HASS · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Historical Inquiry Skills: Asking Questions

Active learning works because asking questions about the past requires students to practice the skill directly. When students generate their own questions, they move from passive listeners to active historians who shape their own inquiries. This approach builds confidence and curiosity while developing the precise questioning skills needed for deeper historical understanding.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS3S01

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Local History Questions

Show images or stories of local community events. Students think individually for 2 minutes, pair up to generate three questions each, then share with the whole class. Class votes on the most compelling questions and discusses why they guide good inquiries.

Construct a compelling historical question about a local event.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate to listen for students who are still framing vague questions, and gently prompt them with, 'What specifically do you want to find out about this event?'

What to look for

Present students with three different questions about a local war memorial: 'What year was it built?', 'Who is it dedicated to?', and 'Why is it important to our community?'. Ask students to identify which question is the most 'historical inquiry' question and explain their reasoning in one sentence.

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

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Small Groups

Question Sort Challenge: Small Groups

Provide cards with sample questions about a local event. Groups sort them into 'effective' and 'ineffective' piles, justify choices with evidence, then present to class. Refine piles based on feedback.

Analyze how different questions lead to different historical discoveries.

Facilitation Tip

In Question Sort Challenge, provide a mix of weak and strong questions to force students to justify their choices using criteria like 'investigable' and 'probe causes,' not just personal interest.

What to look for

In small groups, provide students with a picture of a local historical event (e.g., a past Anzac Day parade). Ask them to generate two 'what' questions and two 'why' or 'how' questions about the image. Facilitate a brief class share-out where groups explain why their 'why' or 'how' questions are more complex.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 40 min · Whole Class

Inquiry Wall Build: Whole Class

Post photos of remembrance sites. Students write sticky note questions, add to a class wall, then vote and group similar ones. Discuss how clusters lead to deeper investigations.

Evaluate the importance of asking 'why' and 'how' in historical inquiry.

Facilitation Tip

In Inquiry Wall Build, assign roles like 'question writer,' 'critic,' and 'reviser' to ensure every student contributes to refining questions before they’re posted.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one question they have about a local landmark or event they learned about. Then, have them write one sentence explaining whether their question is more about 'what happened' or 'why/how it happened'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Pairs

Question Chain Relay: Pairs

Pairs start with a basic question about a local event, pass to next pair to make it deeper with 'why' or 'how.' Continue in a chain, then reflect on how questions evolved.

Construct a compelling historical question about a local event.

Facilitation Tip

In Question Chain Relay, model how to build on a peer’s question by adding 'why' or 'how,' so students see question evolution as a collaborative process.

What to look for

Present students with three different questions about a local war memorial: 'What year was it built?', 'Who is it dedicated to?', and 'Why is it important to our community?'. Ask students to identify which question is the most 'historical inquiry' question and explain their reasoning in one sentence.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model curiosity by sharing their own historical questions about the local community, explaining why some questions lead to deeper research while others don’t. Avoid giving students questions; instead, guide them to recognize the difference between 'Google-able' facts and questions that require evidence and analysis. Research suggests that students learn questioning best when they see it modeled, practice it immediately, and receive feedback on their attempts within the same lesson.

Successful learning shows when students can craft questions that are specific, investigable, and probe causes or changes. They should distinguish between fact-based and analytical questions, and explain why one type leads to richer historical insights than the other. Evidence of this skill appears in their discussions, written reflections, and the questions they revise after feedback.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who assume any question about the past is equally useful for inquiry.

  Use the Think-Pair-Share prompt to ask, 'Which of these questions would help us understand why our community holds this event?' Have students compare their choices and discuss why vague questions like 'What is this?' limit inquiry while specific ones like 'What changed after this event?' open paths to evidence.

• During Question Sort Challenge, watch for students who believe historical questions only seek facts like who or what happened.

  Provide a mix of 'what,' 'who,' and 'why/how' questions in the sort. After sorting, ask groups to explain why 'why' and 'how' questions reveal processes and significance. Use their sorting categories to highlight that fact-based questions are just the starting point, not the endpoint of historical inquiry.

• During Inquiry Wall Build, watch for students who think questions come only from the teacher or textbook.

  Use the wall-building activity to shift ownership. After groups post their questions, ask them to review each other’s work and suggest at least one revision to make a question more analytical. This reinforces that student-generated questions drive the inquiry process.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Outdoor Investigation Session