Welcome to @Home bulletin for Term 3 2025, where we let families know what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, could be exploring in their ethics lessons this term.
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The topics we show below are based on classes which begin at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times of the year, some lessons go faster or slower than others, some schools skip ethics for the first and last weeks of the term while others teach every single week – and so on.
We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it!
If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.
Kindergarten: Changing your mind
Sometimes we change our minds – and sometimes we don’t want to. This term, young students will explore what it means to change our mind and why we sometimes hold onto ideas even when new reasons are offered. Is changing your mind a sign of weakness or strength? They’ll practise recognising when it’s time to rethink and when it’s okay to stand firm – and why good reasons for having an opinion matter.
Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Stereotyping
This term, Stage 1 students will explore the idea of stereotypes. They’ll start with playful examples – like assuming all wombats are grumpy – before turning to more serious ones, such as assumptions about people based on how they look. They’ll consider whether it’s fair to judge someone before getting to know them and discuss why generalisations can be both helpful and harmful.
Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Intentions
When someone causes harm but didn’t mean to – is it still wrong? And what if someone tries to do something wrong but ends up helping? Stage 2 students will explore how much our intentions matter and whether we should judge actions based on what people meant to do or what actually happened. They’ll reflect on praise, blame and the difference between accidents and choices.
Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Stealing
Most kids know that stealing is wrong – but what counts as stealing and why is it wrong? Is it stealing to use someone else’s Netflix account? What about watching a fireworks display you didn’t pay for? Stage 3 students will examine different types of stealing and think about whether something can be morally wrong even if it’s not illegal – and whether stealing is always wrong in every situation.
Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: Does it matter if everyone disagrees with you?
Teenagers are often encouraged to ‘think for yourself’ – but what happens when everyone else disagrees? Does that mean you’re wrong? This term, students will explore disagreement and confidence in our own views. They’ll discuss examples from food, art and ethics and consider whether some opinions are just a matter of taste – or whether it’s possible to be mistaken, even about your own point of view.
Each term brings new ideas and questions and we hope these topics spark interesting conversations at home as well!