AC9HS5K06 Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences

AC9HS5K06 – Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences: Civics and Citizenship

Strand

Knowledge and understanding

Substrand

Civics and Citizenship

This Content Descriptor from Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

the key values and features of Australia’s democracy, including elections, and the roles and responsibilities of elected representatives

Elaborations

• discussing the meaning of democracy, the importance of the key values of Australian democracy (for example, freedom of election and being elected; freedom of assembly and political participation; freedom of speech, expression and religious belief; rule of law; other basic human rights) and how students apply democratic values in familiar contexts, such as how religious tolerance might be achieved in a free democratic society
• discussing the Australian citizenship pledge and the official statement of Australian values published by the federal government and what can be learnt about key values and Australian democracy from this material
• exploring the secret ballot, compulsory voting and preferential voting as key features of Australia’s democracy
• recognising the role of the Australian Electoral Commission in administering elections that are open, free and fair
• discussing key features of Australia’s voting system, such as who has the right to vote and stand for election in Australia, including when women and First Nations Australians were first allowed to vote
• considering the responsibilities of electors, including enrolling to vote, being informed and voting responsibly
• identifying the characteristics that would make for a “good” representative at the local, state/territory or national level

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 5 ASHASHASY5

Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 5, students explain the causes for the establishment of the British colonies in Australia after 1800. They explain the roles of significant individuals or groups in the development of an Australian colony and the impact of those developments. They explain the influence of people on the characteristics of places and in the management of spaces. Students explain the key values and features of Australia’s democracy and how people achieve civic goals. They explain the nature of resources, and how they meet needs and wants. Students develop questions and locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources. They evaluate sources to determine origin and perspectives. Students evaluate information and data to identify and describe patterns or trends. They suggest conclusions based on evidence. Students consider criteria in proposing actions or responses. Students select ideas and findings from sources and use relevant terms and conventions, to present descriptions and explanations.