HASS UNIT PLAN OUTLINE TEMPLATE
Sub strand: Geography
Year level: 5
Year level theme
Students will explore the relationship between
humans and their environment. They
investigate how environments influence the
characteristics of places where humans live and
human activity in those places. In contrast, how
people influence their environments.
Knowledge and Understanding Content
Descriptions covered
The environmental and human influences on
the location and characteristics of a place and
the management of spaces within them
(ACHASSK113)
Brief description of the units purpose
The purpose of this unit is to explore the
relationship between humans and their
environment. Students will see how the areas
they live in are planned and created to ensure
everyone has what they need. They will
discover green energy and how elements such
as waste and transport are important in keeping
our environment sustainable.
Length: 4 weeks
Concept focus
Cause and effect
Place and space
Inquiry and Skills Content Descriptions
covered
Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or
collective action in response to an issue or
challenge, and predict the probable effects
(ACHASSI104)
Use criteria to make decisions and judgements and
consider advantages and disadvantages of
preferring one decision over others (ACHASSI103)
Locate and collect relevant information and data
from primary sources and secondary sources
(ACHASSI095)
Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry
about people, events, developments, places,
systems and challenges (ACHASSI094)
Key Inquiry questions to guide unit
thinking:
What is the relationship between environments and
my roles as a consumer and citizen?
How do people and environments influence one
another?
How do people influence the human characteristics
of places and the management of spaces within
them?
 What does a modern, green, clean city look like?

What do cities need to function and host a large

amount of people sustainably?

Opportunities to incorporate Cross Opportunities to incorporate General

Curriculum priorities Capabilities

ICT Capability - Students use computers to

Sustainability - This unit is based on research different cities in Week 1,
sustainability so each of these lessons relates Lesson 2 and do independent research in
heavily to this topic (except the first lesson). Week 2, Lesson 2.
Critical and Creative thinking - This
Asia - One of the cities explored in Week 1, capability is used when students
construct and create their own city and
Lesson 2 is an Asian city, students get to find
make decisions about what to include.
out about what makes that city sustainable.

Learning activities/experiences Assessment tasks

- Local walk Formative:

- Drawing their neighbourhood - Critical thinking and involvement in
group presentations in Session 2,
- Questioning what they want to learn about Week 1.
cities.
- Their design plan for their city.
- Investigating cities as a group
- Drawing a plan of a sustainable city
- Building a sustainable city from boxes and
other materials
Summative:
- Hosting an exhibit to show other classes their Their cardboard city creation (and
sustainable city. questioning at exhibit).

Lesson outline for the 4 week unit Based on 2@90 minute periods per
week

Week 1 (Have students begin to bring in small Week 2

cardboard boxes)
Session 1 - Tuning in to students thinking Session 1 - Finding out - Green
- Introduce lesson by asking students what their Technology
neighbourhood looks like. - Go through the attached powerpoint of
- Go on a walk with students in the local area and Sustainability Fact Sheets (Appendix 1).
point out features that help make peoples - As you finish each slide, come up with
 lives easier. Be sure to point out electricity ideas as a class of what you could do to
poles/wires, stormwater drains and waste fix this problem in your city. (e.g. after
disposal. Also point out ramps and parking the energy slide, ask if students know
for disabled people -ask: why is this types of renewable energy and what
important?
they need to use it e.g. wind - turbine,
- Get students to draw a diagram of their solar - solar panels.)
neighbourhood which shows where they eat,
Have students write in their books how
where they can get food, where people work, -
they will address each of these 5 issues
where they go if they get sick, where they
in their city. Tell them this must be visible
can catch public transport, etc. (This can also
when they build their city - need to see
be finished for homework).
turbines or a dump, etc.
- Come back as a class and introduce the
assessment of the unit to students - to build a
clean energy city out of boxes. Session 2 - Sorting Out - What will be in
their city?
- Make a Burning Questions Wall where - Begin the lesson by listing the things
students write their questions of what theyd
students would need in their cities. -
want to know in order to build their own green
city. Read a few out to the class. Where do people work? Where can they
go when they are sick? Where do they
buy food? Waste management?
Session 2 - Finding out - Best Cities Electricity stations? Public transport?
- Todays inquiry question is: What does a Where do they learn? What do these
modern, green, clean city look like? places look like? Where will they live?
- Brainstorm ideas as a class. - Go back to the burning questions wall and
- http://www.urbanecology.org.au/projects/sustainable read out the questions, have we
cities.html - Use this page to show the list of answered them?
what makes a city sustainable - Use this time as independent research time
- Then seperate class into groups of three or where students look up what these
four. Each group will get a name of one city buildings look like and how they work -
and have to research why it is sustainable or do solar panels still need an power
not in a powerpoint presentation which they station to work?
will present to the class (Be sure to tell them
to have it in their own words so when they - Students can begin drawing their plans of
read it out they understand what they are cities.
reading. If they dont understand: Ask or dont
write it down.) (give group roles to help them
stay on task):
1. Zurich, Switzerland, 2. Copenhagen,
Denmark, 3. New York City, USA, 4.
Frankfurt, Germany, 5. London, England, 6.
Phoenix, Arizona, 7. Singapore, 8.
Stockholm, Sweden.
- Have each group present their findings.
- Tell students the ideas they hear about in these
other cities they can use in their own
sustainable city construction.
 Week 3 Week 4

Session 1 - Reflecting - Drawing the plan/
Constructing
- Students continue drawing plans of their cities - Students finish their city and decorate.
and can begin construction with cardboard
boxes when they are ready.
- Allow students to use paint, different textures of
material such as metallic cardboard and
cellophane to achieve what they want.
- Show the class an example of someones plan
which is well thought out.
- Give students feedback on plans to help them
uncover any gaps in their knowledge.
Session 2 - Going Further - Construction of
their city
- Students continue constructing their city and
preparing a speech that covers the five
elements covered in the third lesson and how How is your city sustainable?
they work.
Session 1 - Going Further - Prep of the
exhibit
- They also finalise their speeches.
Session 2 - Celebrating the Learning -
Exhibit
- Set up tables in an exhibit style and allow
other classes to come look at what the
students have done.
- Explain to the students that they have to
stay at their city to explain to customers
why their city is sustainable and
important.
- The teacher will go around to each student
and ask them questions about their city
to record their grades:
(Need to cover: waste, transport, food,
nature, energy - how these things work -
visible).
What other features does your city have?
(school, hospital, homes, malls,
entertainment).
What are your predictions for your cities
future in terms of its sustainability?

Potential HASS sub strand connections Potential other learning area

connections

- Civics and Citizenship - Students develop Science - Green energy/Sustainability

questions for an investigation about the society
in which they live. They locate and collect Art/Design - Students creatively construct a
information from different sources to answer 3D model of a city and use different craft
these questions. They develop questions for a
society in which they could live in the first
lesson of this unit. They also interpret
information to suggest conclusions based on
evidence in this unit. Coming up with a plan
together to improve this society is how this unit
could relate to this strand.
Topic background resources (for teacher use
only) to support teaching learning for the
unit
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-
resources/illustrations-of-practice-
resources/iop00134.pdf?sfvrsn=6 - I used this for
ideas of websites and to see what other people
had used in the past.
https://www.sustainablelearning.com/resource/my-
green-city
- I used this as a resource for Lesson 1 in Week
2 and to see an example for how their unit was
constructed.
https://www.arcadis.com/en/global/our-
perspectives/sustainable-cities-index-2016/ - I used
the sustainable cities index in order to come up
with the different cities for students to
investigate in Lesson 2, Week 1.
materials in order to make it look realistic.
Physical Education - Local walk in first
lesson.
Pedagogical resources to support the
teaching of the unit
- I used the lecture by Alaric Maude on
Inquiry on the Tuesday 14th of March to
help structure my unit with an inquiry
structure.
- Catling, S, Willy, T & Butler, J 2013,
'Planning geography teaching', in
Catling, Simon, Willy, Tessa & Butler,
John, Teaching Primary Geography for
Australian Schools: Early Years to Year
6, Hawker Brownlow Education,
Moorabbin, Victoria, pp. 185-206.
- Buchanan, J 2013, 'Creative teaching and
assessment practices', in Buchanan,
John & Batchelor Institute of Indigenous
Tertiary Education, History, geography
and civics: teaching and learning in the
primary years, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, pp. 109-129.
Assessment rubric for the unit (attach a brief rubric based on the assessed Achievement
Standards identified above)

Questions asked:
How is your city sustainable? - Can then ask How does this work? (in their city)
(Need to cover: waste, transport, food, nature, energy - how these things work - visible).
What other features does your city have?
(school, hospital, homes, malls, entertainment).
What are your predictions for your cities future in terms of its sustainability?

A B C D E

How is your Includes all Includes all 5, Includes 3, all Includes at Includes less
city five with visible most are are visible, least two, all than two.
sustainable detail and visible. some are visible.
(Waste, explanation of explanation
transport, how it works spoken.
food, energy, within their
nature). city.

What other Student has Student has Student has There is one There are no
features does included five included four included three or two extra extra features
your city different features which features which features. They included in the
have? features which enhance the enhance the may not city.
(school, enhance the city. city. necessarily
hospital, city. enhance the
homes, malls, city.
entertainment
)
 A B C D E

Structure Elements are City is neat City is set out City is City is messy
well-labelled or and elements neatly and somewhat and
clear what they are set out elements are messy and unorganised,
are without clearly. clear after unfinished but no features are
explanation. explanation. some clear what
City looks neat elements are their purpose
and clear after is. Project is
professional. explanation. unfinished.

Knowledge Student is well Students is Student is Student Student

informed about knowledgable knowledgable guesses how doesnt have
sustainability about their city about the elements work any
practices and and sustainability and doesnt sustainability
how they work sustainability practices in have much knowledge
as well as practices but place but still knowledge about how
highly not always in seems unsure about how their waste,
knowledgable depth about about how their city would transport or
of how their how they work. some run. energy
city works. elements systems would
work. work.