Exploring Culture and Sustainability in an Engaging HASS Curriculum

Integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in the Year 3 HASS Curriculum

This task required developing an inquiry-based HASS unit for Year 3 students that integrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. I approached this by aligning the unit with curriculum content descriptors in History, Geography, and Civics and Citizenship, focusing on Aboriginal history, cultural practices, and sustainable land care. The unit spans four weeks, following the inquiry cycle—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate—using active strategies like videos, storytelling, excursion, group work, and role-play to build students’ knowledge and critical thinking. The unit incorporates cross-curricular priorities and general capabilities, particularly intercultural understanding, ethical behaviour, and ICT. Formative assessments were embedded throughout, using observation sheets, student notes, and a group project presentation. I emphasised culturally respectful pedagogy, student collaboration, and reflective learning in alignment with the HASS skills of questioning, analysing, and evaluating.