Civics & Citizenship · Year 6

Active learning ideas

Resolving Conflicts: Who Can Help?

Active learning helps students grasp the court hierarchy because they need to see how different courts handle different types of conflicts. Moving beyond abstract explanations, hands-on activities let students test their understanding in real-world contexts, making the structure of the legal system clearer and more memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS6K03

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Which Court?

Set up stations for Local, District/County, Supreme, and High Courts. Students are given 'case files' (e.g., a speeding fine, a major robbery, a constitutional dispute) and must move to the station representing the correct court.

Differentiate the roles of various individuals and institutions in conflict resolution.

Facilitation Tip

During Station Rotation: Which Court?, place clear scenario cards at each station and circulate to listen for students’ reasoning as they match cases to courts.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario, such as two students arguing over a shared toy. Ask them to write down: 1. Who could help resolve this conflict? 2. What is one thing the helper could say or do?

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Role Play: The Appeals Process

Students act out a short scene where a person is unhappy with a decision in a lower court because of a legal error. They 'walk up the stairs' to a higher court to present their argument for an appeal.

Analyze the appropriate channels for seeking help when rules are broken.

Facilitation Tip

For Role Play: The Appeals Process, assign roles in advance so students can focus on speaking and listening rather than figuring out their parts.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine a classmate is not following the rules during a group activity. What are the first two steps you would take to address this?' Record student responses and discuss the appropriateness of each step.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why have different levels?

Students discuss why we don't just have one big court for everything. They share ideas about efficiency, expertise, and the importance of having a 'second opinion' through appeals.

Construct a plan for resolving a common schoolyard conflict peacefully.

Facilitation Tip

Use Think-Pair-Share: Why have different levels? to pause and listen to student conversations, noting which students can articulate the purpose of the hierarchy without prompting.

What to look for

Present students with a list of situations (e.g., losing a library book, a fight over a game, a disagreement about homework). Have them draw a line connecting each situation to the most appropriate person or place to help resolve it (e.g., librarian, teacher, parent).

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by starting with familiar conflicts and gradually linking them to formal structures. Avoid overwhelming students with legal jargon. Instead, use relatable scenarios and gradually introduce the language of the court system. Research shows that students learn best when they first see the system in action through role-play and then connect it to abstract concepts like appeals and constitutional law.

Students will confidently identify the correct court for a given legal situation and explain why that court is appropriate. They will also describe the appeals process and the roles of different legal helpers in resolving conflicts, showing both procedural and conceptual understanding.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation: Which Court?, watch for students who assume the High Court hears every case.

  Have students review the scenario cards at the High Court station and note the types of cases listed. Ask them to identify what all these cases have in common, guiding them to see the High Court’s constitutional focus.

• During Role Play: The Appeals Process, watch for students who believe an appeal is a full retrial with new evidence.

  Before the role-play begins, provide a simple flowchart showing that appeals focus on legal errors, not new facts. During the activity, circulate and remind students to stick to issues like 'the judge misunderstood the law' rather than re-arguing the original case.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share