Week 4: Geography and Civics and Citizenship

                                                           (Countries of the world,2018).

Australia is located in one big continent and is isolated, however, this country consists of many ethnic peoples and cultures involving more than 200 countries.  Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, therefore Citizenship is the key bond to unite the diversity successfully (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2012).  The migrants have to go through two steps to become Australian citizens.  They are to pass the citizenship test and attend the Australian citizenship ceremony to make a pledge.  This is because Australia is a democracy, thus citizens must have the knowledge of human rights and responsibilities and make a public commitment to Australia about the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.  The aim of this unit of work is to introduce a new view of the world to foster intercultural understanding and take students beyond their own world (Dyer, 2014).   

    

Links to the curriculum: Year 6 content description (ACARA, 2016)

                                

As I mentioned in a previous blog about Harmony Day, it is important to understand diversity to respect other people.  To integrate Geography with Civics and Citizenships, students will be aware of the other people, places and countries as well.  Using picture books can be a successful hook to engage students in the subject (Mendoza & Reese, 2001).  After I have introduced a picture book “I am Australian, too” (Fox, 2017), students will use geographical tools such as an ATLAS or Google Earth to identify the places where the people come from in the story. 

At the end of today’s lesson, my students and myself were wondering “How about you?” (Fox, 2017).  Students will ask ‘Where do the parents/guardians or grandparents come from?’  Therefore, please share a bit of family history with your child/children.  In the next lesson, the students will share their family history, where they come from and identify the places using Google Earth.  Through this activity, students will recognise that Australia is located alone but connected to the world in various ways such as business, education, travel, sports or military.  By the end of this month, the students will establish a world map which will indicate where the students’ families come from with pictures.  I am going to display the map in the classroom as soon as published.  You will see our project when you drop/pick up children. The students will work in pairs and they will write a short story from the point of view of the refugee child in the book who is not an Australian Citizen yet, sharing the child feelings, hopes, and dreams.  The students will use their imagination and develop empathy, research how people can become Australian citizens.     

At the end of lessons, my students and myself will practice the citizenship test together.  Australian citizens must have a good understanding of the answers, thus we should be aware of the immigration requirements of our nation.   

References

Andria Pagano, A. (2017, April 17). I am Australian Too by Mem Fox. [Video podcast].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1Y5UU9AG8  

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016, December

14). The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Science (version 8.3). 
Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-
and-social-sciences/hass

Countries of the world. (2018). Seven continents of the world: Seven continents map with five 

             oceans (Image). Retrieved from https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/continents-
             of-the-world.html

Department of Immigration and Citizenship. (2012). Australian citizenship: Our common

bond. Belconnen, ACT: National Communication Branch of the Department of 
Immigration and Citizenship.    

Dyer, J. (2014). Preparing students for a world which is global in its outlook and influences:

the rhetoric, reality and response. Doing the public good: positioning educational 
research. Melbourne, Vic: Australian Association for Research in Education. pp. 1-20. Retrieved form https://mylo.utas.edu.au/content/enforced/239728-AW_EAS_18S1_16840_0_0_0_1_1/dyer-preparingstudents-2004.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=nyxNMCbwrHDuKDNEhhqBcxecp&ou=239728

Fox, M (2017). I am Australian too (Picture book). Lindfield, NSW: Scholastic Australia     

Mendoza, J., & Reese, D. (2001). Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the Early 
            Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls. Early Childhood Research & 
            Practice, 3(2). Retrieved from https://eric-ed-gov.ezproxy.utas.edu.au/?id=ED458040