Exploring World Shelters

Year 2 Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

Unit Title: Shelter: Design and Discover
Lesson 2 of 9
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 20 students
Curriculum Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
Australian Curriculum Reference – Year 2:

• Inquiry and Skills | Questioning and researching
  • ACHASSI020: Pose questions about the past and present.
  • ACHASSI021: Collect data and information from observations and sources provided.
• Knowledge and Understanding | Geography
  • ACHASSK048: The Earth's resources are used in a variety of ways, including sustainability.
  • ACHASSK049: People are connected to many places.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Identify different types of shelters from around the world.
• Understand how shelters relate to the environment and climate.
• Appreciate cultural diversity through traditional housing styles.
• Work collaboratively to present information in visual and oral formats.

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Success Criteria

Students will be successful when they can:

• Describe at least two types of shelters and explain how they suit their climate.
• Participate in a group presentation.
• Ask and answer questions about different homes with curiosity and respect.

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Resources Needed

• Printed or laminated image cards of different global shelters (e.g., igloo, mud hut, yurt, stilt house, tipi, bamboo house, etc.)
• Globe or large world map
• “Shelters Around the World” fact sheet (adapted for Year 2 reading level)
• A3 poster paper and coloured markers
• Clipboards, pencils
• Sticky notes
• Optional: Teacher collection of real-world items or fabrics (e.g., yak wool, bamboo, faux fur) to support tactile exploration

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Lesson Sequence

1. Welcome and Warm Up (5 minutes)

Teacher Prompt:
“Have you ever built a cubby or blanket fort at home? What made it comfortable or fun?”

• Quick class chat – turn and talk to a partner.
• Teacher writes key words on the board (e.g., cosy, dry, private, warm, cool, fun).

Transition:
"Now let’s zoom out and fly around the world! What kind of homes do children in very cold or very dry places live in? Let’s take a look…”

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2. Discovering Shelters (15 minutes)

Activity: Shelter Gallery Walk

• Teacher sets up 6 stations around the room, each with a large image of a shelter from a different climate/environment:

  • Igloo (Arctic)
  • Yurt/Ger (Mongolian Steppe)
  • Stilt House (Tropical Rainforest – e.g., Papua New Guinea/Thailand)
  • Mud Hut (Africa/Outback Australia)
  • Tipi (North American Plains)
  • Bamboo House (Southeast Asia)

• Each image has a child-appropriate fact sheet (1–2 paragraphs).

• Students work in small groups of 3–4, rotating every 2 minutes.

Teacher Role:

• Encourage students to make connections between the shelter and the surroundings in the image.
• Pose guiding questions: “Why do you think this house is built up high?” “Would this keep someone warm?”

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3. Group Mini-Inquiry (15 minutes)

Instructions:

• Students stay in groups and select their favourite shelter from the gallery walk.
• Each group receives:
  • A simplified information sheet about their chosen shelter.
  • A clipboard or A3 poster paper to create a group mini-poster.

Poster Prompts:

• What is this shelter called?
• What is it made from?
• What kind of weather or place does it protect people from?
• Would you like to live there? Why or why not?

Teacher checks in with each group to support reading and summarising skills.

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4. Quick Group Presentations (5 minutes)

Purpose: Share knowledge across all groups.

• Each group presents their poster to the class, sharing three facts and one reason they liked their shelter.
• Peers listen and can ask one question.
• Teacher facilitates respectful listening and celebrates efforts.

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5. Reflection and Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Whole-class discussion:
“What was something surprising you learned today?”
“If you could build your own shelter, what kind of place would it be in?”

Exit Activity:
Each student writes or draws one interesting thing they discovered and posts it on the “World Shelter Knowledge Wall”.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Provide reading scaffolds or pair up students with buddies for mixed-ability reading teams.
• Extension: Invite capable readers to investigate “How shelters have changed over time” or build a mini model shelter using found materials at home.
• ESL learners: Use visuals and physical samples of building materials and enable storytelling through drawing or first languages where applicable.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative:
  • Teacher observation during gallery walk and group work.
  • Quality and accuracy of group poster content.
  • Engagement during discussions and ability to contribute to presenting.
• Anecdotal records on:
  • Comprehension of shelter use in different environments
  • Group participation and collaboration skills
  • Oral language during presentations

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Teacher Reflection Prompts

• Which shelters really sparked student interest?
• Did students connect climate and design independently or need prompting?
• How did students respond to group presentation roles?
• Was there evidence of cross-cultural appreciation or curiosity?

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Suggested Learning Links for Future Lessons

• Lesson 3: Build a small-scale model shelter using recycled/collected materials.
• Lesson 4: Investigate shelters within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and their environmental knowledge.

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Teacher Note:
Encourage students with culturally diverse backgrounds to share pictures or stories of family homes or ancestral shelters in future lessons. This promotes inclusion and reveals the cultural richness of the classroom.