Lesson summary
In this activity students are asked to interview someone older than them. The student will ask the person about how they used energy when they where the age of the student. This person should be at least as old as their parents or as old as their grandparents if possible.
Note: Teachers must confirm that this activity fits with their school’s privacy policies. It may be necessary to modify the activity so it does comply (making sure there is no references to names, including the student’s name). Your school may also require that a note goes home explaining and asking permission that students collect family oral history comparing energy use.
Key lessons and understandings of activity:
- How has energy use changed over time?
- What was it like when our parents were young? What was it like when our grandparents were young? How does this compare to now?
- Why is it important and interesting to talk to our families about the past?
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
Australian Curriculum content descriptions:
Year 5 English:
- Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view (ACELY1699)
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)
Year 5 History:
- Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI094)
- Examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present (ACHASSI099)
Year 6 English:
- Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions (ACELY1709)
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)
Year 6 History:
- Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI122)
- Examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present (ACHASSI127)
Syllabus Outcomes: EN3-1A, EN3-8D, HT3-5.
General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking, Literacy.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.6, OI.8.
Relevant parts of Year 5 English achievement standards: Students create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for different purposes and audiences.
Relevant parts of Year 5 History achievement standards: Students develop questions for an investigation and describe the experiences of different people in the past.
Relevant parts of Year 6 English achievement standards: Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect.
Relevant parts of Year 6 History achievement standards: Students develop appropriate questions to frame an investigation, and They compare the experiences of different people in the past.
Time required: 20 mins in class prior to and after interview, homework time
Level of teacher scaffolding: Engage students in a discussion around interview results following completion of the activity.
Resources required
- Student Worksheet – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet.
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- Critical thinking
- Communication
- Creativity
- Social Skills
- Community engagement
- Problem solving
- Empathy
Additional info
This is an original Cool.org lesson. Facts and figures in these lessons may have changed since this lesson was published. We always endeavour to update our resources in a timely manner, but if you see an error or issue in our resources please get in touch with us.
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