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HASS

HASS : Humanities and Social Sciences

In the Australian Curriculum: HASS students develop knowledge and understanding of the following key ideas:

    • Who we are, who came before us, and traditions and values that have shaped societies
    • Australia’s heritage and cultural diversity, traditions and Australia’s identity as a nation in the world.
    • How societies and economies operate and how they are changing over time
    • Students learn about Australian society and other societies in the world, both past and present; and how they function socially, culturally, economically and politically.
    • The ways people, places, ideas and events are perceived and connected
    • Students develop an understanding of the interdependent nature of the world and the interrelationships within and between the natural environment, human communities and economies.
    • How people exercise their responsibilities, participate in society and make informed decisions

Students examine how individuals and groups have participated in and contributed to society past and present. They examine the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups over time and in different contexts.

History and Geography are the main components of the primary curriculum with Civics and Citizenship and Business and Economics introduced in the upper primary Years.

History

The Australian Curriculum: History is organised into two interrelated strands: Historical Knowledge and Understanding and Historical Skills.

Historical Knowledge and Understanding

This strand includes personal, family, local, state or territory, national, regional and world history. The emphasis is on Australian history in its world history context. It enables students to develop an understanding of the past and present experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their identity and the continuing value of their culture. It also helps students to appreciate Australia’s distinctive path of social, economic and political development, its position in the Asia-Pacific region, and its global interrelationships.

Historical Skills

This strand promotes skills used in the process of historical inquiry: chronology, terms and concepts; historical questions and research; the analysis and use of sources; perspectives and interpretations; explanation and communication.

Geography

The Australian Curriculum: Geography is organized in two related strands: Geographical Knowledge and Understanding, and Geographical Inquiry and Skills.

Geographical Knowledge and Understanding

Geographical Knowledge refers to the facts, generalisations, principles, theories and models developed in geography.

Geographical Inquiry and Skills

Geographical Inquiry is a process by which students learn about and deepen their understanding of geography.

The stages of an investigation are:

    • Observing, questioning and planning: Identifying an issue or problem and developing geographical questions to investigate the issue or find an answer to the problem such as global warming, natural disasters.
    • Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing: Collecting information from primary and/or secondary sources, recording the information, evaluating it for reliability and bias, and representing it in a variety of forms such as tables and maps.
    • Interpreting analysing and concluding: Making sense of information gathered by identifying trends, patterns, anomalies, generalisations and cause-and-effect relationships. It also involves interpreting the results of this analysis and developing conclusions.
    • Communicating: Communicating the results of investigations using combinations of methods (written, oral, audio, graphical, visual and mapping) appropriate to the subject matter, purpose and audience.
    • Reflecting and responding: Reflecting on the findings of the investigation; what has been learned; the process and effectiveness of the inquiry; and proposing actions that consider environmental, economic and social factors.

The Resource Centre (Library) provides support for teachers and students where skills in Resource Based Learning can be developed. Information Technology is also used widely in this area for research and presentation of work.

History and Geography is also often embedded and integrated with other curriculum areas such as Science, The Arts and Technology. Topics and themes can cover a diverse range of topics including Australia’s Past and Present, Systems of Government, Transport, Endangered Animals, Rules and Laws, Inventions, Studies of other Cultures, Religions, Coastal and Desert Environments and Human Rights.

Topics are also often closely related to significant and current local and global events such as natural disasters, Commonwealth and Olympic Games, International Years (eg Year of Astronomy) and Global Conflicts.