HASS · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Australia's Place in the World: International Relations

Active learning works for this topic because young students build spatial and social understanding best through touch, movement, and role play. By physically placing countries on maps or acting out global interactions, they move from abstract ideas to concrete relationships, making abstract concepts like ‘neighbour’ and ‘friendship’ tangible and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HC7K04

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Small Groups

Map Hunt: Find Australia and Friends

Print large world maps for tables. Guide students to find and colour Australia green, then nearby countries like New Zealand and Indonesia. Discuss what friends do together, such as sharing sports in the Olympics. Display maps for a class gallery walk.

Describe Australia's key international relationships and alliances.

Facilitation Tip

During Map Hunt, have students use string or rulers to measure distances between Australia and its neighbours, turning spatial awareness into a tactile experience.

What to look for

Give students a simple world map outline. Ask them to draw a circle around Australia and label at least two countries that are its neighbours. They can also draw a symbol to show one way Australia connects with another country (e.g., a flag for a sporting event).

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Pairs

Flag Friendship Collage

Provide flag cutouts of Australia and Asia-Pacific countries. Students glue flags onto paper Australia shapes and draw lines connecting 'friends.' Share collages in pairs, explaining one way countries help each other, like trading fruits.

Analyze Australia's involvement in major international organisations (e.g., UN, Commonwealth).

Facilitation Tip

In Flag Friendship Collage, model how to group flags by region (Oceania, Southeast Asia) to build categorisation skills.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are talking to someone from another country. How would you tell them where Australia is? What are some things Australia does with other countries?' Record their ideas on a class chart.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Whole Class

Role-Play Global Gathering

Set up a circle with props like Olympic torches and UN-like peace symbols. Assign roles as Australian kids meeting international friends. Practice greetings and simple shares, like 'We celebrate together!' Debrief on real alliances.

Evaluate the challenges and opportunities of Australia's position in the Asia-Pacific region.

Facilitation Tip

For Role-Play Global Gathering, assign roles with simple props (e.g., a toy plane for trade, a paper torch for the Olympics) to make cooperation visible.

What to look for

Hold up pictures of different countries. Ask students to give a thumbs up if it is a 'neighbouring country' to Australia and a thumbs down if it is 'far away'. Discuss their choices briefly.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Individual

Neighbour Puzzle Match

Create puzzles of Australia and bordering countries. Students assemble individually then pair up to match puzzle pieces and name countries. Extend by adding alliance stickers, like kangaroo-panda for fun Australia-China ties.

Describe Australia's key international relationships and alliances.

Facilitation Tip

Use Neighbour Puzzle Match to reinforce vocabulary by writing country names on puzzle pieces before students assemble them.

What to look for

Give students a simple world map outline. Ask them to draw a circle around Australia and label at least two countries that are its neighbours. They can also draw a symbol to show one way Australia connects with another country (e.g., a flag for a sporting event).

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by anchoring learning in familiar contexts, like sporting events or national days, before introducing broader ideas. Avoid overwhelming young learners with too many countries or abstract terms like ‘treaty’ or ‘alliance’. Instead, focus on observable connections such as trade, sport, or shared celebrations. Research in early geography suggests concrete, multi-sensory activities build stronger mental maps than abstract discussion alone.

Successful learning looks like students confidently locating Australia on a map, naming at least two neighbours, and describing one way Australia connects with another country. They should show enthusiasm for shared events and express simple ideas about cooperation through discussion or artwork.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Map Hunt, watch for students who only mark Australia without placing neighbours nearby.

  Prompt them to physically place puzzle pieces of New Zealand, Indonesia, or Papua New Guinea next to Australia, then trace the shared sea borders with a finger to reinforce proximity.

• During Role-Play Global Gathering, watch for students acting out conflicts instead of cooperation.

  Model friendly dialogue using phrases like ‘We work together to...’ and provide sentence stems on cards to guide positive interactions.

• During Flag Friendship Collage, watch for students grouping flags randomly instead of by region.

  Ask them to sort flags into ‘close to Australia’ and ‘far from Australia’ piles, then discuss why some countries feel closer due to shared events or geography.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session