Activity Introduction
Quick summary: Students create an advertisement for a sustainable smartphone. Students work in groups to investigate their understanding of sustainability and sustainable smartphones, and then create an advertisement either in the form of a poster, animation, podcast or video. The advertisements are then presented to the class for assessment.
This lesson supports students to inquire into the big idea of ‘real wealth’. Students develop an understanding of shared values, and build their sustainable and ethical financial knowledge, equipping them with the skills to make sound financial decisions based on social, environmental and economical merit.
We’ve taken elements of this lesson and adapted them for remote learning. You can find this activity here.
Learning goals:
- Students understand the costs and benefits of sustainable smartphones compared to standard smartphones.
- Students recognise techniques used by advertisers to sell products to consumers.
- Students think about key messages involved in selling sustainable products.
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.8.
Australian Curriculum content description:
Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences
- Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHASSK120)
- Influences on consumer choices and methods that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices (ACHASSK121)
- Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI094)
- 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 conventions (ACHASSI105)
Year 5 English
- Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations for defined audiences and purposes incorporating accurate and sequenced content and multimodal elements (ACELY1700)
- Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources (ACELY1703)
- Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1707)
Year 6 Humanities and Social Sciences
- How the concept of opportunity cost involves choices about the alternative use of resources and the need to consider trade-offs (ACHASSK149)
- The effect that consumer and financial decisions can have on the individual, the broader community and the environment (ACHASSK150)
- The reasons businesses exist and the different ways they provide goods and services (ACHASSK151)
- Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI122)
- 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 conventions (ACHASSI133)
Year 6 English
- Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis (ACELY1710)
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (ACELY1713)
- Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717)
Syllabus Outcomes: EN3-1A, EN3-2A, EN3-3A, HT3-5.
Topic: Consumption
Unit of lessons: Real Wealth Year 5 & 6
Time required: 60+ mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee lesson and assist students with creating an advertisement.
Resources required: Student Worksheet – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet. Butcher’s paper, pens. Advertising Assessment Rubric, Advertising Tips, Film Making Tips, Animation Tips, Tips For Making A Great Podcast, Real Wealth Cheat Sheet, Glossary Years 5 & 6. Extension: Lifecycle Of A Sustainable Smartphone.
Digital technology opportunities: Infographic creation OR animation creation OR podcast creation OR video creation. Digital sharing capabilities.
Homework and extension opportunities: Includes opportunities for extension.
Keywords: sustainability, smartphone, lifecycle assessment, advertisement.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher preparation