YEAR
7
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work
Unit at a glance
This unit of work:
• covers the first key question of the year 7 civics & citizenship curriculum ‘How is
Australia’s system of democratic government shaped by the Constitution?’
• contains nine lessons
• includes informal assessment items, one formal assessment item (with marking
rubric) and differentiation options for activities and assessment
• contains background information for teachers, a list of resources and worksheets.
How this unit meets curriculum requirements
Civics and citizenship curriculum
Year-level description: key question
How is Australia’s system of democratic government shaped by the
Constitution?
Content descriptions
Civics and citizenship knowledge and understanding
Government and democracy
The key features of government under the Australian Constitution
with a focus on: the separation of powers, the roles of the Executive,
the Houses of Parliament, and the division of powers (ACHCK048)
The process for constitutional change through a referendum
(ACHCK049)
Civics and citizenship skills
Questioning and research
Develop a range of questions to investigate Australia’s political and
legal systems (ACHCS054)
Identify, gather and sort information and ideas from a range of
sources (ACHCS055)
Analysis, synthesis and interpretation
Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority (ACARA), downloaded from
the Australian Curriculum website on 1/1/17.
(curriculum version 8.3)
Note: All material identified by “AC” is licensed
under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia (CC BY
NC SA) licence. For all material licensed under this
creative commons licence, you are free to:
• Share – copy and redistribute the material in
any medium or format; and
• Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the
material, under the following terms:
• Attribution – You must give appropriate credit,
provide a link to the license, and indicate if
changes were made. You may do so in any
reasonable manner, but not in any way that
suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• Non-Commercial – You may not use the
material for commercial purposes.
• ShareAlike – If you remix, transform, or
build upon the material, you must distribute
your contributions under the same license as
the original.
Critically analyse information and ideas from a range of sources in
relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS056)
Communication and reflection
Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using
subject-specific language (ACHCS059)
Bold text = aspects of the
curriculum covered by this unit
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au1
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 7, students explain features of Australia’s Constitution, including
the process for constitutional change. They explain how Australia’s legal system is
based on the principle of justice. Students explain the diverse nature of Australian
society and identify the importance of shared values in promoting a cohesive society.
Bold text = aspects
of the curriculum
covered by this unit
When researching, students develop a range of questions and gather and analyse
information from different sources to investigate Australia’s political and legal
systems. They consider different points of view on civics and citizenship issues.
When planning for action, students take into account multiple perspectives to
develop solutions to an issue. Students develop and present arguments on civics
and citizenship issues using appropriate texts, terms and concepts. They identify
ways they can be active and informed citizens.
English curriculum
Literacy
Interacting with others
Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate
content and multimodal elements to promote a point of view or enable a new way
of seeing (ACELY1720)
Use interaction skills when discussing and presenting ideas and information,
selecting body language, voice qualities and other elements, (for example music
and sound) to add interest and meaning (ACELY1804)
SEATING PLAN
Background information for teachers
• Get Parliament (see resources required)
2

1

Before you begin
MAKE IT
YOURSELF
PHOTOS
FOCUS
QUESTIONS
3
FLOW-CHART
SCRIPTS
SEQUENCE
TEACHER’S
NOTES
• PEO Closer Look – The Australian Constitution tinyurl.com/CL-Constitution
• APH Infosheet 13 – The Constitution tinyurl.com/Infosheet13
Resources required
• A copy of the Constitution is required for this unit, either in hard copy or online
www.aph.gov.au/constitution. Pocket copies of the Constitution are available for
purchase from the PEO website tinyurl.com/P-Constitution.
• Computers for students to conduct research and possibly present work.
• Printed worksheets and assessment sheets.
• Get Parliament tinyurl.com/Get-Parl
»» Booklet (downloadable from the PEO website or available to purchase as a hard
copy class set).
»» Corresponding activity sheets (downloadable from the PEO website). Note:
For some lessons, teachers need to select activities from the relevant
activity sheets. Choose these before the class begins as some require further
resources, computer access or longer time frames.
Extra resource: PEO’s
Parliament in Pictures is
a set of 10 posters with
a classroom guide and
is available for purchase
from the PEO website.
This resource relates
directly to lessons 1-6
and would be particularly
useful for teachers
who would like further
information about these
topics.
DEFINITIONS
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au2
E
A
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Assessment
Assessment and links to achievement standards
Assessment task
Students:
• explain key features of Australia’s Constitution
• develop a range of questions and gather and analyse information from different
sources to investigate Australia’s political system
• develop and present arguments on civics issues using subject-specific language.
(English Curriculum) Students make presentations and contribute actively to class and
group discussions, using language features to engage the audience.
Lessons
Lesson 1 – What is the Constitution?
1. G
ive students the Concept map to complete for the first time,
including Date 1 (this will be revisited at the end of the unit to
show student progress).
2. S
how students a copy of Australia’s Constitution and ask students
to brainstorm in pairs:
»» What do we know about the Constitution?
»» Why do we have a Constitution?
»» What does the Constitution do?
»» When was our Constitution written?
3. A
s a class, watch the PEO videos
‘Federation’ tinyurl.com/Federation-video
and ‘The Constitution’ tinyurl.com/AustCon-video.
Lesson structure
Lesson 1 – What is the Constitution?
Lesson 2-3 – What are the key features
of the Constitution?
Lessons 4-6 – Group assessment task
Lesson 7 – Presentations of assessment
Lesson 8 – What is a referendum?
Lesson 9 – Debating a referendum
issue.
Before students watch the videos, write down the following focus
questions for students to think about while they watch:
»» Why did the people in Australian colonies want to join together
to form a nation?
»» Why was the Constitution written?
»» What happened in 1901?
After watching the videos, ask students to discuss the answers to
these questions in small groups and then as a whole class.
4. G
o through Get Parliament: Federation as a class. Choose one or
two activities for students to complete from the corresponding
activity sheet.
Get Parliament is available from the
PEO website: tinyurl.com/Get-Parl
5. Go through Get Parliament: The Australian Constitution as a class.
Choose one or two activities for students to complete from the
corresponding activity sheet. (Do not use activity 6 or 8 as they
may be used later in this unit.)
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au3
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Lesson 2 to 3 – What are the key features of the Constitution?
1. D
istribute Worksheet 1 to the class. This worksheet will be completed
in stages throughout the lessons.
Note: this worksheet has three differentiated options, gradually increasing
in difficulty from A to C.
Explain that many key features of the Constitution detail how power should
be shared in Australia and that the Constitution protects these powersharing arrangements. Write the following headings on the board:
»» Separation of powers
»» Role of the Executive
»» Roles of the houses of Parliament
»» Division of powers (also known as levels of government). 1
2. Separation of powers
Discuss the separation of powers under the Constitution using PEO
Fact Sheet – Separation of Powers: Parliament, Executive and Judiciary
tinyurl.com/FS-Sep-Powers. Show students the PEO Kidsview interactive
‘Playing Fair’ tinyurl.com/ParlKidsview. Ask students to complete the
relevant section on page 1 of Worksheet 1.
Additional
information
1
States and territories (except
the ACT) establish local
councils, which are not
mentioned in the Constitution.
Territories are the responsibility
of the federal government and
have been granted
self-government through their
own legislative assemblies
(parliaments).
The formation of government is
not specifically mentioned in
the Constitution because at
federation it was generally
understood how this worked
in the Westminster system.
3. Role of the Executive
Discuss the role of the Executive using PEO Fact Sheets – Ministers
and Shadow Ministers tinyurl.com/FS-Ministers and Cabinet
tinyurl.com/FS-Cabinet. Ask students to complete the relevant section
on page 1 of Worksheet 1.
4. Roles of the houses of Parliament
Watch the PEO videos ‘The House of Representatives’
tinyurl.com/Reps-video and ‘The Senate’ tinyurl.com/Sen-video. Discuss
the composition and roles of Parliament using the PEO Fact Sheet –
Parliament tinyurl.com/FS-Parliament. Ask students to complete the
relevant section on page 1 of Worksheet 1.
5. Division of powers (levels of government)
Watch the PEO video ‘Three levels of Government’
tinyurl.com/three-levels-video. Discuss the division of powers (levels of
government) under the Constitution using PEO Fact Sheet – Three levels
of Law-Making tinyurl.com/FS-Three-Levels. Ask students to complete the
relevant section on page 1 of Worksheet 1.
6. Using the representative government and responsible government
information sheet, discuss these concepts and how they underpin the
Australian Constitution. Ask students to complete the relevant section on
page 2 of Worksheet 1.
7. Students can research the answers to the rest of Worksheet 1 using the
PEO Fact Sheet – Australian Constitution tinyurl.com/FS-Constitution.
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au4
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Lessons 4 to 6 – Group assessment task
Suggested schedule
Divide the class into eight small groups of three to four students.
Distribute and discuss assessment task and rubric, outlining
expectations and presentation time limits.
Eight scenarios have been provided which relate to the four curriculum
topics below.
»» Scenarios 1 and 2:
a separation of powers between the
legislature, executive and judiciary
Lesson 4 = explain task, group
research time
Lesson 5 = group research time,
group organisation time
Lesson 6 = group organisation
time
»» Scenarios 3 and 4:
the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government
»» Scenarios 5 and 6:
the roles of the houses of Parliament
»» Scenarios 7 and 8:
the role of the Executive.
Assign one scenario to each group. The group must identify which
curriculum topic their scenario fits best with.
If there are fewer than eight groups, assign at least one scenario from each
curriculum topic.
Lesson 7 – Presentations of assessment
OPTIONAL: During each presentation, other
students can complete Worksheet 2. Alternatively,
teachers may choose for students to write the dot
points in their workbooks.
Organise a schedule of presentations. Each presentation
needs to include main points which can be noted down.
REPRESENTATIVE
government
Representative government means a
government of representatives elected
by the people. In Australia, members
of parliament are elected to the Senate
or the House of Representatives to
represent the Australian people and
make laws on their behalf. The party,
or coalition of parties, with the support
of the majority of members elected to
the House becomes the government.
&
RESPONSIBLE
government
Responsible government means
a party, or coalition of parties,
must maintain the support of the
majority of members of the House of
Representatives in order to remain in
government. This provides a check
on the Executive, so they must be
accountable, or responsible, to
the Parliament and do not abuse
their power.
For more information, see the PEO’s Fact Sheet – Government tinyurl.com/FS-Government
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au5
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Lesson 8 – What is a referendum?
1. E
xplain to students what a referendum is and how it works.
Discuss some past referendums and how these have changed
the way Australia is governed.
Discuss the process of a referendum. 2
2. Organise a debate of the 1999 referendum issue regarding
making Australia a republic.
Introduce the topic by holding a brief class discussion about
Australia being a constitutional monarchy, and the role of
our Head of State (the Queen, represented by the GovernorGeneral). Discuss the difference between a constitutional
monarchy and a republic. 3
3. Split the class into two groups to represent the two sides of the
debate. Give groups time to write down dot points to support
their argument. Students could do this in pairs or small groups.
If groups are struggling to come up with ideas, they can be
given time to research the topic or be given ideas from the
additional information box. 4
As an alternative to this issue, the class can debate an idea for a
different change to the Constitution. They might choose to add
to, or subtract from, section 51 (federal Parliament’s law-making
powers). For example, the class could add a power to make laws
about pet control or take away the power to make laws about
trade and commerce with other countries (section 51(i)).
2
Additional information
PEO Fact Sheet – Referendums and
Plebiscites tinyurl.com/FS-Refs
PEO Closer Look – The Australian Constitution
tinyurl.com/CL-Constitution
For further information about referendums, see
tinyurl.com/AEC-refs
3
Additional information
For further information on the 1999
referendum, search ‘Fast facts: The 1999
Referendum’ on The Civics and Citizenship
Education website: www.curriculum.edu.au/cce
For further information on the differences and
similarities between a constitutional monarchy
and a republic, see PEO Closer Look –
Parliament and Congress
tinyurl.com/CL-Parl-Congress
4
Additional information
Ideas for each side of the debate
yes
no
We would have an
Australian as Head of
State
Keep the status
quo – Australia is
fine as it is, so we
don’t need any
changes
Australia would become
entirely independent
It may cost a lot to
introduce change
Many Australians are
from non-English
backgrounds, so the link
to England isn’t as
strong as it once was
Major changes
may produce
unknown results
without clear
benefits
We should be looking to
our future, not just our
history
Our current
system has served
Australia well for
over a century and
has made our
country strong
The public information campaign for the 1999
referendum can be found on the AEC website
at: tinyurl.com/AEC-republic-info
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au6
Civics and Citizenship
Unit of Work – Year 7
Lesson 9 – Debating a referendum issue
1. Hold the debate, with a student chairperson
to run the meeting. The chairperson calls each
person to speak, alternating sides to give time to
both sides of the argument. 5
2. A
fter the debate, hold a class conversation about what took
place. Ask students if they think this referendum would
succeed today. Why/why not? Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of having a Constitution that can only be
amended by referendum.
Additional information
5
If you have further time to hold the
referendum in class, see
tinyurl.com/AEC-resources. Scroll down to
resources on referendums.
For a more advanced lesson on the republic
issue, see tinyurl.com/republic-lesson
3. A
sk students to add to the Concept map, including
Date 2 to show how much they have learned.
YEAR 7 UNIT OF WORK – | produced by the Parliamentary Education Office | www.peo.gov.au7