HASS · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Sustainable Living Practices

Active learning works for sustainable living because it turns abstract ideas into concrete actions students can see and touch. When Year 3 students sort classroom waste or design pledge posters, they connect environmental concepts to their daily routines in ways that discussions alone cannot.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS3K04
• AC9HASS3S06

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Plan-Do-Review
• 45 min · Small Groups

Audit Activity: Classroom Waste Sort

Students collect one day's classroom waste, sort it into landfill, recycling, and compost bins, then graph results and brainstorm reduction strategies. Discuss findings as a class to set a weekly improvement goal. Follow up with a monitoring chart.

Identify sustainable practices that can be implemented at home and school.

Facilitation Tip

During the Classroom Waste Sort, circulate with a clipboard and ask guiding questions such as 'What could we do with this item instead of throwing it away?' to redirect thinking toward reuse and reduction.

What to look for

Present students with images of different actions (e.g., turning off a light, leaving a tap running, using a reusable bag, throwing away a plastic bottle). Ask them to sort the images into two groups: 'Sustainable' and 'Not Sustainable', and briefly explain their reasoning for one choice.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Plan-Do-Review
• 30 min · Pairs

Pledge Pairs: Home Sustainability Pledge

Pairs brainstorm three sustainable actions for home, like shorter showers or reusable bottles, then create illustrated pledges to share with families. Collect pledges for a class display wall. Track progress over two weeks with check-ins.

Analyze the long-term benefits of adopting sustainable living habits.

Facilitation Tip

When students complete the Home Sustainability Pledge, ask pairs to share one action with the class to reinforce accountability and collective commitment.

What to look for

On a small card, ask students to write down one sustainable practice they learned about and one reason why it is important for the environment. They should also draw a small symbol representing their chosen practice.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Plan-Do-Review
• 50 min · Small Groups

Campaign Challenge: School Poster Drive

Small groups design posters promoting one sustainable practice, such as 'Turn Off Taps', using drawings and slogans. Display posters around school and vote on favourites. Launch with a whole-school assembly announcement.

Design a campaign to encourage sustainable practices within the school community.

Facilitation Tip

Set a 5-minute timer during the Energy Hunt Relay to keep energy awareness focused and prevent the activity from becoming a distraction from regular lessons.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine our school is running out of water. What are three specific things we could all do, starting today, to save water at school?' Encourage students to share practical ideas and explain how each action helps.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Plan-Do-Review
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Energy Hunt Relay

Divide class into teams for a relay to identify energy-saving spots in the school, like unused plugs or open fridges. Teams report findings and suggest fixes. End with a class action plan.

Identify sustainable practices that can be implemented at home and school.

Facilitation Tip

Display the sorted waste categories prominently after the audit so students reference them during follow-up discussions.

What to look for

Present students with images of different actions (e.g., turning off a light, leaving a tap running, using a reusable bag, throwing away a plastic bottle). Ask them to sort the images into two groups: 'Sustainable' and 'Not Sustainable', and briefly explain their reasoning for one choice.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should ground sustainability in the familiar. Start with students’ immediate environment—their classroom, playground, and home—before expanding to global ideas. Research shows concrete actions build habits, so prioritize activities with tangible outputs like sorted waste trays or signed pledges. Avoid overwhelming students with too many choices; instead, scaffold decision-making by focusing on one practice at a time, such as recycling or saving water.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining why reducing waste matters more than just recycling it. Students should connect everyday actions to broader impacts on their school and neighbourhood. Outcomes include clear pledges, visible campaign posters, and measured reductions in energy use.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Classroom Waste Sort, watch for students who immediately place items in the recycling bin without considering whether they could be reused first.

  Use the sorted items to prompt discussion: 'Could this jar be reused as a pencil holder? Could this paper be used on the reverse side before recycling?' Guide students to prioritize reduction and reuse before recycling.

• During the Home Sustainability Pledge, watch for students who believe small actions like turning off lights don’t add up to real change.

  Have students calculate how much energy their pledged actions save over a month using simplified data: 'If everyone in our class turns off lights for 30 minutes daily, how many light bulbs stay off? How much less energy do we use?'

• During the Campaign Poster Drive, watch for students who focus only on environmental benefits without linking to human health or cost savings.

  Provide a template with prompts: 'This practice saves money by... It makes our air healthier by...' Require students to include at least one human-centred benefit in their poster text.

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Methods used in this brief

• Plan-Do-Review