Fair Workplaces Matter

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Curriculum Area & Standard

Subject: Work Education
Stage: Stage 5 (Years 9–10)
Syllabus: NSW Work Education Years 7–10 Syllabus (2019)
Focus Area: Workplace Rights and Roles – Understanding Rights, Responsibilities and Equal Opportunity in the Workplace
Cross-Curriculum Priority: Civics and Citizenship, Intercultural Understanding
EAL/D Focus: Reading and viewing workplace communication, simplified vocabulary, structured sentence frames, visual aids and scaffolded discussion

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Lesson Overview

Topic	Equal Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination in the Workplace
Duration	55 minutes
Class size	7 students (EAL/D learners)
Main Goal	Students will understand what equal opportunity and anti-discrimination mean. They will explore how laws protect workers in Australia, and examine famous cases of workplace discrimination.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define equal opportunity and discrimination in a workplace context.
2. Identify key Australian legislation and agencies that support anti-discrimination.
3. Recognise examples of discrimination in real-world and well-publicised workplaces.
4. Use English to express ideas about fairness at work through structured speaking and writing activities.

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Materials Needed

• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• "Fair Workplaces" student worksheet (included below)
• Visuals/posters with simplified definitions and images
• Word wall with key terms
• Printed copies of short case studies
• Glossary handouts with visuals
• Dice (six-sided) for a revision game
• Coloured whiteboard markers

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Key Vocabulary (EAL/D Focus)

• Discrimination
• Equal opportunity
• Harassment
• Rights
• Responsibilities
• Fair Work Commission
• Human Rights
• Diversity
• Inclusion

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Relevant Australian Legislation & Agencies

1. Fair Work Act 2009
2. Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986
3. Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
4. Fair Work Ombudsman
5. Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

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Lesson Breakdown (55 minutes)

1. Welcome & Hook (5 minutes)

Activity: Quick ‘Agree/Disagree’ Warm-Up

Put up the following statements one by one:

• Everyone should have a fair chance to get a job.
• It’s okay to joke about someone’s religion at work.
• Only men should do some jobs.

Instructions:

• Students move to a corner of the room marked AGREE or DISAGREE.
• Brief discussion why they chose that position.
• Use simple language and teacher-led questioning to unpack terms used.

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2. Understanding Anti-Discrimination (10 minutes)

Direct Instruction + Visual Support

• Teacher presents a short and simple slideshow or posterboard with:
  • Definition of discrimination
  • Definition of equal opportunity
  • Use visual icons next to each key term.

Teacher Talk Example:
“Equal opportunity means everyone gets the same chance – it doesn’t matter where you were born or what you look like.”

Mini Language Activity:
Match the Word – distribute cards: half have key terms, the other half have pictures or definitions. Students move around and find their match.

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3. Famous Cases: Real-World Connections (10 minutes)

Activity: Read-Aloud & Paired Role-Play

Case 1: Woolworths underpayment case (2020)
Case 2: ABC's handling of Indigenous employment
Case 3: Qantas age discrimination claims (cabin crew)

Provide short, scaffolded texts (150 words max) written in simple English and pictorial support.

Instructions:

• Students read in pairs (teacher monitors pronunciation).
• Students act out “what should have happened” in an inclusive workplace (1 minute per group).

Language Scaffold Example:
“It was not fair when…” / “The worker should have…” / “The workplace needs to…”

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4. Legislation & Who Helps (7 minutes)

Activity: Guided Discussion with Sorting Cards

Students get small laminated cards with:

• Names of laws (e.g. “Fair Work Act”)
• Responsibilities (e.g. “Make sure workers are paid properly”)
• Agencies (e.g. “Fair Work Ombudsman”)

Task: In pairs, sort cards into three coloured buckets:

• Laws, Responsibilities, Agencies

Wrap-up Questioning:
“What can we do if a worker is treated unfairly?”
“Which agency helps with pay problems?”
Use PPT visuals and icons to link each term.

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5. Student-Centred Worksheet (15 minutes)

Task: "Fair Workplaces" Worksheet

Includes:

• Cloze passage using key terms
• Vocabulary matching
• Short reading with comprehension check
• Scenario: Students write a short dialogue responding to a case of discrimination using sentence starters

EAL/D Scaffold Example
Sentence Starters:

• “I feel…”
• “At work, it is wrong to…”
• “We can talk to [agency] if we…”

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6. Revision Game – Dice Challenge! (5 minutes)

Students take turns rolling a dice. Each number corresponds to a question type:

Dice Roll	Task
1	Define "equal opportunity"
2	Name a law that protects workers
3	Tell one right workers have
4	Give an example of discrimination
5	Say a sentence using “fair”
6	Name a place you can go for help

Teacher encourages English use and awards stickers or tokens for correct use of vocabulary and confidence in speaking.

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Assessment

Formative:

• Contributions during pair work, discussion and game.
• Accuracy and completion of “Fair Workplaces” worksheet.
• Use of language scaffolds and key terms in role-play scenarios.

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Differentiation for EAL/D

• Spoken modelling of all key phrases
• Scaffolds with sentence frames
• Visuals aligned with difficult concepts
• Small group targeted support (7 students = time for 1:1 check-ins)
• Repetition and verbal rehearsal before writing

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Plenary (3 minutes)

Exit Ticket – Students circle their answer + write 1 sentence:

• “Today I learned that at work…”
  • Everyone should be treated the same
  • There are laws that protect us
  • I can speak up if something is unfair

Teacher collects and uses for next lesson planning.

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Extension Options (if time allows)

• Watch short clip from AHRC’s anti-discrimination campaign, chunked and subtitled. Discuss feelings.
• Write a letter to a fictional workplace about discrimination using classroom word bank.

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Teacher Reflection Prompt

After lesson, teacher may consider:

Which students showed increasing confidence using new vocabulary? Did the storytelling modality and role-play foster engagement with the content? How did students demonstrate an understanding of rights/responsibilities in a workplace?

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Worksheet Summary (for Printing)

FAIR WORKPLACES – Student Worksheet

Part A – Match the word and picture
(Discrimination, Equal Opportunity, Harassment, etc.)

Part B – Cloze Passage (Vocabulary Fill)

At work, every person has the right to be ________. There are laws like the ________ Act to protect workers. If you are treated badly, you can go to the ________. It is important to have ________ and respect.

Part C – Scenario Task

Amal wears a hijab. Her manager says she cannot work at the front desk.
Write a dialogue where Amal speaks up using kind, respectful language. Use the sentence starter:

“I feel this rule is unfair because…”

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Final Thought

This lesson is not just about content – it's empowering every student, regardless of their background or English level, to know their rights and develop the voice to advocate for themselves and others. It's an invitation to fairness – and that's something every Australian worker deserves.