ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors explain the interconnected elements of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) as a learning area in the primary years. They explore the theoretical reasons why inquiry-based learning underpins the knowledge and understanding relevant to the interdisciplinary concepts and the inquiry skills of the HASS learning area. The authors identify the principles of an inquiry approach to effective teaching and learning. The authors plan a sequence of lessons according to the phases of an inquiry-based teaching and learning model inclusive of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. The history rationale in the Australian curriculum justifies the importance of history in the holistic education of its nation’s future citizens. Geography seeks to provide an understanding of the way in which the world works and investigates the interrelations of these entities over time and space. Economics and Business empowers participation in consumer and financial literacy, and entrepreneurship that enable informed decisions to optimise opportunities for productive and rewarding futures.
