EEO410 Learners learning about and for their world Human Disciplines

Inquiry Unit on People in our World

Year Level: 5/6
Duration: 10 weeks
UNIT TITLE:
Business and Me
STUDENT NAMES:
Inquiry Question
Teaching proposal
What factors influence consumerism?

BIG ideas
What factors influence my choices and what are

the possible effects of my consumer and financial

choices
Why do businesses exist and how do they provide
me with goods and services

For this assignment task, we decided to focus our Inquiry unit

around Business and Economics, as part of the Humanities and
Social Sciences subject. We approached this task by looking at
the year 5 and 6 strands of the Victorian Curriculum and
focused on Economics and Business, Geography and
Mathematics.
As part of the unit, we pulled two big ideas from the Victorian
Curriculum website, which were what factors influence my
choices and what are the possible effects of my consumer and
financial choices and why do businesses exist and how do
they provide me with goods and services (Victorian Curriculum
and Assessment Authority [VCAA] 2016). From these big ideas,
we have arranged a 10 week unit around Economics and
Business for years 5 and 6, which also links in with Geography
and Mathematics.
For the Economics strand, we chose to focus on a way for
students to describe the difference between needs and wants
and explain why choices need to be made and to consider the
effect that the consumer and financial decisions of individuals
may have on themselves, their family, the broader community
and the natural, economic and business environment (VCAA
2016). For the Geography strand, we chose to look at ways to
describe and explain interconnections within places and
between places, and the effects of these interconnections and
look at the differences in the demographic, economic, social
and cultural characteristics of countries across the world
(VCAA 2016). For the Mathematics strand, we were going to
get the students to create simple financial plans (VCAA 2016)

which ties in to the Business and Economics strand of the

curriculum.
In a lecture by Lou Preston (2016), there is a statement about
what makes Geography special, and that is that it reinforces &
extends the processes of critical thinking & problem solving
leading to decision making. This links to the first lesson in the
sequence where students are expected to read about a child
over in Indonesia and look at the wants and needs of the child
in relation to an Australian middle class student. This gives
students the time and ability to critically compare two children
from around the world, and to critically think about their own
wants and needs which links into the second lesson. Lou also
talks about how fieldwork allows students to explore their
world first hand (gathering primary data). For the third lesson,
students will explore the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre,
focusing on a store or stores of their choice where they can
collect data on consumerism. This gives students a chance to
explore their world first hand, and collect primary data which
can be used in the fourth lesson.
Kate Harvey (2016) talks about how students learn that
economic decisions are about the allocation of resources in
producing goods and services and about the distribution of the
proceeds of production Sawatzki (2014, p. 282) backs up
this idea by discussing how students will learn about
processes for allocating limited resources to societys unlimited
needs and wants, including the market system. Lessons five
and six link to this idea by informing students about production
processes and where local and imported goods are developed.
This will guide the students in their assessment activity
whereby they create their own stall based on the feedback
from the excursion and the research done on local and
imported goods.

Understandings:

Key skills

At the end of this unit, students will understand

that:
1. Needs and wants are two different things.
2. One persons needs and wants will be different to
another persons needs and wants.
3. Businesses have different ways of selling their
product
4. Local businesses do business differently than
bigger corporations.
5. Produce can be produced locally and
internationally.
6. Not all imported goods are done ethically and
legally.
7. Making a business requires teamwork and
communication.
8. The different types of effects consumerism has
on local and imported goods.
9. Some types of businesses are more popular than
others.

At the conclusion of this unit students will be able to:

Separate their own possessions into needs and wants.
Separate possessions of those close to them into
categories of need and want and understand how the
needs of others are different to their own.
Describe patterns with sufficient detail and represent
data in different ways.
Make logical assumptions using their own data
Make good use of technology and text resources to
understand the market for their chosen topic.
Participate fairly in the conversation and reflect on the
issues caused by consumerism while also giving opinions
using logic and reasoning as support for their opinions.
Describe and compare types of produce, marketing
audiences and fair work trade.
Describe and communicate data in different forms and
use this data to back up any opinions they may have.
Consider the audience, resources and budget for the
proposal and identify areas of weaknesses which they
can approach their peers for in relation to a solution.
Use the right structure for a proposal.
Follow the stall proposal to guide their investigation and
decision making.
Communicate to other committees frequently for
information and can follow protocol before moving ahead
on their ideas.
Reflect deeply on their own, and on their peers, actions,
using detailed explanations.

Assessment Evidence (and codes for standards you will be able to assess)

 A rubric - VCEBC005
Venn Diagram marked to a rubric - VCEBC005, VCGGK093, VCICCB009, VCECU011
Anecdotal notes - VCPSCSO023, VCPSCSO024, VCCCTR027, VCEBR001, VCGGK093, VCECU009
Written notes from the students - VCEBR001, VCPSCSO023

Victorian Curriculum areas covered in this inquiry unit related to Humanities

Discipline

Knowledge & Understanding

Code

Skills

Code

Differences in the demographic,

economic, social and cultural
characteristics of countries across
the world.
Consider the effect that the
consumer and financial decisions
of individuals may have on
themselves, their family, the
broader community and the
natural, economic and business
environment.

VCGGK093

Describe and explain

interconnections within places
and between places, and the
effects of these interconnections.
Describe the difference between
needs and wants and explain why
choices need to be made.

VCGGC087

History

Geography

Economics &
Business

VCEBC005

VCEBR001

Civics &
Citizenship
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Organising ideas

code

The peoples and countries of Asia

are diverse in ethnic background,
traditions, cultures, belief
systems and religions.

O1.1

Indigenous
Asia

Organising ideas

code

Sustainabilit
y

World views are formed by

experiences at personal, local,
national and global levels, and are
linked to individual and
community actions for
sustainability.

O1.5

The sustainability of ecological,

social and economic systems is
achieved through informed
individual and community action
that values local and global equity
and fairness across generations
into the future.

O1.6

GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Intercultural
capability

Analyse how aspects

of their own and
others lifestyle,
behaviour, attitudes
and beliefs can be
culturally influenced.

VCICCB00
9

Personal and
social capability

Demonstrate skills for

effective participation in
group tasks and use
criteria provided to reflect
on the effectiveness of
the teams in which they
participate
Identify conflicts that may
occur in peer groups and
suggest possible causes
and resolutions

Critical and
creative
thinking

Consider the
importance of giving
reasons and evidence
and how the strength
of these can be
evaluated.
Examine the
difference between
valid and sound
arguments and
between inductive
and deductive

VCCCTR02
5

VCCCTR02
7

Ethical
capability

VCPSCSO0
23

VCPSCSO0
24

Examine the contested

meaning of concepts
including truth and
happiness and the extent
to which these concepts
are and should be valued.

VCECU009

Examine how problems

may contain more than
one ethical issue.

VCECU011

reasoning, and their

degrees of certainty.

Stage 1: IMMERSION - establishing what we want to find out: Posing questions and
planning inquiry
Understand
ing:

Activity & Resource

VC links
VCEBR001

1
Students list down as many of their possessions as possible and things they want to own one
day. When students have listed 20 things minimum they must categorize these possessions as
a need or want. Then students write in their own words what the definition of a need and want
is to them.

VCGGK093
VCECU009

Students then share their list with the class, contrasting the different needs of the class.
The teacher provides the class with a profile of a child living in Indonesia And discuss how
their needs and wants might differ from that of an Australian middle class student.
Suggested links:
http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/indonesia/day-in-life
http://www.wn.org/site/c.buITJ7NRKsLaG/b.6248579/k.5EEC/November__ENewsletter.htm
Discuss:
How getting older changes your needs and wants
Relocating can create new needs

VCEBR001

Students bring in the receipt of their familys last big shop and discuss what the most
important items are and why. Students create a column for each family member and
divide the list into individual needs or whole family need. I.e Nappies for the baby,
Paint for an artistic sibling, Shampoo for mum, toilet paper for everyone.
Students use this data to create pie charts to display their information.
Students discuss the outcomes if these items were not in their home through creative
writing.

VCEBC005

3
Students attend an excursion to the Waurn Ponds shopping centre to gather data on
consumers of food, clothing, entertainment and services (such as haircuts, key cutting
and nails).
Students will work in small groups (around 3 - 5) to pick a topic of choice (food,
clothing, haircuts etc.) to gather data on how many people enter each store, which
stores are favoured, what is the demographic (mostly females, mostly males, a mix),
what might be making the shops appealing (sales, bright entrances, music playing
etc.).

Stage 2:ORGANISE, INVESTIGATE, FIND OUT- Collecting and analysing evidence

Understand
ing:

Activity & Resource

VC links
VCEBC005

3
Students will present which topic they focused on while on the excursion,
and their findings, analysing the data collected. Students should look at
how this influences consumerism and what assumptions can be made
about buying and selling.

VCEBC005

4
Students role play an Australian Dairy farmer whose produce is no longer selling due
to competing corporations. Students use monopoly money to model the financial
processes of maintaining livestock and turning a profit.

Students find ways to maximise profit by changing the amount of milk being sold, the
price the milk sells for and seeking options for places that will sell the farmers milk at
lower taxed price.
5, 6 & 8

VCEBC005

How do the workers in other countries benefit or suffer from these overseas
transactions?

VCGGK093

(Discuss sweatshops and low pay rates in eastern countries).

VCICCB009

List the cons and pros of consuming goods and services from outside sources. List the
cons and pros of consuming local goods and services.

VCECU011

Compare and discuss.

Stage 3: CELEBRATE/INNOVATE -What do we do with what weve found?

Concluding, reflecting on and responding to the inquiry
Understand
ing:

Activity & Resource

VC links
VCPSCSO023

Students work in groups of 3-4 to design a stall. Students must consider:

1. Their Audience
2. What goods or services will they provide
3. Where will the products come from
4. How much it will cost to bring things to the stall
5. How much will it sell
6. Will it be a profit or not-for-profit stall

VCPSCSO024
VCCCTR025

Students write a stall proposal accompanied by visuals or resources to sell their idea
to the class. The class votes for their favourite proposal
7

VCPSCSO023
VCPSCSO024
VCCCTR027

Students break into committees and are given a focus:

Sourcing the product
o Organising notes to go homes to parents to supply some things
o Using school resources to create supply
o Writing to an OP shop (not-for-profit) to ask for sponsoring or
supply goods
Advertising the product
o Posters
o Giving presentations- in assembly or other classrooms if related.
o The presentation of the stall- how will it draw in the right
audience?
Accounting
o Holding the budget and making sure that there is a fair share to
both committees.
o Helping the other committees to source more cost effective
options
o Deciding where any profits will go

VCPSCSO023

Students report what their committee did from start to end (to the class). Then each
student writes a reflection on their actions, the class's actions and how they think the
stall could have been improved.

Bibliography: (Harvard style)

Include references AND images if appropriate here:

Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016, Asia and Australias Engagement with Australia Key Ideas, retrieved 9
May 2016, < http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/asia-and-australia-s-engagement-with-asia/keyideas>.
Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016, Sustainability Key Ideas, retrieved 9 May 2016, <
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/sustainability/key-ideas>.
Harvey, K 2016, Economics and Business, EEO410, April 4, Waurn Ponds Campus.
Preston, L 2016, Geography as a curriculum area, EEO410, March 14, Waurn Ponds Campus.
Sawatzki, C 2014, Teaching Economics and Business in R Gilbert & B Hoepper (eds), Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences:
History, Geography, Economics & Citizenship, 5th edn, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, Victoria, pp. 278 296.
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016, Level 5, retrieved 9 May 2016, <
http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/level5>.

Appendix
Each of these photos represent some of the places students can go to in the shopping centre as
groups to collect data on how many people enter a specific shop, whether more females than males,
or vice versa, go into the shop, and any interesting notes that can be made about what makes the
shop so interesting. The data that is collected will be used in the lesson following the excursion to
talk in class about what each group found, and to debate amongst the class about which shop/s
were the most popular and why, thus leading the students to be able to decide their own stall they
would like to create, based on data collected about preferences, later on in the unit.