HASS · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Decision-Making in Our School

Active learning transforms abstract ideas about culture into concrete, shared experiences. When students see, hear, and teach each other about traditions, they move from passive awareness to active appreciation. This topic works best when students engage directly with the people and practices in their own community rather than relying on secondhand information.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS2K03

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Peer Teaching
• 45 min · Small Groups

Peer Teaching: Tradition Show and Tell

Students bring in an item or a photo representing a family tradition (e.g., a special recipe, a holiday decoration). In small groups, each student 'teaches' the others about why this tradition is important to their family.

How are decisions made in our school, and who gets to be involved in making them?

Facilitation Tip

During Tradition Show and Tell, sit in a circle so every student faces the speaker and feels equally valued.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine our class needs to decide on a theme for our next assembly presentation. What are two ways we could make this decision together? Which way do you think would work best and why?' Listen for students comparing methods and justifying their preference.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Festivals Around the World

Set up stations for different cultural festivals (e.g., Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, NAIDOC Week). Students rotate in pairs, looking at images and objects, and finding one 'common thing' (like special food or lights) in every festival.

What are some different ways a group can make a decision together, and how well does each way work?

What to look for

Provide students with a simple scenario, such as 'The class wants to choose a new game for Friday afternoon playtime.' Ask them to draw or write one sentence showing how a student could share their idea for the game. Check for understanding of active participation.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 'Soup' of Community

The teacher uses a 'Community Soup' analogy (each culture is a different ingredient). Students think of one 'ingredient' their family brings to the community, share with a partner, and discuss why a soup with many ingredients is better than just one.

Why is it important for students to have a say in decisions that affect them at school?

What to look for

On a small slip of paper, ask students to name one person or group in the school who helps make decisions. Then, ask them to write one reason why it is important for students to have a say in school matters. Review responses for accurate identification of decision-makers and understanding of student voice.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding activities in students’ lived experiences. Avoid starting with textbook definitions of culture; instead, connect lessons to what students already know and observe in their daily lives. Research shows that when students teach each other, misconceptions about who ‘has’ culture dissolve more effectively than with teacher-led explanations alone.

Successful learning looks like students confidently sharing their own or their family’s cultural practices, actively listening to peers, and recognizing how diverse traditions contribute to the school community. They should be able to explain why including different voices makes decisions richer and more inclusive.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Tradition Show and Tell, watch for students assuming that only families from overseas have traditions worth sharing.

  Use the show-and-tell format to highlight that traditions can be as simple as a family’s Sunday roast or a local fishing spot, and invite students to share these in the same way.

• During the Gallery Walk of Festivals Around the World, watch for students focusing only on food or clothing as the main difference between cultures.

  Before the walk, ask students to look for traditions tied to celebrations, such as dances, songs, or ways of giving gifts, and prompt them to notice commonalities like joy or gratitude.

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Methods used in this brief

• Peer Teaching
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share