On the 12th of August 2005, 19 Grade 9 learners (5 disadvantaged learners from Greenpoint High and 14 from Diamantveld High) set out before dawn amid great excitement to fulfill our dream of going to Bloemfontein to visit the Coca Cola Fortune Production Plant.
On arrival we were welcomed by Gary, Erica, Abet and Molly. Gary presented an information session where he drew diagrams to show how every process fits into the big picture. He also dealt with the processes: purification of water, washing of bottles, production, warehousing, distribution, workshops, security, quality control, administration, marketing, human recourses and career opportunities. Erica showed us the twenty different coke products and how each product is marketed to relate to a certain group of people. Abet and Molly took us through the production lines. At the time they were busy bottling Rasberry Bibo, Fanta Pinapple and Coke. The learners enjoyed every moment of it and flooded them with questions. We were treated to Frutopia, Powerade and cookies. The learners thanked them and promised to buy their products!
I had also organised a short trip to the Boyden Observatory, running by the Physics Departement of the University of the Free State. We looked at an image of the sun deflected by a 20 cm telescope through a red filter. Dawie, our guide, told us that the sun has another 100 000 years before it will burn out. He showed us a 4m telescope built in 1889 that is classified as the oldest working lens telescope. He emphasized the importance of the moon on the ecology of the earth. We saw the enormous 1,52m telescope that discovered 3 gas planets. We watched a short animation on the launching of a Mars exploring Rover, like the one that was launched last week to reach Mars by March next year. The tecnology used is astonishing! We got a zoomed journey to the stars – where we saw the majestic galaxy and an artist’s representation of all the galaxies in the universe. Indeed very educational!
The learning outcomes achieved were Languages (LO 1: Listening - the learners listened to information and responded appropriately; LO 2: Speaking – the learners communicated effectively when asked questions; LO 5: Thinking and reasoning - the learners used language to process and use information for learning); Mathematics (LO 1: Numbers, operations and relationships - the learners recognised numbers as well as relationships in which the substances are mixed and to estimate production per day; LO 2: Patterns, functions and algebra - the learners recognised patterns with regard to the number of bottles of different sizes that are sold); Natural Sciences (LO 1: Scientific Investigations - the learners acted confidently with curiosity within scientific context regarding all the chemical mixtures and the washing process of the bottles; LO 2: Constructing science knowledge - the learners can apply scientific and technological knowledge after investigating the bottling process; LO 3: Science, society and the environment - the learners understood the relationships between science and the environment when they learnt about the recycling of glass bottles); Social Sciences (LO 1: History enquiry - the learners used enquiry skills to investigate the history of Coke; LO 3: Historical interpretation - the learners interpreted the aspects of the history of Coke and why it was necessary to incorporate other soft drinks, like Milo, Appletiser, Iced Tea and other Coke products. Geography LO 1: Geographical enquiry - the learners used enquiry skills to investigate geographical concepts regarding the location of the 5 bottling companies as well as the areas from where the sugar comes; LO 3: Exploring issues - the learners can make informed decisions about the environmental issues of recycling); Arts and Culture (LO 4: Expressing and communicating - the learners can analyse and use multiple forms of communication in the field of advertising Coke and deal with the influences of poverty in society); Life Orientation (LO 1: Health promotion - the learners made decisions regarding health after visiting the quality controlled laboratory. LO 3: Personal development - the learners can use acquired life skills to respond effectively to challenges in their world – to become self empowered in making decisions when considering options when buying soft drinks); Economic and Management Sciences (LO 1: The economic cycle - the learners understand the economic cycle within the context of the marketing of Coke; LO 2: Sustainable growth and development - the learners understand sustainable growth regarding the distribution of Coke ((Coke makes use of the mama’s bucket marketing strategy in townships)) in all parts of the country; LO 4: Entrepreneurial knowledge and skills - the learners learnt the entrepreneurial skills in the recycling process of tins, glass and plastic bottles); Technology (LO 3: Technology, society and the environment – by visiting the Coke factory, the learners understand the interconnection between technology, society and the environment).
It is necessary to visit the destination of your dream beforehand or get enough knowledge to plan a project in detail. All the children enjoyed it very much!!
A big thankyou to all our sponsors, especially Riaan Bouwer at Coca Cola, without whom this would not have been possible.
