Unit Plan
Australia’s System of Government Unit Plan
This Civics and Citizenship unit addresses a range of Australian government concepts involving democratic systems, roles and responsibilities of government and the process of making laws.
It consists of 8 lessons of approximately 60 minutes duration.
The sequence of lessons and suggested time frames should be regarded as a guide only; teachers should pace lessons in accordance with the individual learning needs of their class.
An assessment task for monitoring student understanding of the unit objectives is included and will require an additional lesson.
Overview
Objectives
- To identify the reasons why a country needs a system of government.
- To identify the different types of government systems.
- To explore Australia's system of government.
- To understand the place and purpose of Australian Parliament.
- To identify a range of services in the community for which the government is responsible.
- To identify the roles and responsibilities of each level of the Australian government.
- To understand why we have laws in Australia.
- To understand the process of passing a bill in Australia.
Preparing for Learning
This Australian History unit provides excellent opportunities for cross-curricular integration. Look for ways to meaningfully integrate the content of the unit with other learning areas e.g. Literacy, Numeracy, The Arts.
Prior to commencing the unit, develop an Australian Government display in the classroom. Display posters, word wall vocabulary and learning goals that the students will engage with throughout the unit to stimulate their learning. For examples of additional teaching resources to display in your classroom, browse the Australian Government collection on the Teach Starter website.
Some of the resources which accompany this unit plan will need to be prepared prior to teaching. For this reason, it is advised that teachers browse through all lessons before commencing the unit.
Lessons
Resources
Australian Curriculum alignment
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Inquiry and skills > Communicating > ACHASSI133
Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventio...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Inquiry and skills > Evaluating and reflecting > ACHASSI131
Use criteria to make decisions and judgements and consider advantages and disadvantages of preferring one decision over othersElaborationsrelating the decisions made by individuals and organisations t...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Inquiry and skills > Researching > ACHASSI124
Organise and represent data in a range of formats including tables, graphs and large- and small-scale maps, using discipline-appropriate conventionsElaborationscategorising information using digital a...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Knowledge and Understanding > Civics and citizenship > ACHASSK146
Where ideas for new laws can come from and how they become lawElaborationsinvestigating where ideas for new laws come from (for example, from party policy, perhaps announced during an election campaig...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Inquiry and skills > Evaluating and reflecting > ACHASSI130
Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challengesElaborationsplanning a project, campaign or enterprise around an identified challenge with specification of the sequence of tasks and activ...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Inquiry and skills > Researching > ACHASSI123
Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary sources and secondary sourcesElaborationsdetermining the most appropriate methods to find information (for example, personal observation, ...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Knowledge and Understanding > Civics and citizenship > ACHASSK145
The responsibilities of electors and representatives in Australiaâs democracyElaborationsconsidering the responsibilities of electors (for example, enrolling to vote, being informed and voting re...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Knowledge and Understanding > Civics and citizenship > ACHASSK144
The roles and responsibilities of Australiaâs three levels of governmentElaborationsclarifying the roles and responsibilities of the three levels of government (local, state/territory and federal...
- Humanities and Social Sciences > HASS > Year 6 > Knowledge and Understanding > Civics and citizenship > ACHASSK143
The key institutions of Australiaâs democratic system of government and how it is based on the Westminster systemElaborationsexplaining the role of the monarchy and its representatives in Austral...
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