Studies of Society and Environment

Definition and rationale

Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE)is a ‘place’ in the curriculum where young people can learn to understand how the life experiences of people are the result of particular social, cultural, economic, political and environmental relationships that characterise communities at particular times and places. This area of study provides the opportunity for students to develop an understanding of Australia’s histories, cultures, social, natural and built environments, and political and economic systems as well an appreciation of the values to guide them in their future life-roles as consumers, producers and citizens.

The SOSE KLA promotes the development of knowledges, processes, skills and values necessary to investigate issues, make informed decisions and take action in order to enhance the ‘common good’. The KLA knowledges, processes, skills and values are drawn from a range of traditions of inquiry. These include disciplines such as history, geography, economics, and sociology and also include studies such as civics and citizenship, environmental education, cultural education, gender education, peace education, Asian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, and futures.

Major outcomes

Through engaging with SOSE knowledges, processes, skills and values, students will:

  • appreciate Australia’s historic and geographical context and its place within regional and global contexts
  • understand the range of perspectives on the influence of past ideas, events and the contributions of people to their local community, contemporary Australia, the Asia-Pacific and the global community
  • understand social, natural and built environments and develop a concern and respect for balanced sustainable development within local, Australian, regional and global contexts
  • understand the ways people forms groups, develop material and non-material forms of culture, and appreciate and respect Australia’s cultural heritage including the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • contribute to and participate in legal, political and economic systems, including contemporary institutions and practices in local, national, regional and global contexts to ensure a sustainable future for all.

Summary of performance expected at different junctures

Year 3 / Year 5 / Year 7 / Year 9
Students know and understand that:
– changes and continuities are identified through events, people’s contributions and the stories of local communities. / – changes and continuities are represented by events and people’s contributions and are viewed differently by different people. / –changes and continuities are linked to particular events and the achievements of individuals and groups that attract different interpretations. / – social, political, economic and cultural changes and continuities are connected to particular events, ideas and contributions, and can be interpreted from different perspectives.
– local, natural, social and built environments are defined by specific features and can be sustained by certain activities / – environments are defined and changed by interactions between people and places. / – environments are defined by physical characteristics and processes, and are connected to human activities and decisions about resource management. / – environments are defined by spatial patterns, human and physical interactions , and sustainable practices can balance human activity and environmental processes.
– local communities have different groups with shared values and common interests.
–Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a long history and diversity of lifestyle / – communities contain cultures and groups that contribute to diversity and influence cohesion.
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are distinctive and are connected to other people and specific places over time / –cultures and identities consist of material and non-material elements and are effected by cross-cultural contacts.
– personal, opinions, experience and understandings need to be considered and challenged to develop respect for and to value Aboriginal people and cultures and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures. / –cultures and identities are shaped by a range of factors, and societies promote cohesions and diversity in different ways.
– understand to some extent, the world views of Aboriginal people and Tors Strait Islander people and their connections to place and other groups, and apply this understanding to their own connections to people and places.
Year 3 / Year 5 / Year 7 / Year 9
Students know and understand that:
– communities have systems to make rules and laws, govern, and manage the production and consumption of goods and services. / – communities have developed decision-making systems that include principles and values formed over time. / – societies and economies have systems and institutions based on principles and values. / – societies consist of interconnected decision-making systems, institutions and processes based on principles and values.
Students should be able to (ways of working):
– use inquiry* processes to build understandings and make connections to the world. / – use inquiry* process to apply their understandings in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. / – use inquiry* processes and models to apply their understandings of social and environmental topics and issues in a range of contexts. / – understand the importance of inquiry* and major social and environmental ideas for investigating issues in contexts that range from local to global settings.
– communicate and share ideas using texts and terminology associated with social and environmental studies. / – communicate using different types of texts to share ideas and findings. / – communicate using texts designed for different audiences and social purposes. / – communicate using texts designed for different audiences and social purposes.
– individually and cooperatively use strategies to respond to community issues and reflect on their learning and on their values in everyday situations. / – individually and cooperatively plan strategies to take action that contributes to their community and reflect on their learning and recognise the values evident in investigations. / – individually and collaboratively plan and apply strategies for participating, both individually and collaboratively, in representative groups. They reflect on their learning and investigations to clarify values and beliefs. / – actively participate, both individually and collaboratively, in their communities in enterprising and creative ways to respond to issues. They reflect on their learning and investigations to make judgments about different values and perspectives.
– explore the use of ICT to inquire, create and communicate within social and environmental contexts. / – use ICT as an integral component of their learning to inquire, create and communicate within social and environmental contexts. / – use ICT as an integral component of their learning, to inquire, create and communicate within social and environmental contexts. / – routinely demonstrate an autonomous and purposeful use of ICT to inquire, create and communicate within social and environmental contexts.
* For information and elaborations on different types of inquiry models, visit the SOSE Gateway in the Curriculum Exchange on the Learning Place.

Ways of working in SOSE is primarily about the Inquiry process, which is the process of inquiry that includes planning an investigation, gathering and organising information and evidence, interpreting and evaluating information and presenting and communicating results for an appropriate audience.

Lessons and units of work should focus on providing students with opportunities to develop the skills of inquiry, through pedagogies that:

  • develop students’ knowledge of concepts, procedures and skills as resources for learning and contributing to the building of fair, just, peaceful and sustainable society;
  • engage students in and developing their inquiry skills, including their capacity to access data, information and evidence from varying points of view or perspectives to develop their own understandings about the local community, Australia, its region and its place in the global community;
  • support students to apply the values of democratic process, justice, peace, and sustainability to their decision-making;
  • support students to apply and develop their capacity to learn critically in ways which respect their cultural origins and which enable them to construct lives according to their developing identities;
  • develop students’ capacity to make decisions and exercise judgement in matters of morality, ethics and social justice;
  • use real life contexts or experiences as a platform to understand Australia’s histories cultures social, natural and built environments, and political and economic systems.

In planning units for identified topic categories, cross-curricular themes or issues attention to the following should occur:

  • relevant knowledge and understanding statements should be selected from across the strands or organisers (Time, Continuity and change; Place and space; Culture and identity; Political and economic systems)units should be aimed at supporting students in becoming confident and competent investigators, proficient in most or all phases of inquiry.

Key written genres

Assessable elements / Key written genres / Cultural and social purpose of this genre in SOSE
Knowledge and understanding
Investigating
Communicating
Participating
Reflecting / Factual Genres
Information report / Provides accurate and relevant information about our living and non-living world
Description / Describes features of particular people, places, cultures or systems
Practical report / Provides a recount of the method undertaken in a practical (field study), as well as data analysis, results and conclusions (recommendations)
Recount / Relates chronologically a series of past events about:
– factual /
  • environments or systems

– biographical /
  • an individual

– historical /
  • historical events

Historical account / Accounts for why events occurred during a particular time in history
Explanation / Explains how and why processes occur in our social and physical worlds through:
– sequential /
  • events that are connected chronologically

– causal /
  • events that are connected chronologically and causally as well

Expository
– argument / Persuades the reader/listener to agree with a particular point of view
– discussion / Presents the case for more than one point of view about an issue
Response Genres
Review / To assess the value of a culturally significant work providing some information about the text and evaluation. This may be historical, geographic, political, environmental or economic and draw on research, theory, data, historical film, document, and editorials.
Interpretation / Interprets what a culturally and historically significant work is trying to say, providing some evidence from the work to support the theory, hypothesis or interpretation
Critical response / Critiques historical, geographical, political, environmental or economic work by analysing the values of the work, providing evidence or data to support assertions or recommendations

Using ICT

Teachers of Studies of Society and Environment use information and communication technologies (ICT) to engage student interest and as a tool to support investigation of ideas, events, places, cultures and systems.

The focus of using ICT in SOSE should be on facilitating student achievement and thinking skills related to supporting them in becoming active citizens. The teacher’s role is to provide students with the skills and confidence to use ICT. When students participate in social and environmental inquiries, they make use of the potential of ICT to inquire, create and communicate.

In the process of Inquiry, students: /
  • Plan and undertake an investigation using ICT as a source of data and information and to publish products.
  • Perform basic and advanced searches for data and information for an investigation using a search engine.
  • Select appropriate sources of digital information to support their investigationdistinguish between fact, opinion, and point of view in information sources such as CD-Roms or websites.
  • Evaluate information sources such as CD-Roms or websites for accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, bias, purpose and intent, etc.
  • Use Learning Objects and simulation games to practice investigation skills.

In the process of Creating, students: /
  • Visit an historic site or significant place by creating a virtual fieldtrip comprising of websites where students can access numeracies source documents, photographs or film-clips as well as interactive online programs, e.g. the National Archives, Film Australia or Australian War Memorial websites.
  • Participate in online surveys, collaborative projects and email to take civic action.
  • Use databases or spreadsheets to summarise, communication or present data or information gathered through investigation.

In the process ofCommunicating, students: /
  • Use email to discuss or locate information to support an investigation or as a forum for consultation and dialogue about important matters.

Numeracy opportunities and demands

Numeracy within the SOSE classroom involves students identifying and using mathematics skills and knowledge to access the learning context. In some instances there will be opportunities for teachers to support students to make links to their prior mathematics learning and where teachers will use SOSE learning contexts to reinforce mathematical understandings. In other contexts there will be numeracy demands which might require explicit teaching of new mathematics knowledge needed.

In the SOSE KLA learners develop and use their mathematics skills and knowledge when investigating ideas, events, places, cultures and systems. In particular, students are involved in collecting, organising, analysing, critiquing and synthesising data including numerical information, and using mathematical language, symbols and reference systems.

The teacher’s role is to provide students with the skills and confidence to use the mathematics they have identified and to provide explicit teaching of the mathematics demands and in consultation with a mathematics teacher in a secondary setting, if necessary.

Organisers / Examples of numeracy opportunities
The teacher should use this as an opportunity to reinforce the mathematics learned by the student. / Example of numeracy demands
The teacher should ensure students understand this mathematics concept in order that the students can access the SOSE learning required.
Time continuity and change /
  • In Year 3, students use mathematics to construct simple timelines or interpret data displays that sequence historical events or place people or artefacts within set time periods.
  • In Year 7, students use mathematics to construct more detailed OR complex timelines or interpret data displays to sequence dates or events; to show change and continuity; progress and regression; cause and consequence.
/
  • In lower secondary students may analyse and construct detailed comparative and multi-stranded timelines to show the sequence of key local, national and international events for a range of people for a given point of time to show change and continuity, progress and regression, cause and consequence.

Place and space /
  • Early years students can use simple mathematical language when describing the position of features on a map of a familiar place.
  • Students in lower secondary should have the mathematics knowledge necessary for planning, collecting and organising, and presenting data and information using field-study skills such as observing; measuring and estimating; interviewing and surveying to report findings, which feature comparisons, identify patterns and draw conclusions.
/
  • Students in the middle years may be required to use spatial, measurement or numerical concepts (such as, using latitude and longitude readings, calculating distances and describing directions) when locating capital cities on a map of Australia or map of the Asia-Pacific.
  • Discussion about social justice issues such as poverty and wages and descriptions such as ‘Third World’ will demand that students engage with concepts such as averages, percentages and growth rates.

Culture and identity /
  • In the middle primary years, when students investigate their local community, they may select and interpret statistical data that describes the representation of religious beliefs and cultures within Australian society at a particular time.
/
  • In upper primary, students may use numerical and statistical data (including percentages and mean, mode and median) relating to life expectancies, income distribution or population distribution to describe demographic make of their local community, Australia or the Asia-Pacific.

Political and economic systems /
  • When comparing the results of ‘First past the post’ and ‘Preferential’ voting systems for a classroom ballot to select a leader or make a decision in response to an issue, the students in the middle years will interpret results, including differences and record the results in a simple table.
/
  • Knowledge of mathematics including graphical representations of quantitative data might be used by middle years students to construct an economic model representing Australia’s connections with its region and/or global community, including flows of trade, investment and tourism.

1

Studies of Society and Environment

Inquiry

(Note that this strand be addressed simultaneously with all SOSE content strands)

Concept / In Year 1
the student: / In Year 2
the student: / In Year 3
the student: / In Year 4
the student: / In Year 5
the student: / In Year 6
the student: / In Year 7
the student: / In Year 8
the student: / In Year 9
the student:
Plans investigations by identifying issues/topics and designing questions /
  • Identifies an area for investigation (something they want to find out about).
/
  • Talks about a topic using their own experience or stimulus such as a picture, film or story (e.g. talks about the contribution of leaders and groups in their local area and community).
  • Poses simple questions to gather information or seek clarification (e.g. says ‘who are those people?’).
/
  • Identifies an area for investigation.
  • Brainstorms some questions they want to know answers for (e.g. writes ‘how did Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live before the arrival of European settlers?’).
/
  • Describes what is going to be investigated and how they will collect information. N
  • Designsquestions to ask groups or individuals (e.g. in investigating the history of transport in Australia designs the question ‘what sort of transport did you use in the 1930s’ to ask the members at the local RSL).
/
  • Plans aninvestigation for a topic by preparing a step-by-step plan linked to the process of inquiry.
  • Designsinquiry questions (e.g. in investigating British Colonisation writes ‘how did British Colonisation affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?’).
/
  • Identifies topic for investigation from a list of issues and then sources information appropriate to a topic.
  • Designs focus questions collaboratively to investigate an issue.
/
  • Independently identifies an investigation focus question from an issue or topic.
  • Designs their own focus question to investigate an issue (e.g. investigating the push and pull factors that contributed to people migrating to Australia from a country in Asia or the Pacific writes ‘what factors pulled refugees to Australia?’ and ‘what factors pushed refugees to Australia?’).
/
  • Identifies a research focus.
  • Designs sub-questions from their own focus question.
  • Plans investigation using an inquiry model such as TELSTAR: Tune-in, explore, look, sort, take action, reflect.
/
  • Identifies research focus from broad topics.
  • Plans investigation using an inquiry model that is consistent with the discipline (e.g. investigates the impact of deforestation using the key questions for geography inquiry: what and where are the issues or patternsbeing studied?’;‘how and why are they there? ‘;’what are their impacts or consequences?’; ’what is being done or could be done?’).