Connecting with Other Communities

Active learning helps Year 1 students grasp abstract concepts like trade and communication by turning them into tangible experiences. When children role-play markets or map connections with real items, they move from hearing about communities to seeing how their own lives intersect with others.

• Year 1
• HASS
• 4 activities
• 30 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify specific ways their local community connects with other communities, such as through trade or communication.
2. Compare and contrast similarities and differences between their own community and another community in a different part of the world.
3. Explain the benefits of learning about people and places beyond their immediate surroundings.
4. Create a simple visual representation, like a map or drawing, showing connections between communities.

Jigsaw

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

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.

Prepare & details

How does our community connect with other communities?

Facilitation Tip: During the Mapping Activity, provide large rolls of paper and sticky notes so pairs can easily adjust connections as new ideas emerge.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

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.

Prepare & details

What are the good things about learning about people from different places?

Facilitation Tip: For 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.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Jigsaw

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

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.

Prepare & details

How are communities in different parts of the world the same? How are they different?

Facilitation Tip: In 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.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Jigsaw

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

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.

Prepare & details

How does our community connect with other communities?

Facilitation Tip: Before the Digital Tour, pre-select short videos with clear visuals, such as a school assembly or market day, to focus attention on connections.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Teaching This Topic

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.’

What to Expect

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

Common Misconception

During the Mapping Activity, watch for students who color all communities the same or label every connection ‘Australia.’

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

During the Role-Play, watch for students who assume connections only happen with faraway places.

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

During Storytelling Pairs, watch for students who say, ‘People in other places don’t like the same things we do.’

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Mapping Activity, give 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, such as, ‘Bananas might come from another country.’

Discussion Prompt

After the Digital Tour, show 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?’

Quick Check

During the Mapping Activity, circulate and ask students to point to one connection on their map and explain, ‘Who are we connecting with here, and how are we connecting?’ Listen for specific examples, such as trade or communication.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to add a ‘future connection’ to their map, such as a new product they think their community might trade in five years.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence frames for students who struggle, like, ‘One way we connect is ______ with ______.’
• Deeper: Invite a guest speaker, such as a local shopkeeper or postal worker, to explain how their job connects communities.

Key Vocabulary

Community	A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. This can be a neighborhood, a town, or even a group with shared interests.
Connection	A link or relationship between two or more people, places, or things. This can be through talking, sharing, or sending goods.
Trade	The act of buying and selling goods and services between people or places. This is one way communities share what they have.
Communication	The process of sharing information, ideas, or feelings. This can happen through talking, writing, or using technology.
Global	Relating to the whole world. This means looking beyond just our local area or country.