Subject description

Community Connections is a 10 or 20‑credit subject at Stage 2.

Community Connections provides opportunities for success for students who have an interest in a particular SACE Stage 2 subject, but who choose to demonstrate their learning in alternate ways or through a personal connection with the subject area.

The subject values the student’s interests and strengths, enables curiosity, empowers them to become independent self‑directed learners who are willing to try different approaches in different contexts, and discover new ways of thinking and learning.

Community Connections fosters many elements of a thriving learner. An identifying feature of this subject is the autonomy and empowerment it gives students.  Student agency is promoted when the student decides on which ideas, concepts, or areas of interest related to the Stage 2 subject they wish to explore, as well as the focus and direction of their community application activity.  The skills and meaningful learning students acquire through Community Connections enhances their sense of belonging, and encourages authentic connections to a community, which in turn, encourages deeper understanding and skilful action, while allowing the transfer of concepts and skills to different contexts.

Students may enrol in Community Connections from the beginning of the year, or transfer their enrolment from the selected Stage 2 subject to Community Connections part way through the year.  In either scenario, their learning is based on some of the learning requirements for the selected Stage 2 subject. 

Capabilities

The capabilities connect student learning within and across subjects in a range of contexts.

The SACE identifies seven capabilities.

Literacy

In this subject, students extend and apply their literacy capability by, for example:

• communicating with a range of people in a variety of contexts
• asking questions, expressing opinions, and taking different perspectives into account
• using language with increasing awareness, clarity, accuracy, and suitability for a range of audiences, contexts, and purposes
• accessing, analysing, and selecting appropriate primary and secondary sources
• engaging with, and reflecting on, the ways in which texts are created for specific purposes and audiences
• composing a range of texts — written, oral, visual, and multimodal
• reading, viewing, writing, listening, and speaking, using a range of technologies
• developing an understanding that different text types (e.g. website, speech, newspaper article, film, painting, data set, report, set of instructions, or interview) have their own distinctive stylistic features
• acquiring an understanding of the relationships between literacy, language, and culture
• identifying the specific literacy skills required for the chosen community application activity.

Numeracy

In this subject, students extend and apply their numeracy capability by, for example:

• communicating ideas to a range of audiences, using appropriate language and representations such as symbols, tables, and graphs
• analysing information displayed in a variety of representations and translating information from one representation to another
• justifying the validity of the findings, using everyday language, when appropriate
• applying skills in estimating and calculating, to solve and model everyday problems using thinking, written, and digital strategies
• interpreting information given in numerical form in diagrams, maps, graphs, and tables
• visualising, identifying, and sorting shapes and objects in the environment
• interpreting patterns and relationships when solving problems
• recognising spatial and geographical features and relationships
• recognising and incorporating statistical information that requires an understanding of the diverse ways in which data are gathered, recorded, and presented.

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

In this subject, students extend and apply their ICT capability by, for example:

• understanding how contemporary information and communication technologies affect communication
• critically analysing the limitations and impacts of current technologies
• considering the implications of potential technologies
• communicating and sharing ideas and information, to collaboratively construct knowledge and digital solutions
• defining and planning information searches of a range of primary and secondary sources when investigating the community activity/community application activity or undertaking tasks in the area or field of study
• developing an understanding of hardware and software components, and operations of appropriate systems, including their functions, processes, and devices related to the area or field of study
• applying information and communication technology knowledge and skills to a range of methods to collect and process data, and transmit and produce information
• learning to manage and manipulate electronic sources of data, databases, and software applications
• applying technologies to design and manage projects.

Critical and creative thinking

In this subject, students extend and apply their critical and creative thinking capability by, for example:

• thinking critically, logically, ethically, and reflectively
• learning and applying new knowledge and skills
• accessing, organising, using, and evaluating information
• posing questions and identifying and clarifying information and ideas
• developing knowledge and understanding of a range of research processes
• understanding the nature of innovation
• recognising how knowledge changes over time and is influenced by people
• exploring and experiencing creative processes and practices
• designing features that are fit for function (e.g. physical, virtual, or textual)
• investigating the place of creativity in learning, the workplace, and community life
• examining the nature of entrepreneurial enterprise
• reflecting on, adjusting, and explaining their thinking, and identifying the reasons for choices, strategies, and actions taken, applying time management strategies
• setting challenging and achievable goals
• considering different possibilities, considering alternatives, and solving problems
• generating new ideas in specific contexts, seeing existing situations in new ways
• sorting out conflicting claims and weighing evidence
• making plans and being strategic.

Personal and social capability

In this subject, students extend and apply their personal and social capability by, for example:

• developing a sense of personal identity
• reviewing and planning personal goals 
• developing an understanding of, and exercising, individual and shared obligations and rights
• participating actively and responsibly in learning, work, and community life 
• establishing and managing relationships in personal and community life, work, and learning
• developing empathy for and understanding of others
• making responsible decisions based on evidence
• working effectively in teams and handling challenging situations constructively
• building links with others, locally, nationally, and/or globally.

Ethical understanding

In this subject, students extend and apply their ethical understanding capability by, for example:

• identifying and discussing ethical concepts and issues
• considering ethical and safe research processes, including respecting the rights and work of others, acknowledging sources, and observing protocols when approaching people and organisations
• appreciating the ethical and legal dimensions of research and information
• reflecting on personal ethics and honesty in experience and decision‑making
• exploring ideas, rights, obligations, and ethical principles
• considering workplace safety principles, practices, and procedures
• developing ethical sustainable practices in the workplace and the community
• inquiring into ethical issues, selecting and justifying an ethical position, and understanding the experiences, motivations, and viewpoints of others
• debating ethical dilemmas and applying ethical principles in a range of situations
• taking responsibility to protect, maintain, and improve quality of life and environment for all members of society.

Intercultural understanding

In this subject, students extend and apply their intercultural understanding capability by, for example:

• identifying, observing, analysing, and describing characteristics of their own cultural identities and those of others (e.g. group memberships, traditions, values, religious beliefs, and ways of thinking)
• recognising that culture is dynamic and complex and that there is variability within all cultural, linguistic, and religious groups
• learning about and engaging with diverse cultures in ways that recognise commonalities and differences, create connections with others, and cultivate mutual respect
• developing skills to relate to and move between cultures
• acknowledging the social, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity of a nation, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia
• recognising the challenges of living in a culturally diverse society and of negotiating, interpreting, and mediating difference
• recognising, acknowledging, appreciating, and valuing the contribution of diverse cultural groups within a community
• learning to value and view critically their own cultural perspectives and practices and those of others
• communicating with others to analyse intercultural experiences critically.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, cultures, and perspectives

In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and schools and school sectors, the SACE Board of South Australia supports the development of high-quality learning and assessment design that respects the diverse knowledge, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

The SACE Board encourages teachers to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning programs by:

• providing opportunities in SACE subjects for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences
• recognising and respecting the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society
• drawing students’ attention to the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives from the past and the present
• promoting the use of culturally appropriate protocols when engaging with and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

Learning requirements

The learning requirements summarise the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through their learning in Stage 2 Community Connections.

In this subject, students are expected to:

1. develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to a selected Stage 2 subject
2. develop one or more SACE capabilities
3. plan, explore and develop strategies to undertake a community application activity
4. connect their community application activity to a community context
5. consider benefits and future possibilities of the community application activity to the community and themselves
6. communicate ideas and insights, solve problems, make decisions, and reflect on personal learning.

Fields of study

Community Connections is a 10‑credit subject or a 20‑credit subject at Stage 2. Students may undertake more than one Community Connections subject, but only one enrolment per subject code. Students may not enrol in both 10 and 20 credit subjects under the same field of study, as these are precluded combinations. That is, where there is both a 10 and a 20-credit subject using the same subject code these are precluded against each other. For example, 2HSC10 - Humanities and Social Sciences Connections and 2HSC20 - Humanities and Social Sciences Connections are a precluded combination.

Each individual program of learning is placed within one of the following four fields of study:

• Humanities and Social Sciences Connections
• STEM Connections
• Practical Connections
• Interdisciplinary Connections

Individual program of learnings will be developed based on the knowledge, skills, and understanding described in the field of study in a SACE Board‑approved Stage 2 subject.

Students base their learning on the knowledge, skills, and understanding of key elements/concepts described in a particular Stage 2 subject, and frame this learning within the most appropriate field of study. They also demonstrate their learning through a community application activity that is based on the selected subject, Examples of community application activities that could occur in a particular field of study are included below.

The learning from some subjects can reasonably be placed in more than one field of study. Students may also choose to take an interdisciplinary approach to learning that starts in a particular field of study. For example, it could be argued that SACE Stage 2 Economics could be placed equally well in either the Humanities Connections field of study or the Interdisciplinary Connections field of study.

Ideas for activities in each field of study

Ideas for activities that relate to each of the four fields of study will be shaped by the selected Stage 2 subject.

Learning activities for Community Connections can be classified in two parts:

1. Learning activities related directly to the learning requirements of the selected Stage 2 subject.
2. Learning activities related to a community application activity that applies learning from the selected Stage 2 subject connected to a community context.

For ideas related to the selected SACE Stage 2 subject, refer to the relevant Stage 2 subject outline.

Evidence of the Community Application Activity and the tasks undertaken to complete the activity are provided as part of the externally assessed component of the course. Where a community activity is undertaken in a group context, each student must present evidence of individual learning so that it can be assessed against the performance standards.

Some examples of community application activities in the four fields of study are described below.

These are examples only. Subjects and examples of community application activities are not limited to one specific field of study, and may align with one or more fields of study.

Humanities and Social Sciences Connections

Community application activities in this field of study are likely to focus on the application of knowledge, skills, and understanding in the subject (e.g. Ancient Studies, Child Studies, Economics, English subjects, Geography, languages, Modern History, music subjects, Psychology, Legal Studies, Media Studies, Politics, Power and People, Religion Studies, Tourism, and Women’s Studies) to a community context. Community application activities in this field of study can provide students with opportunities to develop and demonstrate one or more of the capabilities.

Examples of community application activities in this field of study include, but are not limited to:

• adapting and performing a radio script from Homer (Ancient History, Drama)
• investigating the planning and preparation a new parent may need to do before the birth of a child (Child Studies)
• investigate the process of allocating resources in the designing of a zoo (Economics)
• writing a children’s book explaining a social issue (English)
• investigating a strategy that could be implemented to reduce coastal erosion (Geography)
• investigating a contemporary legal issue — e.g. the placement of bicycle lanes (Legal Studies)
• presenting findings from an interview with a person about his or her experiences in an event that occurred several years ago — e.g. Vietnam War or conflict in Afghanistan (Modern History)
• presenting information in two languages (Languages)
• recording a piece of music (Music Explorations)
• investigating the effects of an event on tourism in a specific region (Tourism).

STEM Connections

Community application activities in this field of study are likely to focus on the application of knowledge, skills, and understanding in the subject (e.g. Accounting, Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition, Design, Technology and Engineering, Digital Technologies, or mathematics subjects) to a community context. Community application activities in this field of study can provide students with opportunities to develop and demonstrate one or more of the capabilities.

Examples of community application activities in this field of study include, but are not limited to:

• undertaking work experience in an accountancy firm (Accounting).
• designing a vegetable garden for a school (Agricultural Production)
• investigating how a natural predator can be used to reduce chemical use in gardens and agriculture (Biology)
• reviewing and producing safety communication within a technology workshop (Design, Technology and Engineering)
• helping a webmaster of a local community group (Digital Technologies
• investigating ideas for setting up an e‑business (Digital Technologies)
• creating affordable, nutritional dishes using seasonal, local ingredients (Nutrition)
• investigating safety issues related to chemicals used in a range of work and/or home environments (Scientific Studies)
• investigating the costs of taking a state netball team interstate for national trials over a week (Essential Mathematics).

Practical Connections

Community application activities in this field of study are likely to focus on the application of knowledge, skills, and understanding in the subject (e.g. Agricultural Production and Systems, Child Studies, Food and Hospitality, Outdoor Education, Physical Education, Visual Arts) to a community context. Community application activities in this field of study can provide students with opportunities to develop and demonstrate one or more of the capabilities.

Examples of community application activities in this field of study include, but are not limited to:

• creating a safe and ethical small animal enclosure for a school (Agricultural Production)
• comparing the educational value of some popular children’s toys (Child Studies)
• directing a music video (Creative Arts)
• creating an educational adventure multimedia game using authoring software for primary school children (Digital Communication Solutions)
• choreographing and teaching a dance for a performance (Dance)
• creating a character to perform in a production (Drama)
• creating a short film (Design, Technology and Engineering, Media Studies)
• designing and constructing furniture for a new outdoor space (Essential Mathematics, Material Products)
• developing promotional material educating people about a local dialect (Essential English)
• comparing the nutritional value and cost of buying fast foods compared with making similar home‑cooked dishes (Food and Hospitality)
• producing a large toolbox for gardening equipment (Industry and Entrepreneurial Solutions)
• creating drawings using CAD software (Material Products)
• investigating and creating artificial habitats for local animal species (bat boxes, bird boxes (Outdoor Education)
• working as a member of a community organisation — e.g. as a swimming instructor (Physical Education)
• investigating consumer attitudes towards using environmentally friendly household cleaning products (Scientific Studies)
• designing costumes for a community theatre production (Creative Arts, Visual Arts – Design).

Interdisciplinary Connections

Community application activities in this field of study are likely to focus on the application of knowledge, skills, and understanding in the subject (e.g. Physical Education, Food and Hospitality, Psychology) to a community context. Community application activities in this field of study can provide students with opportunities to develop and demonstrate one or more of the capabilities.

Examples of community application activities in this field of study include, but are not limited to:

• devising a portfolio of ideas for the advertising for a local business (Business Innovation)
• comparing the educational value of some popular children’s toys (Child Studies)
• investigating how the media approached a particular issue (Media Studies)
• investigating the differences between the reporting of male and female sports in the media (Essential English, Women’s Studies)
• investigating the quality and training required to become an umpire in a designated sport (Physical Education)
• investigating the use of 3D printing (Digital Technologies)
• finding out about the legal requirements for running a small business (Legal Studies)
• investigating whether personality assessments can be useful in the workplace (Psychology)
• investigating how training activities can reduce reaction time in an athlete (Physical Education)
• investigating consumer attitudes towards using environmentally friendly household cleaning products (Scientific Studies).

Approaches to programming

Schools are able to program this subject in a variety of ways. Regardless of how the program is taught in the school, all Community Connections teaching programs have two essential parts:

• school assessment
• external assessment

Some examples for programming school assessment include:

• Students may enrol in Community Connections from the beginning of the year, basing their learning on some of the learning requirements for the selected Stage 2 subject.

  Teachers may:

  • use existing tasks for all students
  • adapt some or all existing tasks for individual students
  • design new tasks that relate to one or more of the learning requirements from the selected Stage 2 subject.
     
• Students begin studying a Stage 2 subject, but during the course of the year, one or more of these students decides to withdraw from the subject and transfer their enrolment to Community Connections.

  Teachers use the Community Connections performance standards to:

  • reassess tasks already completed
  • assess adapted tasks
  • assess new tasks.

• Community Connections students, focusing on a particular field of study, remain within the class, but may be taught individually.
• All students complete a stand‑alone reflection as part of their school assessment

Some considerations for programming external assessment include:

• students apply their knowledge, skills, and understanding of an aspect of the selected Stage 2 subject to a community context through the community application activity
• as a guide, the student undertakes the community application activity in approximately 20 hours for a 20‑credit subject, and approximately 10 hours for a 10‑credit subject
• where a community activity is undertaken in a group context, each student must present evidence of individual learning so that it can be assessed against the performance standards. 

Evidence of learning

The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 2 Community Connections:

School Assessment (70%)

• Assessment Type 1: Folio (50%)
• Assessment Type 2: Reflection (20%)

External Assessment (30%)

• Assessment Type 3: Community Application Activity

For a 10‑credit subject, students should provide evidence of their learning through the completion of at least two tasks in the folio; one reflection on their learning, and evidence of undertaking one community application activity.

For a 20‑credit subject, students should provide evidence of their learning through the completion of four tasks in the folio, one reflection on their learning, and evidence of undertaking one community application activity.

Where a community activity is undertaken in a group context, each student must present evidence of individual learning so that it can be assessed against the performance standards.

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by teachers to:

• clarify for the student what they need to learn
• design opportunities for students to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

• students should demonstrate in their learning
• teachers look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject the assessment design criteria are:

• knowledge and understanding
• application and connection
• reflection and consideration.

The set of assessments as a whole must give students opportunities to demonstrate each of the specific features by the completion of study of the subject.

Knowledge and Understanding

The specific features are as follows:

Application and Connection

The specific features are as follows:

Reflection and Consideration

The specific features are as follows:

School assessment

The school assessment component for Stage 2 Community Connections consists of two assessment types:

• Assessment Type 1: Folio
• Assessment Type 2: Reflection.

Assessment Type 1: Folio (50%)

For a 10‑credit subject, students should provide evidence of learning from the completion of at least two tasks.

For a 20‑credit subject, students should provide evidence of learning from the completion of at least four tasks.

Students collect evidence that shows specific learning requirements from the selected Stage 2 subject, and addresses their development of:

• knowledge and concepts related to the selected SACE Stage 2 subject
• specific skills related to the SACE Stage 2 subject.

These tasks may be those that were designed to elicit evidence of learning in the selected subject (e.g. skills and application tasks in the mathematics or science subjects). Alternatively, the teacher may design a task specifically to elicit particular evidence of learning from the selected subject.

Students can submit a combination of written, oral, or multimodal evidence.

As a set, the tasks for this assessment type must show evidence of students’ learning in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• Knowledge and Understanding (KU1, KU2).

Assessment Type 2: Reflection (20%)

For a 10‑credit subject the reflection should be up to a maximum of 750 words if written or a maximum of 5 minutes of oral, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

For a 20‑credit subject the reflection should be up to a maximum of 1500 words if written or a maximum of 9 minutes of oral, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

Students:

• reflect on the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and new understandings related to the selected Stage 2 subject
• reflect on the development of their planning, organisational, problem solving and decision‑making skills through their community application activity
• consider the development of their selected SACE capability using evidence of actions taken.

The reflection may be written, oral, and/or multimodal. 

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• Reflection and Consideration (RC1, RC2, RC3).

External assessment

The external assessment component for Stage 2 Community Connections consists of a community application activity.

Assessment Type 3: Community Application Activity (30%)

This assessment is designed by the student. Students connect their community application activity to a community context. They take and apply the knowledge, skills, and understanding of the aspect or area of interest to a community context.  Examples of community application activities are in the ‘Ideas for Activities in each Field of Study’ section.

Where a community activity is undertaken in a group context, each student must present evidence of individual learning so that it can be assessed against the performance standards.

For a 10‑credit subject the community application activity should be a maximum of 750 words if written or a maximum of 5 minutes if oral, or the equivalent in multimodal form. As a guide, the student undertakes the community application activity in approximately 10 hours.

For a 20‑credit subject the community application activity should be a maximum of 1500 words if written or a maximum of 9 minutes if oral, or the equivalent in multimodal form. As a guide, the student undertakes the community application activity in approximately 20 hours.

For both a 10‑credit and a 20‑credit subject, students undertake a community application activity, and provide evidence of:

• connections between their community application activity and subject‑specific knowledge and skills, and their chosen capability
• planning and organisation to undertake the community application activity
• connecting the benefits and future possibilities of the community application activity to the community and themselves.

Ideally, students will make a local community connection when planning their community activity, however, where a resource is not locally available, students should be encouraged to reach out to a relevant connection.

• Connection may be interpreted in its broadest sense, e.g. the connections may be made in‑person, or in a digital environment.
• Community may comprise a club, team, individual, expert, organisation, business, or group within the school.

Evidence of the communication application activity

Students may provide evidence of their community application activity in a range, and combination of forms including but not limited to:

• annotated photographs
• audio recordings
• blogs
• review in comic/magazine format
• interviews
• mind maps
• oral presentations
• photo stories
• podcasts
• reviews/reports
• videos
• screen captures of emails or other digital communications
• websites

Multimodal evidence is encouraged to capture planning activities, strategies to implement activity discussions with others, activity being undertaken, and communication of connectedness and future possibilities.

The following specific features of the assessment design criteria are assessed in the external assessment:

• application and connection — AC1, AC2 and AC3

Performance standards

The performance standards describe five levels of achievement, A to E. 

Each level of achievement describes the knowledge, skills, and understanding that teachers and assessors refer to in deciding how well students have demonstrated their learning on the basis of the evidence provided. 

During the teaching and learning program the teacher gives students feedback on their learning, with reference to the performance standards.

At the student’s completion of study of each school assessment type, the teacher makes a decision about the quality of the student’s learning by:

• referring to the performance standards
• assigning a grade between A+ and E– for the assessment type.  

The student’s school assessment and external assessment are combined for a final result, which is reported as a grade between A+ and E–.

Performance standards

Stage 2 performance standards for Community Connections  can be viewed below. You can also download in Word format [DOC 33KB].

To learn more about what performance standards are, how they are used, and other general information, see performance standards and grades.

Subject changes

Any changes to this subject will be recorded here.