Description
Year bundle containing all components of HASS/Science Year 3 units 3.1 to 3.4
Teacher handbook with complete lesson plans, curriculum mapping and assessment guide, student workbook and model answers, plus all the resource PDFs for
- HASS + Science: Understanding Our World
- Year 3
- Minimum time allocation of one hour per week. Extensions are provided for up to 2.5 hours a week.
Unit 3.1: Unit “Celebrating Our World”
This unit introduces students to to a discussion of calendars, seasons and families around the world. Students partake in an activity of preparing a calendar for the current year. It is therefore recommended that this unit is taught at the beginning of the school year. The students then compare this calendar with other calendars around the world and examine the role of seasons in different calendars. They are introduced to the idea of different time zones, seasons and climates around the world. Students then examine how these differences impact families in a global context by looking at where in the world their family members currently live or have ever lived. Students analyse the impact of the weather on daily activities and examine how this has changed through time.
Students are introduced to landmarks in Australia and around the world with the Aunt Madge’s Suitcase Activity and finally they are introduced to basic concepts of democracy by comparing Ancient Greek democracy with modern Australian democracy. This also provides an introduction to a more in-depth examination of these issues a later unit. Basic information from the Civics and Citizenship Curriculum is introduced.
Unit 3.2: “Our Changing Community”
In this unit students will study a local place, such as a park or landmark, and consider its management. The teacher should contact the local library or town hall and ask if the students could display posters they make for a period at the venue. These posters will highlight issues concerning the local place, such as its history, management concerns and suggested improvements. Students will work in from global to local scales by first considering the arrival of Aboriginal People in Australia during the Ice Age. Consideration of strategies for managing the environment used by Aboriginal People, will lead on to a discussion of the local Aboriginal Group.
A local park or landmark is chosen for study and visited in week 5. Students will consider many aspects of the park or landmark and then design posters highlighting particular issues. These posters should be displayed either at a local venue or at the school at the conclusion of this unit. Students consider both current and future management of the place and suggest issues to be considered. Students then reflect on this activity and consider how future management might be undertaken.
Unit 3.3: “Brisbane Through Time”
This unit investigates how Brisbane has changed through time. Students examine how Brisbane and the lives of people who live there have changed. The timeline activity provides a hands-on experience mapping the abstract concept of time to 2-dimensional and even 3-dimensional space, which helps students to understand the concept of time and its duration. The timeline activity also revises the number-line concept as developed in the Mathematics Curriculum, as well as metric units of length, numbers into the 10,000s, addition and subtraction and repeated operations. Students will undertake a guided Scientific Investigation to examine types of evidence of daily life in Brisbane in the past. The Scientific Investigation will introduce students to the Scientific Process and how conclusions are drawn from examinations of data, including artefacts.
A student workbook is provided for the students to fill in during this unit. This workbook, as well as the students’ discussions in class and participation in the activities, forms the assessment for this unit. The student workbook can either be printed and stapled together, with a copy given to each student; or printed out and given to students as loose pages as each lesson proceeds. These pages could be glued into an exercise book. Finally, the student workbook could be displayed digitally and students could copy down their answers into their exercise books.
Unit 3.4: “Communities Here and Abroad”
This unit examines communities across the world and relates them back to the idea of cultural diversity in Australia. The influence of climate and features of local places on these communities is considered. The different states and territories of Australia are also examined. Students are asked to consider how the local people see the place that they live. Celebrations in these communities are compared with celebrations in Australia. Changes in communities over time, especially the Australian community, are examined. This investigation starts to introduce students to the interplay between culture and place. Students work in groups to present information about a family unit from around the world and compare this family unit to their own community. Students investigate the roles of different members of families. They also take part in a voting activity to explore inclusiveness and democracy. Students undertake a Scientific Investigation of the melting and freezing of ice, chocolate and butter.
Multi-Year Level Integration
In a multi-year level class, this unit can be integrated with the Year 1 1.A year bundle (units 1.1 to 1.4) and Year 2 2.A year bundle (unit 2.1 to 2.4). For integration with the Foundation year, use the F.B year bundle (units F.5-F.8) for the Foundation year students. For Year 3 integration with Year 4 and above, the 3.B year bundle should be used instead.
Laura Davidson, Teacher –
The material is much more interesting. When I discussed a topic later in the term, I found that the students were remembering more.