In a world that is increasingly culturally diverse and dynamically interconnected, it is important that students come to understand their world, past and present, and develop a capacity to respond to challenges, now and in the future, in innovative, informed, personal and collective ways. At Nirimba State Primary School, we develop this understanding through teaching the Australian Curriculum: Humanities & Social Sciences (HASS).
The HASS Curriculum, ensures that students develop a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and systems throughout the world, past and present, and an interest in and enjoyment of the study of these phenomena. This curriculum is organised into two interrelated strands: knowledge and understanding and inquiry and skills, to support students to develop these outlined key ideas.
The disciplinary areas within the HASS curriculum are History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship (from Year 3) and Economics and Business (from Year 5), delivered through an inquiry model. Drawing on these concepts, the HASS curriculum identifies seven concepts that underpin HASS understanding: significance; continuity and change; cause and effect; place and space; interconnections; roles, rights and responsibilities; and perspectives and actions.