Welcome to 2024 ethics – and a special welcome to those of you whose children start ethics this year. This @Home bulletin lets you know what your children will be discussing in their ethics lessons this term.
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We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it! These topics are relevant to us as adults too. We’d love to hear of any good discussions you have. Schools commence their ethics programs at different points of the term – some are quick to start, others take awhile to get organised and begin in late February or early March. If you haven’t yet heard, give it a week or two then ask your child.
We always – no exaggeration- need more volunteers to teach ethics. You don’t need any previous teaching experience and it only takes an hour or so a week, at the same time every week so there’s no spillover into the rest of your life. Check out what a volunteer does and how you can apply (or suggest it to friends or grandparents.)
Here’s a brief look at what your children are exploring in their ethics lessons in Term 1 2024.
The topics we show you below are based on classes which begin at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times (and depend on there being enough volunteers), 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. 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: Being curious and asking questions
Young children are curious about countless things and a goal of our curriculum is to nurture this curiosity (as well as their thinking and questioning abilities) so that they’re motivated and confident enough to think critically and for themselves about issues that matter to them. Our first topic of the year encourages students to start thinking about why we ask questions. Students will also consider why it can sometimes be hard to ask questions out loud when we’re worried about looking silly.
Later in the year, students will consider questions about sharing, fairness and doing harm without meaning to.
Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Pride
In the first Stage 1 topic of the year students explore some big questions to do with pride. What does it mean to be proud of something? Is it okay to be proud of our accomplishments? What about being proud of the things we’re given, like gifts and rewards – is that okay? And why are we sometimes proud of other people?
Later in the year, students will reflect on the importance of having good reasons and discuss the ethics of laziness.
Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Being selfish
In the first Stage 2 topic of the year, students delve into the ethics of being selfish. Is it okay to act selfishly, or is it always wrong? If you’ve put lots of time or effort into something or you’re worried it could get broken, is it okay not to share it? What does it mean if you help someone but for selfish reasons – is that misleading or deceitful?
Later in the year, students will think about how to disagree respectfully and whether it’s okay to keep animals in captivity.
Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: A fair society
In the first Stage 3 topic of the year, students ponder what it means to have a fair society. Do we have a responsibility to make sure everyone can go to school and receive medical treatment? What are some of the challenges involved in providing such opportunities? And do governments have a responsibility to address inequalities that are the result of good or bad luck?
Later in the year, students will consider whether it’s ever okay to challenge a rule or piece of advice given by an authority.
Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: Role models
The first topic of the year invites students to consider the place of role models in our lives. What makes someone a good role model? Must someone to be a good person to be a good role model? Is it fair to have higher expectations of someone just because others consider them a role model? Can having a role model, even if it’s someone you’ve never met, help you navigate life’s moral challenges?
Later in the year, students will discuss whether the voting age should be lowered and some ethical dilemmas to do with friendships.