This unit is based on the Year 6 Australian Curriculum HASS Inquiry Skills, Knowledge and Understandings. Students explore the economics of decision-making. By considering issues of scarcity and opportunity cost, students look at the factors involved in making decisions at an individual, community, national, and business level. The students learn these concepts through presentations, games, and online resources, putting them to the test in a cumulative project and (optional) quiz.
Influences on consumer choices and strategies that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices
Australia’s interconnections with other countries and how these change people and places
Develop questions to investigate people, events, developments, places and systems
Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats
Evaluate information and data in a range of formats to identify and describe patterns and trends, or to infer relationships
Evaluate primary and secondary sources to determine origin, purpose and perspectives
Develop evidence-based conclusions
Propose actions or responses to issues or challenges and use criteria to assess the possible effects
Present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions
Australia’s connections with other countries and how these change people and places
How the concept of opportunity cost involves choices about the alternative use of resources and the need to consider trade-offs
The effect that consumer and financial decisions can have on the individual, the broader community and the environment
The reasons businesses exist and the different ways they provide goods and services
Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges
Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary sources and secondary sources
Organise and represent data in a range of formats including tables, graphs and large- and small-scale maps, using discipline-appropriate conventions
Sequence information about people’s lives, events, developments and phenomena using a variety of methods including timelines
Interpret data and information displayed in a range of formats to identify, describe and compare distributions, patterns and trends, and to infer relationships
Examine primary sources and secondary sources to determine their origin and purpose
Examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present
Evaluate evidence to draw conclusions
Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects
Use criteria to make decisions and judgements and consider advantages and disadvantages of preferring one decision over others
Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges
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
Describes the diverse features and characteristics of places and environments
Explains interactions and connections between people, places and environments
Compares and contrasts influences on the management of places and environments
Acquires, processes and communicates geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry
Applies a variety of skills of historical inquiry and communication
Identifies change and continuity and describes the causes and effects of change on Australian society
Describes and explains the significance of people, groups, places and events to the development of Australia
Australia’s connections with other countries and how these change people and places
Describe and explain interconnections within places and between places, and the effects of these interconnections
Explore the concept of opportunity cost and explain how it involves choices about the alternative use of limited resources and the need to consider trade-offs
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
Identify the reasons businesses exist and investigate the different ways they produce and distribute goods and services
Make decisions, identify appropriate actions by considering the advantages and disadvantages, and form conclusions concerning an economics or business issue or event
Collect and record relevant geographical data and information from the field and secondary sources, using ethical protocols
Represent the location of places and other types of geographical data and information in different forms including diagrams, field sketches and large-scale and small-scale maps that conform to cartographic conventions of border, scale, legend, title, north point and source; using digital and spatial technologies as appropriate
Interpret maps and other geographical data and information using digital and spatial technologies as appropriate, to develop identifications, descriptions, explanations and conclusions that use geographical terminology
Identify the origin, content features and the purpose of historical sources and describe the context of these sources when explaining daily life in colonial Australia, reasons for migration and causes and effects of Federation
The key concepts in this unit include:
Lesson 1
The Problem of Scarcity
Understand the role of scarcity in how the world works.
Lesson 2
Opportunity Cost
Understand what opportunity cost is.
Lesson 3
Making Choices at Different Levels
Understand how groups of people make decisions.
Lesson 4
The Impacts of Choices
Investigate the impact of choice by thinking about a grocery store.
Lesson 5
Business
Examine what businesses do.
Lesson 6
Economic Sectors
Examine the difference between how people work now and in the past.
Lesson 7
Making Choices Assessment
Explain what we have learned over the last few weeks.
This presentation on the problem of scarcity has been created to support Lesson 1 of the Making Choices unit. It allows the teacher to walk...
This presentation on opportunity cost has been created to support Lesson 2 of the Making Choices unit. It allows the teacher to walk student...
This presentation about consumer choices at different levels has been created to support Lesson 4 of the Making Choices unit. It allows the...
This presentation about the impacts of consumer choices has been created to support Lesson 4 of the Making Choices unit. It allows the teach...
This presentation about business and its role in the economy has been created to support Lesson 5 of the Making Choices unit. It allows the...
Engage students in a sorting activity that explores the distinction between profit and non-profit businesses. Through this hands-on resource...
Equip students with the essential vocabulary and terminology of economics and business with this comprehensive glossary.
This worksheet is the perfect fast finisher activity or front page for a unit workbook. It was made as part of the Year 6 HASS unit Makin...
Explore the financial and economic aspects behind a visit to the movies with this worksheet.
Challenge students to think critically about national priorities and resource allocation with this worksheet.
Take students on a journey through the economical aspects of breakfast cereal with this worksheet.
Exit Tickets are a great way for students to reflect on their learning. They are short, simple prompts that can be easily implemented at the...
Introduce students to the world of economics and empower them to make informed economic choices with this informative resource.
