[T4R] Let’s Build a Boat: L11 Evaluation and Reflection

The Book

Let’s Build A Boat

Written by Jane Godwin, illustrated by Meg Rennie, published by Little Hare Books

This inspiring picture book celebrates teamwork, creativity, and determination. As a group of children come together to build a boat for their picnic on an island, the story naturally lends itself to discussions about the purpose of a boat in general and context of the text (AC9TDE2K01 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies). The story also highlights the importance of preparation before they begin (AC9TDE2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies), innovation and problem-solving when they face the challenge at sea (AC9TDE2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies).

Throughout their journey, they experience challenges and moments of joy, allowing students to reflect on how they manage emotions in different situations (AC9HP2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education). The story also supports children in understanding how teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving help them to achieve shared goals (AC9HP2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education).

Let’s Build a Boat is a perfect launchpad for hands-on STEM or creative projects, as well as social-emotional learning discussions around collaboration, effort, and celebrating differences.

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Resource creator

Steven Huynh

Subject

Design and Technologies, English Language and Literacy,

Level

Year 1, Year 2,

Description

Students evaluate the book and reflect on their boat design by testing its performance and completing simple evaluation activities.

Learning Intentions

• We are learning to evaluate and reflect on the text and your boat.

Successful Criteria

• I can talk about what I liked or didn’t like about the book.
• I can say what I would change or keep the same in my boat.
• I can describe what worked or didn’t work when I tested my boat.
• I can listen to others’ ideas and learn from them.

Curriculum Alignment

AC9E1LY05 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 1): Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning when listening, viewing and reading to build literal and inferred meaning by drawing on vocabulary and growing knowledge of context

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

AC9E2LY05 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 2): Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

AC9TDE2P03 9.0 (Design and Technologies Year 1,Year 2): Evaluate the success of design ideas and solutions based on personal preferences and including sustainability

• reflecting on and recording a judgement about design ideas, for example describing how design ideas meet the needs of those who will use the solution using audio-recording or video-recording software
• sharing design strengths and weaknesses, for example explaining how the equipment in a playground might be unsuitable for some children to use and suggesting areas for design improvement
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised

Materials

Let’s Build a Boat book
Evaluating & Reflecting sheet
Mini figures or small weights for testing
Rafts made in previous lessons
Towels or trays for testing

Instructions

Evaluating/Reflecting on the Text

Revisit the book Let’s Build a Boat by Jane Godwin.
Encourage students to read the text by themselves.
Use the Evaluating & Reflecting template as a whole class or individually.
Prompt students with guiding questions about the story.

Evaluating/Reflecting on the Boat

Call on 1–2 students at a time to test their boat using mini figures.
Use the Boat Evaluating worksheet to record what worked well and what they would change.
Encourage children to observe each other’s designs and reflect on different ideas.

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