Portfolio Reflection

Year Level

Year 1

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

2 students

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Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 18 of 20 in the unit "Past, Present and Future" under the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum area, specifically focusing on the Year 1 Social Sciences syllabus from the New South Wales Curriculum. The unit covers understanding continuity and change in daily life, appreciating features of places, and recognising ways people care for their past and their place.

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Learning Objectives

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

• Organise and reflect on their projects and learning from the "Past, Present and Future" unit, demonstrating an understanding of continuity and change in their lives and families.
• Recap key vocabulary and concepts related to past, present, and future.
• Share observations and reflect on the skills and knowledge developed during the unit.
• Demonstrate basic sequencing and categorisation skills by sorting their work artefacts.
• Use supplied language and terms related to time to narrate their work and learning.

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NSW Curriculum Alignment

Content Descriptions (Year 1 HASS: Past and Present)

• HT1-1: Identify past and present events in their own lives and the lives of family members.
• HT1-2: Sequence familiar events and objects in order.
• HT1-3: Recognise the changes in family structures and daily life over time.
• HT1-5: Use sources and terms to share observations about people, places, and the past.

Achievement Standard

• Students identify continuity and change in family structures, roles and daily life.
• They develop questions, collect and sort information, and interpret information about the past.
• Students share narratives and observations about people, places, and the past, drawing on sources and using subject-specific terms appropriately.

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Resources Required

• Student project portfolios (their collected work from previous lessons)
• Portfolio reflection template sheets (large sheets with headings like Past, Present, Future; or categories such as Events, People, Places)
• Coloured pencils or markers
• Stickers or stamps for positive reinforcement
• Timer or clock
• Visual timeline/chart showing unit overview (past, present, future)
• Sample reflection sentence starters (e.g., "I learned that…", "My favourite part was…", "I found it interesting when…")

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction & Goal Setting (10 minutes)

• Welcome students and explain the purpose of today's lesson: "Today, we are going to look at all the great work you have done in our unit and talk about what we learned about the past, present and future."
• Display the visual timeline of the unit and briefly remind students of key projects and activities.
• Use simple questioning to prompt thinking: "What is something you remember from the start of the unit? What was your favourite project?"

2. Portfolio Organisation Activity (25 minutes)

• Give each student their project portfolio folder or collection of work.
• Provide the portfolio reflection template sheets.
• Guide students to organise their materials under groupings such as Past, Present, and Future or People, Places, Events.
• Prompt students to sequence items in the order they learned them or based on timeline concepts.
• Support students in labeling categories and items using vocabulary from the unit.
• Circulate and encourage using sentence starters to verbally reflect as they sort.

3. Sharing Reflections (15 minutes)

• Invite each student to share their portfolio with the other student and the teacher.
• Encourage them to talk about what they learned, what they enjoyed, and what was new or interesting.
• Use prompts to scaffold deeper reflection: "How has your family changed over time?" "What do you think will happen in the future?"
• Provide positive feedback and stick a reward sticker or stamp on their portfolio when they complete their reflection.

4. Conclusion and Forward Look (10 minutes)

• Recap the importance of looking back and seeing how people and places change over time.
• Reinforce the skills practiced: sorting, sequencing, using vocabulary, sharing observations.
• Connect to next lesson and affirm how this reflection helps prepare for future learning: "Next week we will finish our unit by making something special that shows what we have learned."
• Invite students to place their completed reflection templates into their portfolios.

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Assessment

Informal ongoing assessment during activities based on:

• Ability to sequence and categorise past, present, and future related work.
• Use of subject-specific vocabulary and terms when reflecting aloud or writing/marking.
• Participation in discussion, showing understanding of continuity and change.
• Completion of the portfolio reflection template and organisation of work artefacts.

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Differentiation & Support

• For students needing extra support, provide one-on-one guidance with sorting and vocabulary.
• Use visual prompts, realia, or familiar examples to help make connections.
• For the more advanced student, encourage forming simple sentences about their work and the concept of change over time.
• Provide positive reinforcement frequently to build confidence.

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Teacher Reflection Suggestions

• Note which aspects of portfolio reflection students found easy/hard.
• Reflect on the effectiveness of prompts and materials in eliciting deep reflection.
• Gather feedback from students about what parts of the unit and portfolio they enjoyed most.
• Plan for any needed adjustments in final unit lessons to support consolidation of learning.

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This lesson promotes meta-cognitive skills as students revisit their own learning journey. It draws on the mandated NSW Curriculum standards for Year 1 Social Sciences, emphasising historical understanding and communication of observations about change and continuity, with learning scaffolded for young learners through structured templates and verbal support.