As a teacher author, feedback is vitally important to me. Not only does feedback give you Teachers Pay Teachers credits, it lets me know if you are happy with my teaching product or if you'd like more or less of something.
I read every piece of feedback and, as a teacher myself, I consider what I need to teach that particular subject. I like to go back every so often and update an older product to make sure it's aligned with the current Australian curriculum (ACARA).
These last few weeks I have run a critical eye over two of my most popular products, to see how they align with the updated ACARA Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) version 8.3 for Foundation Year.
I'm excited to announce both the Foundation Year History and Foundation Year Geography packs have both been updated to reflect the new curriculum and I'd like to quickly walk you through the improvements.
TIGHTER ALIGNMENT TO ACARA
At the front of each pack is a table showing you how every activity, slide, poster or worksheet aligns with each of the ACARA elaborations. This makes it super easy for you to plan your unit of work and ensures you cover every aspect of the ACARA expectations.
LOTS OF COLOURFUL POSTERS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM WALL
A great way to engage young students is through colourful posters. Dedicate a wall to HASS and rotate posters as you focus on different concepts.
MORE VOCABULARY CARDS FOR YOUR WORD WALL
New vocabulary cards have been added to both packs. Each with a child-friendly definition of each concept.
REAL-WORLD PHOTOGRAPHS OF CONCEPTS DISCUSSED!
This is my favourite aspect of the two new updates - getting some real-world photographs in these packs! Cartoons are great for colouring in or to decorate a colourful poster, but nothing beats images of real people and places to explain HASS concepts to young students. I use these photographs as a whole class discussion prompt to unpack the concept further. Often I use inquiry questions such as "Who is in this picture?", "What is this picture telling us about...?"or "Why do you think they do...?" which works to scaffold their thinking before we move towards written work. Studying photographs in this way, can also help students develop their visual literacy skills.
MORE DIVERSITY
I have had many requests to make images more diverse with single parent families, same sex couples and different races included. I've listened and made the changes. Posters and photographs include different family structures and are more representative of your student's backgrounds so they can relate better to the concepts being discussed.
QR CODES
Both the History and the Geography packs contain some new QR code activities which link to videos they can watch in pairs or on their own. The worksheets have been designed to allow students to explain their understanding of the concepts shown in the videos and demonstrate their learning.
MORE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CONTENT
I'm very proud to have been given permission from the Torres Strait Islander community to use their flag in my materials and inside this pack, I'm pleased to say, I have provided a more equal focus on both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. The new updates include, as part of the new ACARA version 8.3 HASS requirements, a greater focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices and culture. In addition, I have included some teacher instruction sheets and a link to useful videos you can watch to help you integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture into your everyday classroom practices.
HOW CAN YOU GET HOLD OF THE UPDATED RESOURCES?
If you already own any of these products - you can just click the link below and download the update for free! If you would like to purchase one, please follow the links below.
⭐ HASS Geography Unit Foundation Year special places, features, mapping activities
⭐ HASS History Unit Foundation Year Family Histories and Commemorations
⭐ HASS Mega Bundle Geography and History Foundation, 1, 2 & 3 aligned ACARA
If you purchase the Foundation Year HASS Bundle you'll also get the History and Geography matching Tags as a bonus!
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