Celebrating Harmony Week: Everyone belongs

This lesson is an ideal opportunity to celebrate Harmony Week. Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community. The central message is "Everyone Belongs," fostering inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background.

Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: The inclusion predictor

30 minutes

Find Out:

25 minutes

Take Action:

Learning intentions

We are learning to acquire and represent data about our classroom community.
We are learning to interpret and communicate findings from our data displays.

Success criteria

I can collect data using a survey to answer a question about inclusion.
I can create a column graph to display my data and discuss what it shows.

💡 Tune In: The inclusion predictor

Step 1

Ask students to close their eyes and think about how included they feel in their classroom community. Explain that "included" means feeling like you belong, you're welcome, and your ideas matter.

Step 2

Distribute a small slip of paper to each student. On one side, they are to write "Yes", and on the other, "No". Tell them they will secretly predict the percentage of students in the class who feel "included" (e.g., "I predict 80% of our class feels included").

Step 3

On a designated 'prediction wall' or board, have students anonymously stick their "Yes" or "No" slips under a simple heading: "I feel included" / "I don't feel included", without revealing their prediction percentage. Then, have them write their percentage prediction on a separate sticky note and place it in a 'prediction box'.

Step 4

Prompt students to briefly discuss in pairs why they made their prediction, focusing on observable classroom behaviours, without revealing their personal feeling. Collect the prediction box for later.

🔍 Find Out: Survey says! Graphing our feelings

Step 1

Introduce the key vocabulary: data, survey, inclusion, diversity, categorical variable, column graph. Explain that data is information we collect, a survey is a way to collect opinions or facts, inclusion means everyone feels part of the group, and diversity means having many different kinds of people. A categorical variable describes qualities, like 'yes' or 'no' feelings. A column graph uses columns to show how much of something there is.

Step 2

Model how to formulate a clear, unbiased survey question about inclusion. For example: "Do you feel like your ideas are listened to in our classroom?" Explain why this is better than "Do you always feel listened to?" (because "always" might be too strong).

Step 3

Guide students to collectively choose one survey question related to classroom inclusion (e.g., "Do you feel like you belong in our class?", "Do you feel our classroom celebrates everyone's differences?"). Emphasise anonymity and respect.

Step 4

Conduct the classroom survey. Have students use a private method to cast their vote (e.g., writing 'Yes' or 'No' on a slip and placing it in a designated box, or using an online poll tool if available). Collect the responses.

Step 5

As a class, tally the results for the chosen question. Model how to draw a simple column graph on the board, demonstrating clear labels for the axes (e.g., "Feeling Included" on the x-axis, "Number of Students" on the y-axis), and an appropriate scale (e.g., counting by ones or twos).

Step 6

Have students independently create their own column graph in their maths books or on provided graph paper, using the collected classroom data. Encourage neatness and accurate representation. Circulate to provide feedback and support.

✨ Take Action: My cultural storyboard

Step 1

Discuss the created column graphs. Ask students: "What does our graph tell us about how included people feel?" Compare the actual results to the predictions made in the 'Tune In' activity. Celebrate accurate predictions and discuss discrepancies.

Step 2

Facilitate a class discussion about what actions could be taken to ensure everyone in the classroom feels included and valued. Prompt students with questions like: "What could we say or do to make sure every voice is heard?", "How can we celebrate our diversity more?"

Step 3

In small groups, students brainstorm 2-3 specific, actionable ideas to promote inclusion and diversity in the classroom (e.g., "start a 'Kindness Compliment' jar," "make sure everyone has a turn speaking," "learn to say hello in different languages represented in our class").

Step 4

Each group shares their best idea with the class. As a class, vote on the top 1-2 ideas. Work together to create a short "Our Inclusive Class Pledge" incorporating these actions. Display the pledge prominently in the classroom as a reminder.

🌱 Story of Change: Embrace hub

The Embrace Hub, founded by Youth Activating Youth, champions mental health and wellbeing for young people from diverse backgrounds in Australia. By providing culturally sensitive programs and support, they foster environments where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Their work helps young individuals build confidence and feel a strong sense of belonging within their communities, demonstrating the power of inclusion. Source: https://yay.org.au/

Assessment opportunities

Observe student participation and collaborative skills during the "Inclusion Predictor" and "Our Inclusive Class Pledge" activities.
Review students' independently created column graphs for accuracy in data representation, labelling, and scaling.
Listen to student discussions during graph interpretation to assess their ability to draw conclusions from data.
Collect students' brainstormed ideas for the "Our Inclusive Class Pledge" to gauge their understanding of practical inclusion strategies.

Differentiation

Support:
- Provide partially completed graph templates with axes labelled and scales pre-determined.
- Work with a small group to model data tallying and graph construction step-by-step.
- Pair students to support each other during graph creation.
Extension:
- Challenge students to formulate a second, more complex survey question and collect data from a different group (e.g., another Year 4 class, or teachers) to compare results.
- Ask students to write a short paragraph interpreting their graph and suggesting possible reasons for the data trends.
- Encourage students to design a more complex data display, such as a picture graph with a many-to-one scale.
Literacy Extension: Have students write a short persuasive letter to the school principal, using their graph data as evidence, to advocate for a specific inclusion initiative in the school.

Where to next

This lesson naturally progresses to exploring other types of graphs like pictographs with many-to-one scales, line graphs for continuous data (Year 5), and further statistical investigations involving larger data sets and identifying trends. Students could also delve into different measures of data like mode, median, and mean in subsequent years.

Key vocabulary

Data: Information or facts collected for analysis.
Survey: A method of collecting data by asking a series of questions.
Inclusion: The act of making sure all people are valued and feel like they belong and are involved.
Diversity: The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.
Categorical variable: A type of data that can be divided into groups or categories (e.g., 'Yes' or 'No', favourite colour).
Column graph: A type of graph that uses vertical or horizontal bars (columns) to represent and compare different categories of data.

This lesson was made with

Our Class, Our Story: Graphing Inclusion

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Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Prior Knowledge

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

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