HASS · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Oral Histories: Learning from Elders

Active learning turns abstract stories into lived experiences, helping students connect emotionally and intellectually to the past. When young learners engage directly with elders' narratives, they practice empathy, critical listening, and historical reasoning in a way that textbooks cannot match.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS2K01
• AC9HASS2S01

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

Activity 01

• Numbered Heads Together
• 45 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Elder Story Session

Invite a school elder or family volunteer to share a childhood story. Beforehand, brainstorm questions as a class. After listening, students share one new fact they learned and draw a key scene from the story.

Why is it important to listen to stories from older people about what life was like when they were young?

Facilitation Tip

During the Elder Story Session, sit in a circle so all students see the speaker’s expressions and gestures, which carry as much meaning as words.

What to look for

Provide students with a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one question they would ask an elder about their childhood and one reason why listening to their story is important.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Numbered Heads Together
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Family Interview Prep

In groups, students create 5 simple questions about life in the past, such as 'What toys did you play with?' Practice asking and answering with group members. Share best questions with the class for a homework interview.

How is listening to someone tell their story different from looking at a photograph or object from the past?

Facilitation Tip

When preparing family interviews, provide sentence starters like 'I remember when...' so students model the elder’s storytelling style before crafting their own questions.

What to look for

After listening to an elder's story, ask students: 'What was one surprising thing you learned from the story? How was this story different from looking at an old photograph?' Facilitate a brief class discussion.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Numbered Heads Together
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Story Retelling Chain

Play a short recorded oral history. Pairs take turns retelling parts to each other, adding gestures. Switch roles, then pairs join to perform for the group, noting what details stand out.

Why do you think it is important to save and share personal stories so that future children can hear them?

Facilitation Tip

In the Story Retelling Chain, set a two-minute timer for each retelling to keep the focus sharp and prevent repetition.

What to look for

Observe students during a pair-share activity where they retell a part of an elder's story. Note which students can recall specific details and which struggle, indicating areas needing reinforcement.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Numbered Heads Together
• 35 min · Individual

Individual: Personal Timeline Draw

After hearing stories, each student draws a timeline of their life so far and one past event from an elder's story. Label changes they notice. Share one item in a class gallery walk.

Why is it important to listen to stories from older people about what life was like when they were young?

Facilitation Tip

Ask students to draw only six key moments on their Personal Timeline to ensure depth over breadth and time for reflection.

What to look for

Provide students with a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one question they would ask an elder about their childhood and one reason why listening to their story is important.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should frame oral history as a living archive, not a lecture. Avoid presenting elders as 'subjects' to study; instead, position them as knowledge holders. Research shows that when students prepare their own questions and retell stories in their own words, retention and understanding increase. Always pair listening with writing or drawing to strengthen memory and clarify misunderstandings in real time.

Students will begin to value oral histories as credible sources of the past, describe how life has changed over time, and develop interview skills they can use to gather family stories. Success is measured by their ability to ask thoughtful questions, recall specific details, and reflect on differences between past and present.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Family Interview Prep, some students may doubt that their parents or grandparents have important stories.

  Provide a prompt like 'Ask about a favorite family tradition or a time they felt proud.' Have students share one story they hear with the class to reinforce that every family holds valuable history.

• During the Elder Story Session, students might assume elders only talk about hardship.

  After the session, ask students to note one joyful moment and one challenge mentioned. Highlight both types of stories in a class chart to show that life in the past included happiness, not just difficulty.

• During the Story Retelling Chain, students may think only very old people have stories worth telling.

  Assign roles like 'young parent,' 'teen in the 1980s,' and 'grandparent' so students see that people of all ages have meaningful pasts. Ask them to retell a story from each role.

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Methods used in this brief

• Numbered Heads Together