Activity Introduction

Quick summary: This lesson is designed for a flipped classroom, where students learn new content by watching a video in their own time. This strategy provides the opportunity for students to build their knowledge, attitudes and values by themselves, thereby freeing up class time for hands-on work.

Learning goals:

  • Students are asked to think about whether having less stuff is better for the environment and for themselves.
  • Students build their thinking and questioning skills.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding.

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

Year 7 Science

  • Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116)
  • Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations (ACSHE120)

Year 8 Science

  • Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations (ACSHE135)

Year 9 Science

  • People can use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they should accept claims, explanations or predictions (ACSHE160)

Year 10 Science

  • People can use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they should accept claims, explanations or predictions (ACSHE194)

Year 10 Geography

  • The human-induced environmental changes that challenge sustainability (ACHGK070)

Syllabus Outcomes: GE5-2, GE5-3, SC4-11PW, SC5-13ES, SC4-12ES. 

Time needed: 20 minutes.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – allow students to explore the topic independently.

Resources required: Internet, laptops and earphones, Student Worksheet.

Key words: Waste, consumption, stuff, happiness, environment.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

phone-heroTeacher Preparation

Overarching learning goal: Students take responsibility for their own learning by watching a video on having less stuff and completing a thinking routine.

See what other schools are doing by exploring a case study here.

Extra resources:

The Flipped Lesson

This lesson provides the opportunity for students to explore/build their current knowledge, attitudes and values about consumption and how it relates to happiness. While working independently, students are to view the video and complete the table below. Teachers will also gain insight from students’ responses which can be used to plan follow-up lessons from the waste or consumption units.

This visual thinking tool can be useful in examining how and why student thinking has changed based on learning specific content information. It also helps to develop their reasoning abilities and to recognise cause and effect relationships.

 

Less stuff, more happiness - Graham Hill (https://youtu.

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Student Worksheet

Thought Starter: How long does the shopping 'high' last for you?

Before the video:

Imagine yourself finally getting a material object you have been wanting for a long time, such as a new phone, shoes, mp3 player, book or clothes. How does finally owning this object make you feel? Describe this feeling here:

 

Watch the video and then fill in the tables below:

Less stuff, more happiness - Graham Hill (https://youtu.be/nS4BriU-lkU)

 

After the video:

How does this video make you feel about your stuff?

What three things could you do without and why?

1.

 

2.

 

3.

What three things couldn't you do without and why?

1.

 

2.

 

3.

Does less equal more?

 

1. 
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