Core Skills Analysis
HASS: Civics and Citizenship
Arrie investigated Western Australian rules about children’s work and compared the legal conditions for paper rounds with those applying to dog walking. She learned that laws can distinguish between types of work and agreements, and that legal responsibilities affect how people participate in their communities. Her research supported practical civic understanding because she used government-related information to make an informed decision about a proposed activity.
English
Arrie planned and designed a flyer to communicate information about her dog-walking venture. She made choices about wording and presentation for an audience of potential customers, practising persuasive and informative communication. Creating the flyer also helped her organise a real-world message around a service, rather than simply completing an abstract writing task.
Mathematics
Arrie explored an activity connected to earning money and beginning a service venture. Although no calculations were described, the context introduced practical mathematical ideas such as considering services, customers, and possible prices. Designing a business flyer created a meaningful foundation for later work with rates, earnings, costs, and schedules.
Tips
Tips: Help Arrie turn the flyer into a simple business plan by listing the service area, dog-walking time, price, and safety expectations. She could compare different pricing options and calculate weekly earnings using a table. Invite her to role-play a customer conversation, including questions about permission, responsibilities, and what happens if plans change. Together, review current official WA guidance before taking any real-world steps, since legal requirements and local expectations can change.
Book Recommendations
- The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies: A lively story about siblings, competition, pricing, and the challenges of running a small venture.
- The Startup Squad by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear: A middle-grade novel about young people creating a business and learning about teamwork and entrepreneurship.
- How to Turn Your Parents into Money Machines by Andy Rathbone: A humorous, practical introduction to money concepts for children, including earning, saving, and planning.
Learning Standards
- WAHASS31 – HASS, Year 3, Civics and Citizenship: Arrie examined rules affecting community participation and used civic information to make a practical decision, although the activity did not specifically address the role of local government.
- AC9E3LY01 – English, Year 3, Literacy: Arrie created a real-world informative and persuasive flyer, applying planning and communication skills.
- AC9E6LY01 – English, Year 6, Literacy: Her flyer involved selecting language and presentation choices intended to influence an audience, providing an early connection to oral and written persuasion.
- AC9M6N05 – Mathematics, Year 6, Number: The earning-money context provides an authentic opportunity to extend into whole-number calculations involving prices, income, and schedules; no such calculations were reported in the activity.
Try This Next
- Create a business-budget worksheet with columns for price per walk, walks per week, weekly income, and possible costs.
- Write five customer questions Arrie might answer, such as service times, location, dog size, and permission requirements.
- Design two flyer versions—one informative and one persuasive—and compare which wording best suits the intended audience.
- Make a legal-research checklist recording the official source, rule discovered, and question that still needs confirmation.