Activity Title: New School Rules

Year
Level: 3
Activity Overview:
During this activity, students will be working collaboratively, and
developing decision-making and communication skills. Students will
identify an issue within the school and develop a new school rule
that will help to solve the issue. Students will be engaging with
concepts including sustainability within the school, fairness,
equality, and behaviour management.
Student Prior Knowledge:
Understanding of the school rules and the reasons behind
these rules
Basic knowledge of small issues within the school
Teacher Prior Knowledge:
Understanding of the school rules and the reasons behind
these rules
Familiarity of the issues within the school that students may
identify
Understanding that school leadership staff may be sensitive to
critically analysing the school rules. The teacher should check
with leadership staff before engaging in this activity. If there is
an issue using school rules, the teacher could use classroom
rules instead
Curriculum:
How and why people make rules (ACHCK002)
Work in groups to identify issues, possible solutions and a plan
for action (ACHCS008)
General Capabilities:
Critical and Creative Thinking
Across the Australian Curriculum, students develop capability
in critical and creative thinking as they learn to generate
and evaluate knowledge, clarify concepts and ideas,
seek possibilities, consider alternatives and solve
problems. Critical and creative thinking are integral to
activities that require students to think broadly and deeply
using skills, behaviours and dispositions such as
reason, logic, resourcefulness, imagination and
innovation in all learning areas at school and in their
lives beyond school.
Personal and Social Capability
In the Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship students
are encouraged to develop and apply personal, interpersonal
and social skills, behaviours and dispositions, through
working collaboratively and constructively in groups,
developing their communication, decision making,
conflict resolution and leadership skills, and learning

to appreciate the insights and perspectives of others.

Ethical Understanding
In the Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship, students
discuss and apply ethical concepts such as equality,
respect and fairness, which underpin Australias democracy.
Cross-Curriculum Priorities:
Sustainability
The sustainability of ecological, social and economic systems
is achieved through informed individual and community
action that values local and global equity and fairness
across generations into the future.
Learning Objectives: (teacher language)
Students work collaboratively and effectively
Students identify a relevant issue within the school
Students collaboratively develop a new rule that will solve
their identified issue and are able to rationalise the
effectiveness of this rule
Learning Intentions: (kid friendly language)
Work in groups to create a rule to solve an issue in the school
Resources:
Large strips of paper
Pens
Wall space
Blutac
Year 3s New School Rules heading on a large strip of paper
Activity Process:
1. Students are split into groups of 4 and asked to think of an
issue in the school
2. Students are asked why they think that this issue is relevant
and explain to the teacher why this issue is important to them
3. Students work in their groups of 4 to develop 1 rule that will
help to solve this issue (e.g. Issue: excessive rubbish in the
playground. Solution: Students must eat only in the
designated eating area)
4. Groups are provided with a large strip of paper which they
write their new school rule on
5. Each group takes turns explaining their issue to the class and
presenting their solution, and posting their rule on the wall
under the heading
Modifications:
Students with difficulties can be placed in groups by the
teacher to ensure that they are working with students will
support the student in their task. If placing some students in
groups while letting the rest of the class choose becomes an
issue (or has been identified as an issue previously) the
teacher can place the whole class into groups.
Assessment:
Assessment of Learning

Students demonstrate an ability to identify an issue within the

school and find a relevant rule to solve this issue. Students
demonstrate the ability to rationalise their new rule.