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Topic 2 – Community support

This primary school resource focuses on establishing strong foundations for learning about tax and super.

Last updated 27 February 2020

This primary school resource focuses on teaching values and actions to help establish strong foundations for learning about tax and super.

Overview

Tax talk

  • All levels of governments collect tax to pay for goods and services for all Australians.
  • Tax is a system that requires honesty, integrity, following rules and self-assessment.

Learning intention

In this topic, students:

  • reflect on ways they contribute to their community
  • explain how and why organisations lend a helping hand in their community
  • understand that taxation is a system that relies on honesty and integrity
  • identify resources and services provided in their community and distinguish between those that are public and those that are private.

Focus questions

  • How can I lend a ‘helping hand’ in my community?
  • What services act as ‘helping hands’ in communities around Australia?
  • What services do different levels of government provide?
  • What resources and services exist in my community and who provides them?

Activities

  1. Introduction – think-pair-share
  2. Helping hands in the community – visual stimulus
  3. Tax spending – categorisation
  4. Taxation as a system – what if?
  5. Public versus private – classifying
  6. Creating our ideal community – group planning
  7. Reflection – ethical actions

Resources

Some resources are available as both a PDF and as accessible text. If a resource does not have a text version and you need an accessible version, email us at schoolseducationprogram@ato.gov.au.

Topic 2 resources

Australian Curriculum Connections

Content

  • English
  • HASS
  • HPE

General capabilities

  • Literacy
  • ICT
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding 

Curriculum mapping

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Introduction – think-pair-share

  1. Explain that sometimes people need a helping hand to make sure they get a fair go.
    Think – 30 seconds
    Pair – 1 minute
    Share – 5 minutes
  2. Think-pair-share: When have you lent a helping hand to somebody?
  3. Ask:      
    • What was the result of your actions?
    • How did lending a helping hand make you feel?
     

Helping hands in the community – visual stimulus

This activity may contribute to student portfolios.

  1. Display each image in ‘Helping Hands in the Community’ (Resource 1 - PDF, 525KBThis link will download a file) on a screen.
  2. For each image, ask:    
    • Who is providing a helping hand?
    • What help is being provided?
    • What other organisations and/or services act as ‘helping hands’ in your community?
    • What is the result of this help?
     

Teacher tip

Students may need to view the video more than once in order to answer all questions.

  1. Discuss with students the meaning of following ethical principle (John Stuart Mill): 'Actions are right in proportion to whether they promote happiness'.
  2. Students trace around their hand. On each finger they record what they could do to help in their community. On their palm they explain the difference their actions will make. When making their choices, students consider John Stuart Mill’s ethical principle.
  3. Post student hands on the classroom wall.

Tax spending – categorisation

  1. View Levels of government video clipExternal Link.
  2. Write the headings for each level of government on a piece of chart paper labelled ’Levels of Government’.
  3. Use a grouping strategy to organise students into pairs.
  4. Pairs sort their services cards into which level of government they think is responsible for each service (Resource 2 - PDF, 172KBThis link will download a file).
  5. Call out one card at a time and ask:      
    • Which level of government do you think provides this service?
     
  6. Attach the card to the relevant section of the chart paper for display in the classroom.
  7. Following the activity, ask:      
    • Who pays for government services?
    • Who benefits from the services governments provide?
     
  8. How do government services promote a ‘fair go’ for all Australians?

Teacher tip

Depending on their level of readiness, students could view ‘The Australian Taxation SystemExternal Link'.

Taxation as a system – what if?

This activity may contribute to student portfolios.

  1. Display the diagram of a heap versus a system (Resource 4 - PDF, 76KBThis link will download a file).
  2. Discuss the differences between a heap and a system.
  3. Ask students to arrive at a definition of a system or provide the following definition:      
    • A system is made of parts that have a purpose and are connected to each other. Altering any part of a system will change how it works.
     
  4. Ask:      
    • Can you think of any other systems?
     
  5. Display the photo of a streetscape (Resource 5 - PDF, 166KBThis link will download a file).
  6. Brainstorm the systems implied in the streetscape (eg: power, telecommunications, transport, roads, post)
  7. Explain:      
    • Taxation is a system. It relies on all its parts working together just like an electrical circuit. It also relies on honesty as it is based on self-assessment. The tax office trusts taxpayers to do the right thing.
    • The parts of the taxation system are:      
      • Government (collects taxes and provides services)
      • Citizens (pay taxes and use services)
       
     
  8. Invite students to create a visual representation of the taxation system. If possible, allow them to use ICT.
  9. Play 'Village and the Boy Named Tax’ animation.

Media: Village and the Boy Named Tax
https://tv.ato.gov.au/ato-tv/media?v=bd1bdiun8giu9fExternal Link (Duration: 2:56)

  1. Ask each Community Planning Group to pose a ‘what if’ question in relation to taxation. Examples include:      
    • No one paid tax.
    • The government saved all its tax revenue for a rainy day.
    • Most taxpayers cheated on their tax return.
    • People with blue eyes did not have to pay tax.
    • All government spending was allocated to defence.
     
  2. Select groups to ask one ‘What if’ question to the class. Each group collaboratively predicts the consequences of each scenario (Resource 6 - PDF, 68KBThis link will download a file).

Alternative activity

This activity is also available as an online quiz (Kahoot). The following is needed in order to play this online quiz.

  • Teachers will have to register at Kahoot.comExternal Link.
  • Each student (or pair of students) will need to have a device such as a mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  • The computer screen will need to be projected in front of the class.

To play, follow these steps:

  1. Log into Kahoot.comExternal Link and search for ‘Tax spending in Australia’
  2. Click on ‘Play’ and set up your Kahoot as either classic player or team mode.
  3. Ask students to go to Kahoot on their devices (or Kahoot.itExternal Link if they are playing on a computer).
  4. The pin will appear on the screen.
  5. Students input the unique pin.
  6. Following the activity, ask:      
    • Who pays for government services?
    • Who benefits from the services governments provide?
    • How do government services promote a ‘fair go’ for all Australians?
     

Public versus private – classifying

  1. Explain to students that a government service is available to all Australians because tax is used to meet the needs of the community. These are PUBLIC. However, there are also services and resources that are privately owned, and people must pay for them. These are PRIVATE.
  2. Give each Community Planning Group a map of the closest CBD or local community and a piece of chart paper (or allow them to use an online map).
  3. Each group identifies services and resources on the map that are ‘PRIVATE’ or ‘PUBLIC’.

Teacher tip

Students could colour code or write lists of private and public services and resources identified.

Creating our ideal community – group planning

This activity may contribute to student portfolios.

  1. Community Planning Groups allocate roles to each member for this task.
  2. Each group decides what public and private services and resources will be provided in their ideal community – Resource 7: creating our ideal community – Part 2 (text version) or PDF (85KB)This link will download a file.
  3. Individual students:      
    • select public services or resources from their list that support each of the following     
      • Physical activity
      • Connecting to the environment.
       
    • Students explain how each of these services or resources support community wellbeing.
     

Reflection – ethical actions

  1. Discuss the following ethical principle: 'Always treat people as ends, not means' (Immanuel Kant).
  2. Students provide an example of a time when they used this principle as a basis for action.

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Text versions of resources

The following is an accessible text version of resources for Years 5–6, Topic 2 – Community support:

We do not have accessible text versions for all resources. If a resource does not have a text version and you need an accessible version, email us at schoolseducationprogram@ato.gov.au.

For a complete list of this topic’s resources, see Resources.

Resource 7: creating our ideal community – Part 2

This resource is for Years 5–6, Topic 2 – Community support, activity titled Creating our ideal community – group planning:

Along with this accessible version, which you can either print or use online, we also have the same resource available as a PDF – Resource 7: creating our ideal community – Part 2 (PDF, 85KB)This link will download a file.

Instructions

  1. Look at your community needs from Part 1 – see Topic 1. Make changes if you need to.
  2. Decide which services and resources will be provided in your ideal community. Choose from the following list or add your own (circle those you will provide and add to the list if needed).
  3. Sort the services and resources you have selected for your community into private and public.

Sample of services and resources to sort into private and public

  • Roads
  • Residential areas (housing)
  • Parks and gardens
  • Waste management (dump, recycling)
  • Community bus depot and bus stops
  • Cemetery
  • Council office
  • Shopping centre
  • Food shops
  • Petrol stations
  • Bus stops
  • Train stations
  • Library
  • Public toilets
  • Visitor information centre
  • Sport and recreation
  • Community hall
  • Schools
  • Mobile phone tower
  • Post office
  • Centrelink
  • Aged person facility
  • Pool
  • Aerodrome
  • Marina
  • Caravan park
  • Police station
  • Fire station
  • Ambulance station
  • Hospital
  • Childcare centre
  • Court (legal)
  • Footpaths
  • Bike paths
  • Banks
  • Dentist
  • Doctor surgery
  • Art gallery
  • Museum
  • Theatre
  • Bus stops
  • Streetlights

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QC61306