Community and Citizenship

Australian Curriculum Links

• ACHASSI064: Recognise relationships between people, events and ideas in different historical, geographical and social contexts
• ACHASSI066: Represent data and information in a range of formats including maps, plans, tables and graphs
• ACHASSK067 (Year 3): The representation of contemporary Australia as states and territories, and as the Countries/Places of First Nations Australians prior to colonisation, and the locations of Australia's neighbouring regions and countries
• ACHASSK078 (Year 4): The diverse characteristics of Australia’s population and communities, and the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds to Australian communities
• ACHASSI079: Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues
• ACHASSI084: Reflect on learning to propose actions in response to an issue or challenge

Lesson 26 of 27 Unit: Building Our Classroom Community

Lesson Title: Community and Global Citizenship

Duration: 45 minutes

Class Size: 5 students (Year 2-4 with ADHD and Autism, Kamaruka Education Centre)

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand the concept of global citizenship and how individuals' actions can have an impact on communities beyond their immediate environment (AC9HS4S02, AC9HS3K03).
• Identify ways they can contribute positively to global communities through small actions (ACHASSI084).
• Develop empathy and a broader perspective on community involvement beyond their classroom or local community (ACHASSI064).
• Express their ideas using drawings, discussion, and simple written or verbal explanations demonstrating understanding and connection to global citizenship (ACHASSI066).

Lesson Flow

1. Warm-Up: Personal to Local to Global (5 minutes)

   • Begin the lesson sitting in a circle. Ask each student to share one thing they do at home or school to help others (e.g., helping a sibling, cleaning up, sharing with friends).
   • Write or draw these examples on a whiteboard or large paper in three layers: "Me," "My School/Community," and "The World."
   • Connect their local actions to the concept of a community that can grow beyond school or home.

2. Introduction to Global Citizenship (7 minutes)

   • Use simple language and visuals (pictures or storyboards) to explain what a global citizen is: “Someone who cares about people and places all around the world and thinks about how their choices help others too.”
   • Show a world map or globe. Briefly point out Australia and some neighbouring countries. Emphasise that what we do here can affect people in other parts of the world (trade, helping others, protecting the environment).
   • Allow the students to touch, point to, or spin the globe to engage tactilely.

3. Hands-on Activity: "We’re All Connected" (15 minutes)

   • Provide students with a large paper or poster with a simple world map outline.
   • Give stickers, markers, or cutouts of people, plants, animals, or items representing different cultures and communities.
   • Ask students to place stickers or drawings where they think actions like recycling, saving water, or sharing can make a difference globally.
   • Encourage discussion guided by questions: “How can recycling here help animals far away? How can sharing your toys be like sharing with children somewhere else who don’t have toys?”
   • Adapt activity with assistive tools or seeding discussions according to students' attention spans and sensory preferences.

4. Group Discussion: Our Role in the World (10 minutes)

   • With a visual or communication board with images of diverse people doing various acts of kindness, community work, or protecting the environment, invite students to talk about what they might like to do to help others – locally or globally.
   • Prompt with ideas adapted for low variance and sensory needs, e.g., “How could we help animals in other countries?”, “How can saving water at school help other people?”
   • Use clear, simple prompts and allow multiple communication modes (speech, drawing, gestures) to encourage participation.

5. Reflection and Action Plan (5 minutes)

   • Ask students to verbally or visually share one thing they want to do to help their community or other communities (this can be a small personal action like saying kind words, or a broader idea like recycling).
   • Write or illustrate these ideas on a colourful "Our Global Citizenship Pledge" poster to display in the classroom.
   • Reinforce the idea that even small actions connect us to bigger communities around the world.

6. Closure and Preview of Next Lesson (3 minutes)

   • Summarise the lesson: “Today we learned that we are all part of many communities, not just at school but all around the world. Our actions really do help others, near and far.”
   • Provide positive affirmation reflecting the students’ contributions and prepare them for the final lesson in the unit.
   • If suitable, give a sensory-friendly break time or calming activity next.

Assessment and Differentiation

• Formative assessment through observation of student participation in discussions and hands-on activities, focusing on their ability to connect local and global communities.
• Encourage all forms of communication, including speech, AAC devices, drawings, or gestures, giving students with autism and ADHD multiple opportunities to express understanding.
• Use simple checklist aligned to Australian Curriculum content descriptions to record achievement of the objectives.
• Adapt pace and sensory supports such as movement breaks, fidget tools, and visual cues according to individual student needs.

Links to Ochre Education Low Variance Model

• Multi-sensory engagement: globe handling, stickers, drawing.
• Clear structure with visual supports during discussions.
• Focus on social-emotional learning around community and belonging beyond immediate environment.
• Small group format to allow tailored interaction and behavioural support.
• Inclusion of assistive communication strategies.

This lesson plan thus meets the Australian Curriculum v9 requirements for Years 2-4 in Social Sciences by integrating inquiry, personal connection, and active citizenship with supportive strategies for neurodiverse learners, ensuring engagement and effective learning of global citizenship concepts within a community building unit.