HASS Lesson Plan 1

1. Title: Place and Liveability - Lesson 1

2. Aim: By the end of year 6/7: Students will be able to explain interconnections between
people and places and people and environments, describing how these interconnections
change places and environments. (Australian Curriculum)
3. Time: 60-minute lesson
4. Year: 6/7
5. Resources required:
- Interactive Whiteboard
- YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nU5-4GDsSI
- Images of cities- printed A3 colour (appendix 1)
- 3-2-1 slips (appendix 2)
- Rubric (appendix 3)
6. Key inquiry question/s (Australian Curriculum)
- How does peoples reliance on places and environments influence their perception of
them?
- What approaches can be used to improve the availability of resources and access to
services?
7. General Information (briefly stated)
Within this lesson student will be introduced to the geography place and liveability, and will
participate in group work and class discussions.

7.1 Main knowledge, understandings and skills required of the student

Factors that influence the decisions people make about where to live and their perceptions of
the liveability of places (ACHASSK188)

7.2 Concept focus: Sustainability, environment & place.

8. Learning activities (15 mins)
Introduce to topic as Place and Liveability. Ask students to bring out their homework task on
their top ten things that make a place liveable. Ask students to share some of their answers.
Ask them to explain why they recorded these answers down.

Watch YouTube video on Top 10 most liveable cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nU5-

4GDsSI. Ask students whilst watching the video to pay close attention to the reasons why some
of the cities made top ten. Instruct students who may be sitting towards the back of the
classroom to come sit closer to the screen.

Top ten cities: (based on video)

10: Stockholm, Sweden
9: Auckland, New Zealand
8: Sydney, Australia
7: Tokyo, Japan
6: Melbourne, Australia
5: Munich, Germany
4: Vienna, Austria
3: Copenhagen, Denmark
2: Helsinki, Finland
1: Zurich, Switzerland

Discuss what the top ten cities were and why. As a class brainstorm some of the main ideas of
why they these are the most liveable cities.
From this brainstorm link some of the responses students had from their homework task to the
brainstorm of the top ten cities.

9. Body of the lesson (30 mins)

Place students in groups of 5. Groups will label the visual features of two cities.
Ask students to consider: What are the features of these cities that make the liveable? Why
might people choose to live there?

Ask students to record these answers in their book. Have them divide the page in half with
Adelaide on one side and Tokyo on the other and list their observations from the two images in
each. Comparison of two cities

Bring class back together for class discussion. Ask each group to share their finding. Ask
students what are some of the differences between the two cities.

10. Conclusion (5 mins)

To conclude reflect on what students have learnt from this first lesson. Have students fill out the
exit card which is a 3,2, 1 slip.

11. Reflection/Assessment
- Formative assessment: exit card
- Observations

Evaluation:
- Teacher-assessment: rubric (see figure 3)
Adelaide, Australia.

Hong Kong, China

3 Things I leant from the lesson

2 Things I found interesting

1 Questions I now have

3 Things I leant from the lesson

2 Things I found interesting

1 Questions I now have

Appendix 3: Rubric

Name:
Developing Good Very Good Excellent
The students The student has The student Student have
Understanding understanding a good understanding given a detailed
of Place and of place and understanding of place and understanding
Liveability liveability is of place and liveability is very of place and
developing. liveability. good. liveability.

Minimal The student The student Student

Group work contribution was shared a few contributed contributed well
and made to the good points to often to the thought out
Discussion class discussion the class class discussion responses in
and group work. discussion and and worked very class discussion
worked good good with their as working well
with their group. group. with their group.

Comments/ Observations
References:

ACARA,. (2017). F6/7 HASS Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian
Curriculum v8.3. Australiancurriculum.edu.au. Retrieved 18 March 2017, from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-
10?layout=1

Harris, R. (2017). Inquiry in the Classroom. Lecture, Flinders University.

McInerney, M. (2016). Assessment. Lecture 2, Flinders University.

Reynolds, R. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences in the Primary School (3rd
ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Rice, Active Learning in Theory and Practice.

https://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/2184845/mod_resource/content/2/Reading_1_Rice.p
df (I was unable to find the reference details on FLO)
Justification:

Within this lesson, I have used various strategies to create a lesson that is engaging
and educational. Group work has been used for numerous reason, the first is it
develops students group skills as it encouraging the students to communicate and
work with others (Reynolds 2014, p.242). Moreover, group work supports the notion
that everyones opinion is valued and work contributed from all members is required
(Reynolds 2014, pg 242). I have used group work as a way for students to
collaborate and share ideas on what they know about the topic. Class discussions
are another way to create a chance for students to be heard and share ideas in a
collaborative way (Rice p.10). Class discussion lead by the teacher is a technique
that can used to direct a conversation around a topic. Moreover, I included a class
discussion as I wanted to have a rich conversation with alternative views and for
students to initiate in deep thinking (Reynolds 2014, p.89). The brainstorm is yet
another strategy used within the classroom to initiate deep thinking and a sharing of
view. It also leads to creating an inviting environment for inquiry, as the big idea of
the unit will be displayed on the wall of the classroom (Harris 2017) The brainstorm
will be something that will be added to as the unit goes on and as the students gain
more information within the topic. At the end of the lesson an exit card has been
used to give to the students, which I will use as formative assessment. The use of
formative assessment within the first lesson, allows the teachers to carefully plan the
route for learning, and measure what may need to be covered or revised within the
following lessons. (McInerney 2016). Overall, within the lesson I have used a range
of strategies to introduce to topic of place and liveability, which will engage the
students within the topic as well as direct the teacher in planning for the remainder of
the unit.