Humanities and social sciences / Year 3 / Inquiry and skills / Questioning

Curriculum content descriptions

Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues (ACHASSI052)

Elaborations
  • posing relevant questions when investigating the contribution individuals and groups have made to the development of the local community (Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?)
  • developing inquiring questions as they investigate (for example, ‘Why there?’ questions about location; ‘What might happen?’ questions about future consequences of natural processes or people’s actions in places; and ‘What ought to happen?’ questions or other questions about ethical behaviour, sustainability and preferred futures)
  • asking key questions when investigating a topic (for example, questions such as How did people settle?, Who were they?, Why did they come to the area? when researching the establishment of a local community) and probing questions during an investigation (for example, ‘Why is that so?’, ‘What else do we need to know?’)
  • posing evaluation questions (for example, ‘Is the process fair?’, ‘Could the process have been managed better?’)
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Historical inquiry,  Research questions

Online

Growing your own pizza

In this hypothetical exercise, young learners will explore what they would need to establish if they were to grow their very own pizza. The OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for children to: investigate where and how food is produced; appreciate the complexities of food manufacturing; expand their knowledge of food ...

Online

Creating a food garden: vision

This learning activity is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a food garden. The order of these learning activities are: vision, site assessment, installing a no dig garden bed, planting and harvesting. OUTCOMES For children to: • appreciate what they would like to achieve from creating ...

Online

Creating compost

Compost is created when organic materials such as twigs, leaves, dry grass and kitchen food scraps break down. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of landfill that is produced, and also provides soil full of good nutrients that can be used on the garden. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for students to: ...

Text

Celebrations and Commemorations

This teaching and learning sequence has a focus on Australian celebrations and commemorations to coincide with the actual dates of the various significant celebrations and commemorations in Australia, culminating in a student-led inquiry on global celebrations.

Online

Who was Quong Tart?

In this sequence of two activities, students learn about Quong Tart's contribution to Australian life by examining photographs and responding to questions. Based on Quong Tart's tea house, students redesign their classroom to create their own tea house experience.

Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This biodiversity learning resource guides students through an extended school based investigation. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Online

Creating a bee hotel: construction

As we clear land for urban development, and for broadacre farming, we remove the spaces where bees nest and find their food. With no food, and nowhere to produce their young, native bee populations are under threat of local extinction. In this activity, we will look at providing nesting spaces for native bees which mimic ...

Online

Creating a beneficial garden: assessment

Invertebrates perform many different roles in a garden’s ecosystem and occupy many different habitats. In this activity, you will be completing an assessment of these animals. The aim of this activity is for children to identify invertebrates, appreciate different invertebrate habitats and understand the roles that these ...

Online

Creating a beneficial garden: investigation

Biodiversity has been perfected by nature over millions of years where invertebrates have played an important role in maintaining a balanced, biodiverse ecosystem. Invertebrates provide services to food crops including pollination and protection from pests. This learning activity is the second part of a sequence of 3 individual ...

Online

Creating your own potato chips: marketing

Learn how to make an advertisement! In this activity young learners will produce a short (30-60 second) advertisement to promote potato chips. This learning activity is the final part of a sequence of 3 individual learning activities focused on creating your own potato chips. The order of these learning activities are: ...

Online

Creating a food garden: harvesting

This learning activity is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a food garden. The order of these learning activities are: vision, site assessment, installing a no dig garden bed, planting and harvesting. OUTCOMES of the activity are for children to: understand the steps in successful ...

Audio

Hey History Bonus Episode 5: How to talk with kids about Australian history

This podcast episode features Professor Anna Clark and Professor Clare Wright discussing questions related to professional practice in terms of teaching history. How can kids in primary school work with history’s complexity? How can primary students consider the moral lessons of what they're learning? How do you encourage ...

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Commemorating the ANZAC legend

This integrated lesson sequence will allow students to explore how and why people choose to remember significant events of the past, specifically Anzac Day and the Legend of the ANZACs.

Text

Artefact chat: Oral History Recordings

These recordings discuss significant artefacts and key activities at two historic house museums, Mugga-Mugga and Calthorpes' House. Listen to oral history about items such as a flour bin, water bag, fuel stove and ball gown, as well as accounts of work activities such as being a jackeroo.

Text

Defining moments in Australian History

This extensive web-based resource examines events, people and places of profound significance to the Australian people and their personal, community and national histories. The resource includes a list of 100 'defining moments' identified by historians supported by background information, images, video and links to the ...

Interactive

Thermal comfort – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This thermal comfort learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Interactive

Sustainable transport – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This sustainable transport learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Video

Untold Stories, Ep 14: Who was the first Anzac to step ashore the beaches of Gallipoli?

Since 1915, there has been debate over who was the first Australian soldier to step ashore at Gallipoli. The people of Maryborough, Queensland, claim it was Lieutenant Duncan Chapman. What evidence is there that Lieutenant Duncan Chapman was the first Anzac ashore? How has the community of Maryborough commemorated his life?

Video

Untold Stories, Ep 12: The submarine that ran amok at Gallipoli

Alec Nichols was a farm boy from the Sunshine Coast who joined the navy at the age of 18. During World War I, he was one of 35 men on the AE2 submarine that broke through enemy lines in the Dardanelles strait. After five days of sustained attacks from the Turkish navy, the submarine had to surface. The men were captured ...

Interactive

Environmental and Zoo Education Centres – primary school resources

A collection of digital resources for primary school teachers and students to support teaching and learning from home, with a particular focus on geography, science and history. The resources were developed by Department of Education teachers from 25 Environmental and Zoo Education Centres in NSW and include Google Sites, ...