HASS · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Symbols in Celebrations

Active learning works well for this topic because symbols gain meaning through interaction, discussion, and creation. Students build understanding by handling objects, designing artifacts, and performing rituals, which helps them connect abstract ideas to concrete experiences.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS3K02

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

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Celebration Symbols

Display images of symbols from Australian celebrations around the room. In small groups, students visit each station, note the symbol and ritual, then discuss its meaning using sentence stems like 'This symbol stands for... because...'. Groups share one insight with the class.

Explain the meaning behind common symbols used in celebrations.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, give each student a clipboard with a simple graphic organizer to record observations and questions about each symbol they see.

What to look for

Provide students with a picture of a common celebration symbol (e.g., a birthday candle, a red poppy). Ask them to write: 1. What celebration is this symbol for? 2. What does this symbol represent or mean?

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

Activity 02

• Hundred Languages
• 45 min · Pairs

Design Challenge: Community Symbol

Pairs brainstorm a new symbol for a local event, such as a school fair or neighbourhood day. They sketch it, write a justification linking to community values, and present to another pair for feedback. Compile designs into a class display.

Analyze how rituals enhance the experience and significance of a celebration.

Facilitation Tip

For the Design Challenge, provide craft materials like colored paper, fabric scraps, and markers, and limit choices to three per student to focus creativity.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How do the actions we do during a celebration, like singing a song or sharing a meal, make the event feel more special?' Encourage students to share examples from their own experiences or from class discussions.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Hundred Languages
• 40 min · Small Groups

Ritual Role-Play: Symbol Stories

Small groups select a celebration symbol and ritual, then act it out while explaining its meaning to the audience. Rotate roles so each student narrates once. Follow with a whole-class vote on the most impactful performance.

Design a new symbol for a community celebration and justify its meaning.

Facilitation Tip

In the Ritual Role-Play, assign roles clearly and give each group a one-sentence script starter to build confidence before improvising their own dialogue.

What to look for

Show students images of two different celebrations (e.g., Anzac Day and a Lunar New Year celebration). Ask them to identify one symbol from each and briefly explain its cultural meaning to a partner. Circulate to listen and check understanding.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Hundred Languages
• 25 min · Individual

Symbol Sort: Matching Meanings

Provide cards with symbols, rituals, and meanings for individual sorting into categories like 'remembrance' or 'joy'. Discuss mismatches in pairs, then share with the class to refine understandings.

Explain the meaning behind common symbols used in celebrations.

Facilitation Tip

When sorting symbols in the Symbol Sort, provide sentence stems like 'This symbol shows ____ because ____' to scaffold explanations.

What to look for

Provide students with a picture of a common celebration symbol (e.g., a birthday candle, a red poppy). Ask them to write: 1. What celebration is this symbol for? 2. What does this symbol represent or mean?

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by letting students handle real or replica symbols whenever possible, as touch and visual inspection deepen memory. Avoid lecturing about meanings; instead, let students discover them through guided observation and discussion. Research shows that student-generated symbols are remembered longer than those presented by the teacher, so prioritize creation over consumption.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently explain how symbols carry cultural meaning and how rituals reinforce those meanings in celebrations. They will compare symbols across contexts and create a symbol that represents their own community.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Watch for students who assume all symbols have universal meanings, such as assuming the red poppy always means war remembrance everywhere.

  During Gallery Walk, circulate and ask, 'Where do you think this symbol would be used? What evidence from the display supports your idea?' to guide students to notice cultural and contextual clues.

• During Ritual Role-Play: Watch for students who view rituals as meaningless routines rather than meaningful actions.

  During Role-Play, pause the action after one minute and ask, 'What feeling did your group’s actions create? How did the symbol help?' to refocus students on the emotional and symbolic purpose of rituals.

• During Design Challenge: Watch for students who create symbols without considering community values, assuming only national symbols matter.

  During Design Challenge, have students write a short justification for their symbol’s meaning and share it with a partner before finalizing, ensuring they connect their design to local or personal significance.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Hundred Languages