Community Voices Liveability

Overview

Students continue learning about liveability by focusing on who experiences community issues and how their perspectives shape responses. Today’s lesson builds interview questions in pairs and uses role-play to practise respectful, effective interviewing.

Learning intentions

• Students will develop interview questions that explore liveability (what affects wellbeing and daily life) in a local community.
• Students will identify perspectives of people and organisations connected to a geographical issue.
• Students will practise interviewing using respectful language and clear prompts.
• Students will evaluate and improve interview questions based on feedback.

Success criteria

• I can write 5–7 interview questions that match the liveability topic and are clear and respectful.
• I can ask follow-up questions to understand someone’s perspective.
• I can use active listening and appropriate body language during role-play.
• I can improve my questions after hearing feedback from my partner.

Curriculum links

• GELS-PER-01: Students identify perspectives of people or organisations on a geographical issue.
• GELS-SAF-01: Students identify ways to stay safe when interacting with people and places.
• Thinking and working geographically: using evidence from human perspectives to interpret liveability.
• Human wellbeing: connecting issues in communities to wellbeing outcomes.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: Community voice prompt. Teacher shows a short scenario on a card: “A local park feels unsafe at night,” or “Traffic near the school is stressful,” and asks: “Whose lives are affected, and how might they describe it?” Students quick-write 2 ideas in silence, then share one with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Mini-teach: Interviewing for perspectives. Teacher models 2 strong questions and 2 weak questions, showing the difference between broad/unclear wording and specific, perspective-focused wording (e.g., “Tell me about…” vs “Why is it bad?”). Students complete a teacher-led sorting: identify which questions would best reveal perspectives and why.

3. 12–28 min · Pair task: Build your interview questions. Teacher assigns each pair a liveability theme (choose from the unit’s local examples): safety, transport, access to services, housing comfort, green spaces, or community connection. Students draft 5–7 interview questions using a question framework on the board:

• What is happening? (experience)
• How does it affect wellbeing? (impacts)
• Who is affected and how? (perspectives)
• What could improve? (solutions)

4. 28–35 min · Safety check: Interacting respectfully and safely. Teacher briefly revisits safety routines: asking permission, staying in agreed areas, not collecting sensitive personal details, and using school-approved processes for contacting community members. Students highlight in their drafts one question they would adjust to avoid collecting personal information and one way they would show respect (e.g., “Is it okay if I ask…”).

5. 35–48 min · Role-play: Practise the interview. Teacher explains roles: Interviewer, Community member, and Observer (for feedback). Each round is 4 minutes, then switch. Students role-play in groups of three, using their question list; observers use a simple checklist: clarity, listening, follow-up prompt, and respectful tone.

6. 48–55 min · Feedback and refinement. Teacher circulates and prompts improvement: “What follow-up question would help you learn more?” and “Which question might feel leading or too general?” Students revise 1–3 questions based on observer feedback.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket: Interview readiness. Teacher collects one refined question per student and asks them to write a follow-up they might ask if the community member gives a short answer. Students submit their responses at the end of class.

Resources

• Scenario prompt cards (2–3 liveability examples)
• Liveability theme cards for pair selection
• Interview question scaffold sheet (5–7 question template)
• Safety reminders card (permission, boundaries, no sensitive details)
• Role-play checklist (clarity, active listening, follow-up, respectful tone)
• Timer for role-play rounds
• Exit ticket slips

Assessment

• Formative: Teacher observes pair question quality and checks for perspective-focused wording during drafting.
• Formative: Observer checklist during role-play (active listening and follow-up prompts).
• Summative-lite (exit ticket): A refined question plus an appropriate follow-up demonstrates readiness for interviewing.

Differentiation

• Sentence starters for students needing support: “From your experience…”, “How does this affect your…”, “What would you change…?”
• Question banks with colour-coded categories (experience / impacts on wellbeing / perspectives / solutions) for students who need structure.
• Extension for confident pairs: add one “perspective comparison” question (e.g., “Do different people in the area experience this differently?”) and one question aimed at a possible organisation’s role (e.g., council, schools, local services).
• EAL learners: allow oral rehearsal before writing; provide bilingual-friendly phrasing where available; accept equivalent paraphrases.
• SEN supports: reduce the number of required questions (e.g., 4–5) while keeping quality high; use visual prompts and frequent check-ins during drafting.