HASS · Year 1 · The Way We Were · Term 2

Homes and Housing Over Time

Students investigate how homes and living spaces have changed, considering materials, design, and amenities.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS1K03

About This Topic

Students examine how homes and housing have changed over time, focusing on materials, design, and amenities. They compare contemporary Australian homes, such as brick houses with electricity and plumbing, to past dwellings like early colonial cottages made of wattle and daub or Indigenous bark huts suited to local environments. This investigation addresses key questions: how homes today differ from those long ago, materials used in the past, and possible future designs. It aligns with AC9HASS1K03 by building knowledge of continuity and change in historical contexts.

This topic links personal family histories to community development, encouraging students to use sources like photographs, oral stories, and simple timelines. They sequence events, identify patterns in housing evolution, and predict future adaptations based on current trends like sustainable materials or smart technology. Such work nurtures skills in evidence-based reasoning and empathy for past ways of living.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly because students construct physical models and role-play daily life in different eras. These experiences make historical changes concrete, spark curiosity through collaboration, and help young learners connect abstract timelines to their own surroundings.

Key Questions

1. How are homes today different from homes that people lived in long ago?
2. What materials did people use to build their homes in the past?
3. What do you think homes might look like in the future?

Learning Objectives

• Compare materials used in historical Australian homes with those used in contemporary homes.
• Explain how changes in technology and available resources influenced housing design over time.
• Classify different types of Australian dwellings based on their historical period and purpose.
• Design a simple model of a future home incorporating sustainable materials or technologies.

Before You Start

Materials Around Us

Why: Students need to be able to identify and name common materials to compare those used in historical and contemporary homes.

My Family and Community

Why: Understanding that families and communities have histories helps students grasp the concept of change over time within their own context.

Key Vocabulary

Wattle and daub	A building material used for walls, made by weaving thin branches (wattle) and then covering them with a sticky material like mud or clay (daub).
Indigenous dwellings	Homes built by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, often using natural materials like bark, wood, and stone, adapted to specific environments and seasons.
Colonial cottages	Simple houses built by early European settlers in Australia, often using local materials and reflecting building styles from their home countries.
Amenities	Features or services that make a house more comfortable or convenient, such as electricity, running water, and heating.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All homes in the past were uncomfortable caves or huts with no amenities.

What to Teach Instead

Past Australian homes varied, like weatherboard houses with fireplaces suited to the era; they met needs differently. Model-building activities let students test designs, compare comforts through role-play, and adjust ideas based on group evidence.

Common Misconception

Homes have not changed much over time.

What to Teach Instead

Housing evolved with technology, from basic shelters to insulated homes with electricity. Timeline sorts and photo comparisons in small groups reveal clear sequences of change, helping students sequence evidence accurately.

Common Misconception

Future homes will all fly or be made of candy like in stories.

What to Teach Instead

Future designs build on real trends like solar panels. Design challenges with peer feedback ground predictions in current materials, fostering realistic speculation through shared critiques.

Active Learning Ideas

Gallery Walk: Past and Present Homes

Display labelled photos of Australian homes from the past (e.g., slab huts) and today around the room. Pairs walk the gallery, noting three differences in materials or features on sticky notes. Regroup to share findings on a class chart.

30 min·Pairs

Model Building: Timeline Homes

Provide recyclables like cardboard, sticks, and fabric. Small groups build one past home and one modern home, labelling materials used. Groups present models on a shared timeline string across the classroom.

45 min·Small Groups

Design Challenge: Future Homes

Individuals sketch a home for 2050, including one new material or amenity. Pairs swap sketches to add ideas, then share with the class via a 'future gallery' vote on favourites.

35 min·Individual

Story Circle: Family Homes

Sit in a whole-class circle. Each student shares one detail about their home or a grandparent's home. Teacher records key changes on a visual web to spark discussion on patterns over time.

25 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Architects and building designers consider historical housing styles and modern needs when planning new homes, sometimes incorporating elements of traditional Australian design.
• Museums like the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney or local historical societies preserve and display artifacts and buildings that show how Australians have lived in the past, helping people understand changes in housing.
• Conservationists work to restore and protect historic homes, such as early farmhouses or Indigenous heritage sites, ensuring that these examples of past building practices are maintained for future generations.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with pictures of different types of homes (e.g., a bark hut, a wattle and daub cottage, a modern brick house). Ask them to sort the pictures into 'Homes from Long Ago' and 'Homes Today' and explain one reason for their choice for each category.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'If you were building a home in Australia 100 years ago, what materials would you use and why?' Encourage students to refer to the vocabulary and concepts learned about historical building practices and available resources.

Exit Ticket

Ask students to draw one feature of a home from long ago and one feature of a home today. Underneath each drawing, they should write one word describing the difference (e.g., 'simple' vs. 'modern', 'natural' vs. 'manufactured').

Frequently Asked Questions

What hands-on activities teach homes over time in Year 1 HASS?

Model-building with recyclables for past and present homes, gallery walks comparing photos, and future design sketches engage students directly. These build timelines collaboratively, using Australian examples like bark huts and modern units. Class discussions reinforce changes in materials and amenities, making history relatable and memorable for young learners.

How does active learning help Year 1 students understand housing changes?

Active approaches like constructing models and role-playing daily life transform abstract timelines into tangible experiences. Students physically manipulate materials from different eras, discuss designs in pairs, and predict futures based on evidence. This boosts retention, critical thinking, and empathy, as they connect personal stories to historical patterns in ways lectures cannot.

What materials were used for Australian homes in the past?

Early homes used local materials: Indigenous peoples built with bark, spinifex, and mud; settlers used wattle, daub, slab timber, and corrugated iron. Compare these to today's bricks, concrete, and glass via photos and models. Activities help students sort materials by era, noting adaptations to climate and resources.

How to address key questions on homes past, present, and future?

Use photo sorts for differences today vs. past, material hunts for building choices, and group brainstorming for futures. Visual timelines sequence answers, with students adding family stories. This scaffolds evidence use, aligns with AC9HASS1K03, and encourages predictions grounded in observed changes.