Activity: In the shark tank – Years 5 & 6

Quick summary: Students find a problem in their community and develop a solution to this problem. They are asked to consider all the benefits and costs of this solution, and then pitch their solution to other teachers and students (the shark tank).

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 identify a problem in their community and understand how solving this problem will improve their community.
• Students develop project-planning skills.
• Students understand how to pitch an idea to an audience.

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.3, OI.8.

Australian Curriculum content description:

Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences

• Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI094)
• Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI102)
• Use criteria to make decisions and judgements and consider advantages and disadvantages of preferring one decision over others (ACHASSI103)
• Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI104)
• 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)

Year 6 Humanities and Social Sciences

• Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI122)
• Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI130)
• Use criteria to make decisions and judgements and consider advantages and disadvantages of preferring one decision over others (ACHASSI131)
• Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI132)
• 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)

Syllabus Outcomes: EN3-1A. 

Topic: Consumption

Unit of lessons: Real Wealth Year 5 & 6

Time required: 2 x 60 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee lesson.

Resources required: Student Worksheet – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet, butcher’s paper and pens (optional), Pitch Perfect Factsheet, Pitch Perfect Assessment Rubric, Project Action Planning – Tips For Success, Real Wealth Cheat Sheet, Glossary Years 5 & 6.

Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities.

Homework and extension opportunities: Includes opportunities for extension.

Keywords: community, problem, solution, pitch, shark tank.

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