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ABC 2012

Activity

School SwimmingKey Learning

Students will examine the pros and cons of swimming being compulsory in primary school.

The Australian Curriculum > English / Literacy / Interacting with others

Content descriptionGeneral capabilities

Literacy

Information and communication

technology capability

Personal and social capability

Critical and creative thinking

Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such asvoice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality ofinteraction and needs and expertise of the audience. CodeACEL Y1816

Elaboration

Participating in pair, group, class, school and community speaking andlistening situations, including informal conversations, discussions,debates and presentations

Focus Questions

1. Discuss the SchoolSwimming story with another student. Report back to the class with the mainpoints of your discussion.

2. According to the report, the number of kids who wont know how to swim by the time they leaveprimary school is

3. What does the Royal Lifesaving Society want to do to tackle the problem?

4. What do supporters of the idea say?

5. What are some disadvantages of the idea?

6. What do you do to stay safe when swimming?

7. What are some ways people can keep themselves safe in the water?

8. Respond to the following statement: Participation in water activities is part of Australian identity andculture.

9. Illustrate an aspect of the SchoolSwimming story.

10. Should swimming lessons be compulsory in all primary schools? Explain your answer.

Activity

Discuss the issues raised in the SchoolSwimming story with students.

Students will research and debate the following statement:

Swimming lessons should be compulsory in all primary schools.

Divide the class into teams of 6, 3 speaking for the affirmative and 3 against. Other roles that can beassigned are chairperson, time keeper and the remaining class members can give feedback to the speakers.

Discuss with students the length of time each speaker talks for. Students will need sufficient time to researchthe topic.

Episode 31

30thOctober 2012

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACELY1816http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACELY1816http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACELY1816http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Curriculum/ContentDescription/ACELY1816

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ABC 2012

The debate can be structured in the following way:

Speaker 1Introduce the topic and teams argument. The 1stspeaker for the negative can also rebut

(argue against).

Speaker 2Rebuttal and continue teams argument

Speaker 3Rebuttal and summarise/conclude debate

When analysing the issue, students need to consider both sides of the argument as outlined in the BtN story.They may also find it useful to research arguments for and against on the internet. Some keyissues/questions students can explore for the debate include:

Schools teaching swimming to make sure all children learn to swim.

Private swimming lessons can be expensive.

Some schools cant access pools to teach children to swim.

Parents should be responsible for enrolling their children in swimming lessons outside of school.

Schools have enough to teach.

Guide for giving feedback

Was the information clear and accurate?

Were the arguments logical?

Were the counter arguments accurate and relevant?

Comments about the presentation style (tone of voice, body language, enthusiastic, convincing)

Reflection

Ask students to think about how difficult it was to think of arguments to support their case. Do they think they

could have created a stronger argument if they were speaking for the opposing view?

Further Investigations

What are the water safety issues relevant to young people? Create a poster that gives some tips toyoung people about how to stay safe at home and the beach.

Think about your own involvement in water activities. Make a list of activities that you and your familyparticipate in.

Brainstorm community organisations that promote and encourage water safety. Choose one organisationand create a profile including information about how they promote safe participation and the benefits ofbelonging to the group. Share your profile with the class.

Related Research Links

ABC NewsLifesavers want compulsory swim lessons in schools

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/lifesavers-call-for-swimming-lessons-in-school/4328082

ABC SportSwimming skills declining in Australian children

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-

increased/4329870?section=sport

Royal Life Saving

http://www.royallifesaving.com.au/www/html/7-royal-life-saving-website-home-page.asp

Swim and SurviveWater Safety Education

http://www.swimandsurvive.com.au/content_common/pg-schools.seo

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/lifesavers-call-for-swimming-lessons-in-school/4328082http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/lifesavers-call-for-swimming-lessons-in-school/4328082http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-increased/4329870?section=sporthttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-increased/4329870?section=sporthttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-increased/4329870?section=sporthttp://www.royallifesaving.com.au/www/html/7-royal-life-saving-website-home-page.asphttp://www.royallifesaving.com.au/www/html/7-royal-life-saving-website-home-page.asphttp://www.swimandsurvive.com.au/content_common/pg-schools.seohttp://www.swimandsurvive.com.au/content_common/pg-schools.seohttp://www.swimandsurvive.com.au/content_common/pg-schools.seohttp://www.royallifesaving.com.au/www/html/7-royal-life-saving-website-home-page.asphttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-increased/4329870?section=sporthttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/an-report-shows-drownings-in-aus-increased/4329870?section=sporthttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-23/lifesavers-call-for-swimming-lessons-in-school/4328082