HASS · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Australian Government: Three Levels

Students learn best when they connect abstract ideas to real places and roles they recognize. By sorting services, acting out decisions, and walking through their neighborhood, students see how government levels shape their daily lives in concrete ways.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HC7K01

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Placemat Activity
• 30 min · Small Groups

Sorting Activity: Government Services

Prepare cards listing services like 'builds schools' or 'collects rubbish.' In small groups, students sort cards into three columns labeled federal, state/territory, and local. Groups share one example per level with the class.

Differentiate between the roles and responsibilities of Federal, State/Territory, and Local governments in Australia.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Activity, give each group a large sheet with three clear sections labeled ‘Federal’, ‘State/Territory’, and ‘Local’ to categorize picture cards of services.

What to look for

Provide students with three cards, each labeled 'Federal', 'State/Territory', or 'Local'. Show pictures of different services (e.g., a police car, a park bench, a $10 note). Students place the card that represents the level of government responsible for each service.

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

Activity 02

• Placemat Activity
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Local Council Meeting

Assign roles like mayor, councillor, and resident. Groups discuss and vote on a community issue, such as adding playground equipment. Debrief on how local decisions differ from state or federal ones.

Explain how the Australian Constitution outlines the powers of the different levels of government.

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play, assign roles with role cards that include real responsibilities and constraints to guide authentic discussions.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine our town needs a new playground. Which level of government do you think would be most responsible for this, and why?' Guide them to connect the service to the correct level and explain their reasoning.

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

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 40 min · Pairs

Community Walk: Spot the Services

Take students on a short schoolyard or neighborhood walk. They note features like bins or signs and discuss which government level provides them. Back in class, draw and label a simple map.

Analyze the impact of decisions made at each level of government on Australian citizens.

Facilitation Tip

During the Community Walk, provide a simple checklist with icons so students record services without writing lengthy notes.

What to look for

Draw three large circles on the board labeled 'Federal', 'State/Territory', and 'Local'. Call out different government responsibilities (e.g., 'collecting rubbish', 'managing airports', 'running hospitals'). Have students point to the correct circle on the board.

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

Activity 04

• Placemat Activity
• 35 min · Pairs

Poster Creation: My Government's Job

Each student draws pictures of services from one level of government. Pairs combine posters and present, explaining responsibilities to the class.

Differentiate between the roles and responsibilities of Federal, State/Territory, and Local governments in Australia.

Facilitation Tip

For the Poster Creation, supply labeled sections for each government level and pre-cut images of services to help students focus on placement rather than drawing.

What to look for

Provide students with three cards, each labeled 'Federal', 'State/Territory', or 'Local'. Show pictures of different services (e.g., a police car, a park bench, a $10 note). Students place the card that represents the level of government responsible for each service.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often start with what students already see, like rubbish bins or playgrounds, then connect these to government actions. Avoid overwhelming students with too many services at once; focus on a few clear examples per level. Research suggests that when students physically sort, act out, or walk through examples, their understanding of abstract systems becomes more stable and transferable to new situations.

Students confidently name the three government levels and match services to each level with clear reasoning. They discuss how levels work together and explain decisions in role-plays and community observations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Activity, watch for students who group all services under one government level.

  Pause the sorting and ask each group to share one service they placed under each level, prompting them to justify their choices and check for consistency across groups.

• During Role-Play: Local Council Meeting, listen for students who argue that the local council should decide national matters like defense.

  Have students refer to their role cards that show scope of authority, then ask them to explain why defense is not a local responsibility using those constraints.

• During Community Walk: Spot the Services, observe students who assume all public spaces are run by the same level of government.

  Point to a park bench and ask students to recall from the Sorting Activity which level manages parks, then challenge them to find another example on the walk that shows a different level’s responsibility.

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Methods used in this brief

• Placemat Activity