Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this lesson, students learn about the importance of knowing how our food is produced by investigating the answers to the question: Why do we have the Show in the city? Students learn what agriculture and farming is, before considering how we are all connected to agriculture and farming. Students work in groups to respond to and annotate an image, describing how features of this image relate to agriculture and farming. Students then create a poster that describes how they are personally connected to agriculture and farming. Students present their posters as part of a gallery walk.
This lesson has been developed in partnership with The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria. For over 160 years, The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) has been running the Royal Melbourne Show which, like other agricultural shows around the country, works to build the community’s knowledge and understanding of the vital role agriculture plays in our everyday lives.
This year’s Royal Melbourne Show will be held between Saturday 21st to Tuesday 1st September.
Learning intentions:
- Students will understand some of the ways we are all connected to farming and agriculture.
- Students will understand the importance of knowing where their food comes from.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 5 HASS
- Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI102)
- 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 6 HASS
- Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI130)
- 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 5 & 6 Design and Technologies
- Investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments and prepared to enable people to grow and be healthy (ACTDEK021)
Syllabus outcomes: GE3-4, ST3-11LW.
General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking.
Relevant parts of Year 5 HASS achievement standards: Students work with others to generate responses to an issue or challenge, and present their ideas, findings and conclusions in a range of communication forms using discipline-specific terms and appropriate conventions.
Relevant parts of Year 6 HASS achievement standards: Students collaboratively generate responses to an issue and present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of communication forms that incorporate source materials, mapping, graphing, communication conventions and discipline-specific terms.
Relevant parts of Year 5 & 6 Design and Technologies achievement standards: Students explain how social, ethical, technical and sustainability considerations influence the design of solutions to meet a range of present and future needs.
Topic: Consumption.
Unit of work: The Show – Connections To Farming And Agriculture – Years 5 & 6.
Time required: 60 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – lead students in discussion and guide students through poster making and a gallery walk.
Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student. Poster making materials. Pens/pencils. Device for taking photos (optional). Poster Assessment Rubric (one copy per student or equipment to project for the class to view). Treasure Hunt Sheet (one per student).
Keywords: The Show, farming, agriculture, food, fibre, poster.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.