Cleve Area School students spent term three digging deep – literally, into the hidden world beneath their feet.
As part of their Learning Expedition “Soil Matters: The Hidden Power Beneath Our Feet”, year 3/4 students in Mrs Millard’s class explored what makes healthy soil and why it is so vital for farms, gardens and the local environment.
An expedition is a special kind of learning journey where students investigate a real-world topic across several subjects, connect with experts and create high-quality work for a public audience.
They develop this high-quality work through a critique process, revising and refining with feedback, all to make their learning public.
The idea for this expedition came from the students themselves.
They were eager to bring in soil from their homes and local farms to test, compare and discuss.
What began as a simple curiosity about the dirt beneath their feet soon grew into a full-scale investigation that linked science, maths and English learning in meaningful ways.
Throughout the term, students became young scientists, mathematicians and writers as they tested soil samples, measured pH levels, examined erosion and learned from local agronomists and Landscape SA officers.
The project culminated in the school’s gymnasium on Thursday of the final week of term three with a Share Case, “Making Learning Public”, where the students proudly presented their discoveries to parents, community members, visiting experts and other Cleve Area School students.
The gymnasium was transformed into a soil exhibition, complete with displays of students’ final products after critique, including photos and student-made brochures explaining how to protect and improve local soils.
“The Share Case is where students become the teachers,” Mrs Millard said.
“They spoke confidently about their investigations, shared their data and showed how their learning can make a difference to our community and environment.”
She added the students took full responsibility for presenting their work, answering questions from visitors and explaining their findings with confidence.
Mrs Millard said she could not have been prouder of their knowledge and enthusiasm when sharing their learning with others.
Highlights included the students’ soil improvement plans for the school oval, with one student sharing their highlight was convincing a panel of adults to provide funding to set up worm farms to help improve the school’s soils.
The display drew praise from community guests for the students’ depth of understanding, clear communication and confidence when presenting.
Through the expedition, students not only deepened their knowledge but also strengthened key dispositions such as curiosity, open-mindedness, environmental responsibility, resourcefulness, reflection and resilience, skills that will grow far beyond the classroom.
