Curriculum Areas
Integrated Studies

Co-ordinator: Jeni George
Integrated Studies, as its name suggests, integrates a range of VELS learning strands and domains, to porive for authentic, extended and meaningful learning experiences for all students.

Incorporating personal and social learning areas, such as health, Interpersonal Development, Personal Learning and Civics and Citizenship, Integrated Studies helps development in students' independence, self-awareness and co-operative work skills. Through Interdiscplinary domains such as Communication, Design, Creativity and Technology, ICT and Thinking, students become more creative, inventive and self regulating learners, and develop enterprise, initiative and communication skills. Content of Integrated Studies themes spans the Humanities (Economics, Geography, History), Science and Technology, as well as other discplines such as English and Mathematics.

At Bayswater West Primary School,Integrated Studies themes range from such rich and rewarding investigations as 'Water World' (water use, abuse and conservation), 'A Time for Giving' (Christmas and Celebrations and raising money for those less fortunate), 'Our Community', 'Cooking with Chemistry and Calculations', 'Natural Disasters' and 'Civics and Citizenship'. Through each of these investigations students have many diverse opportunities to develop skills across the curriculum, use increasingly sophisticated thinking and use organising and creating skills to make sense of and interpret ideas and information. Students learn to become effective, adaptive and independent learners, in preparation for experiences in an ever-changing and demanding world.

At Bayswater West Primary School Integrated Studies explorations often work towards a culminating event. In the Junior School, through a 'Time for Giving' students are involved in raising money for the K-Mart Wishing Tree through making and selling Christmas Cards. The funds which are raised are then used to purchase presents for less fortunate children. The Prep-2 students also launch this event with a concert, which is performed at Eastland to launch the Wishing Tree. In the Senior School, Grades 3-6 have been involved in the Know Northwest "Innovations and Excellence Cluster" projects, which has included involvement in producing TV shows, online collaborative mentoring and many other exciting projects with other schools in the cluster and schools in New Zealand.

Through extensive whole staff professional development on the Thinking Curriculum and the new Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), we are committed ti providing an excellent Integrated Studies Program which caters for tbe needs, learning styles and comprehensive development of each and every student across the school.