Activity 01
Mapping Activity: Our Connection Web
Provide large paper maps of Australia and the world. Students draw their home or school, then add lines to connected places like farms or overseas family, labeling with trade items or communication methods. Groups share one connection each with the class.
How does our community connect with other communities?
Facilitation TipDuring the Mapping Activity, provide large rolls of paper and sticky notes so pairs can easily adjust connections as new ideas emerge.
What to look forGive each student a card with a picture of an item (e.g., a banana, a toy car, a book). Ask them to draw or write one sentence explaining how that item might connect their community to another community. For example, 'Bananas might come from another country.'
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Role-Play: Trade Market Day
Set up stalls with toy goods from 'different communities,' such as Australian fruits and Asian spices. Students visit stalls, negotiate trades using play money, and discuss why communities exchange items. Conclude with a reflection circle on fair trades.
What are the good things about learning about people from different places?
Facilitation TipFor the Role-Play, assign roles such as ‘farmer,’ ‘shopkeeper,’ or ‘customer’ and give props like play money or toy goods to reinforce the purpose of trade.
What to look forShow students pictures of two different communities (e.g., a busy city market and a quiet rural village). Ask: 'How are these communities the same? How are they different? What are some ways people in these communities might connect with each other?'
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Storytelling Pairs: Shared Interests
Pairs prepare a short story or drawing about a local custom, then swap with another pair to learn about a different community's interest. They retell the new story to the group, noting similarities like family gatherings.
How are communities in different parts of the world the same? How are they different?
Facilitation TipIn Storytelling Pairs, model how to ask, ‘What games do you like to play?’ to prompt children to find shared interests before retelling their partner’s story.
What to look forAs students work on creating a 'connection map' of their community, circulate and ask them to point to one connection and explain: 'Who are we connecting with here, and how are we connecting?'
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 04
Digital Tour: Virtual Community Visits
Use safe online videos of schools or markets in other Australian states or countries. Students in small groups list connections they spot, such as similar sports or traded foods, and create a class chart of findings.
How does our community connect with other communities?
Facilitation TipBefore the Digital Tour, pre-select short videos with clear visuals, such as a school assembly or market day, to focus attention on connections.
What to look forGive each student a card with a picture of an item (e.g., a banana, a toy car, a book). Ask them to draw or write one sentence explaining how that item might connect their community to another community. For example, 'Bananas might come from another country.'
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers should start with familiar contexts, like local markets or family visits, before introducing global examples. Avoid overwhelming students with too many abstract details; instead, use repeated, simple comparisons to build schema. Research suggests that young learners benefit from concrete examples and repeated exposure to key vocabulary, such as ‘trade,’ ‘connect,’ and ‘community.’
Students will explain at least one way their community connects with others through trade, communication, or shared interests. They will use simple maps, role-play dialogue, and storytelling to identify similarities and differences between communities near and far.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Mapping Activity, watch for students who color all communities the same or label every connection ‘Australia.’
During the Mapping Activity, remind students to use different colors or symbols for connections, and ask, ‘Where does this banana come from? Can you show that on your map?’ to guide them to specific places.
During the Role-Play, watch for students who assume connections only happen with faraway places.
During the Role-Play, pause the activity and ask, ‘Is this trade happening here in our classroom town, or somewhere else?’ to prompt students to notice both local and global examples.
During Storytelling Pairs, watch for students who say, ‘People in other places don’t like the same things we do.’
During Storytelling Pairs, provide a checklist of common interests like games, food, or holidays and ask students to find at least one match before sharing their partner’s story.
Methods used in this brief