plastic
flower from the tub, a
3. Draw a smaller section of
pencil and paper.
the garden.
4. Draw the flower. Have 2
4. Hide an item and using
or 3 attempts to draw the
the map other team
flower.
members have to find it.
5. 2nd week paint the
5. Give them directions
drawing or a new flower.
using the map.
6. Draw a real plant from
Maths- directions
the garden.
Photographers and
observers
1. Each star takes about 20
photos.
groups.
3. Stars help in setting up
and packing away activities
- being a team member.
TfEL-2.2 build a community
of learners
4.2 connecting learning to
students lives and
aspirations
4.3 apply and assess
Science- Staying alive
learning in authentic
or order.
contexts
Maths- number
To create a water cycle
To paint a pattern of rock
Caring for our class
Giving and following
Feedback and team
caterpillars
plants and drawing
directions using a map
support
flowers
Sample of clear expectations and learning intentions
How does this learning approach address the notion of
‘a crowded curriculum’?
The curriculum is not crowded; it is manageable. We are
very busy, but that’s how children learn. The challenge has
been to change my teaching to how children learn today. I
had to adapt my teaching and delivery to match the needs
of both children and parents. With science I had to change
my head set from what we used to do i.e. demonstrate and
tell to challenging children to ask questions and explore
answers.
I asked myself how I could combine it all. I have extended
the learning centre’s idea by providing learning
opportunities, which integrate what I have to teach e.g.
learning areas, general capabilities, cross-curriculum
priorities, learning styles, TfEL. The learning intentions from
the Australian Curriculum tell the children and me what we
have to achieve. I have high expectations and then add
more challenges. For example, find six things that move in
the garden (On the move, Primary Connections). Then I
challenge children to think about how they can extend that
learning goal.
How do you decide what and how to assess?
The children’s work and discussion provides formative and
summative assessment. In class, children repeat the
required language e.g. counting on and counting back to
make equals and the other children provide them with
feedback; sometimes by a thumbs up / down for correct /
incorrect answer. Photos also provide good feedback. I use
a pre- and post-test comparison with the learning
intention, for example, for capacity:
Pre language
Full, empty, not sure, I don’t know, same
Post language
Half full, nearly full, looks the same, full, empty, ¼ full, and
nearly empty
The graphic organisers we use enable children to write and
record their findings which encourages them to practise
and explore learning in their own way. The graphic
organisers have evolved to suit the changing needs of the
children’s learning; including more written work over time.
The children’s ongoing assessment folder records what
they used to do and what they can now do.
I try to give every opportunity to children to learn and
show learning in different ways, e.g. oral, drawn, written
and in photos. This opens more opportunities to connect
with parents. To report the learning we have three-way
interviews which include the children. They use photos and
films to show their learning to their parents. Then I support
the children by highlighting how their learning connects
with the Australian Curriculum. The children set their own
learning goals and share them with their parents. The goals
are about their next learning intentions. This personalises
their learning and the parents connect with that.
What benefits does this learning approach have for
children?
An example of a number story
The children are eager to be in the garden; they just love it.
The children are engaged and on task. They want to play
and learn there; it is part of their wellbeing. Lots of
activities include the five senses of touching, seeing,
smelling, hearing and tasting in the garden. The openended tasks such as, make a number story, cater for the
developing, average and need-extension groups. The
children’s interests are also incorporated into the program
e.g. the Staying alive learning (Primary Connections) was
driven by their interests. In learning about capacity we had
garden activities such as making mud pies and weighing
objects in the garden.
The children have learned cooperation and other social
skills through the garden activities. Individual needs are
catered for e.g. an autistic child, a developmentally delayed
child and the bright children are all catered for in the
garden activities. We have even increased the attendance
of an ESL child who is struggling with school but who loves
to come on garden days.
It is so successful because the children manage themselves.
They have learnt to read the rotational roster and chart
showing what each group is focussing on in the garden
each week. It has empowered the children to know what
they are doing and they are able to begin the learning on
their own. This gives them a big sense of responsibility for
their own learning and an understanding of what they are
setting out to learn and how to go about it.
The children who started last year told their teacher they
wanted to be in the garden. Parents and children are used
to it and love it. The parents have taken on sustainability
thinking e.g. through working bees, donating toys and
pallets for reuse, and plants. There is a weekly cooking class
with a parent who collects items from the garden to cook
with the children. One learning activity was to make a
birdfeeder and then we linked to their family by sending
home a procedural text, in a bag with seeds, string and a
pinecone. In morning talk the children told us about
making the bird feeder at home and where they hung it.
We had photos from the parents, again making the ICT
link. The children are seeing the parents’ involvement and
this has massive benefits for the children and their
wellbeing.
Resources to support this particular approach
Why do you like this approach?
Name: Mary-Alice Williams and Vicki Coard
Professionally, I achieve what’s required. By the end of the
year I have covered all the requirements such as the
Australian Curriculum, TfEL as well as catering for learning
styles, providing a differentiated program, and encouraging
thinking and ownership of their learning. I have also
provided creative learning spaces to match the children.
Personally,
Email: Maryalice.williams755@schools.sa.edu.au
I get enjoyment and satisfaction that
children are learning in a creative and
healthy environment where there is a
strong focus on wellbeing. When we
are out in the garden every child is
having some connection with nature
and I am pleased to be the instigator
of that.
 NRM Education food garden resources.
 Primary Connections for ideas to connect with.
 The work samples in the Australian Curriculum for
benchmarking.
For further information:
School website: for newsletter articles on the garden
EfS Moodle: (http://efsmoodlesa.net.au/) Professional
development sessions: Connecting food gardens to literacy,
numeracy, art and science - Allenby Gardens 4 Sept 2014