Rationale

A sense of belonging is innate to us all. By integrating into our local community we begin to build this sense and are rewarded by creating connections and a common bond. This inquiry unit is designed to introduce the concept of community, familiarising children with their local neighbourhood and teaching them to value the contributions of various community members.

Our rationale behind chosing 'Community' as the unit topic for our VELS level 3 students is, that by this age students have already formed ideas of what being a part of a community entails - be it a family unit or school group. Hence they are now ready to be introduced to the 'wider' community and neighbourhood services that are around them.

We would expect to find that prior to commencing this unit most students are already familiar with the elements of a community, but have not as yet explored in depth the concept as a whole.