Functions of Schooling Activities for a 90-Minute Lesson

Quick answer: Build one 90-minute lesson around a selective course admission: a 10-minute hook on a "top 20" procedure, a concept activity separating selection from allocation, 25 minutes of case analysis, a structured discussion, a one-condition transfer task and an exit ticket. The Fend functions of schooling unit provides the case, timings and annotated answers.

Which lesson suits a single 90-minute block?

The unit has four lessons, but lesson 2, Distinguishing selection and allocation (student pages 12–19), works especially well as a standalone double period. Students in Years 11–12 are close to course selections, ATAR-linked choices and applications themselves, so the problem feels near without asking anyone to discuss their own situation. All material is fictional, and the teacher guide is clear that nobody should have to disclose personal experiences.

How do you open with a hook that isn't a lecture? (10 minutes)

Read the case aloud without any theory. A popular senior course accepts only the top 20 applications. Applicants submit a video made at home and sit a short interview. Professional editing earns extra points, although the course itself teaches introductory skills. Some applicants have family help and good equipment; others film on a borrowed phone. The school calls the procedure achievement-based. An advisory group proposes shared preparation time at school, clear criteria and a reviewable decision process.

Ask one question: Who is really being selected here? Have students mark observable facts in one colour and opinions or interpretations in another, then write the central issue in one sentence.

What concept activity makes the key terms stick? (20 minutes)

After a short reading of the teaching text, run the pair activity from the workbook. One student explains a concept without naming it; the partner identifies it and gives a reason. Then they swap. Use the lesson's three terms:

• Selection: sorting and differentiation, for example through grades or placement decisions.
• Allocation: the distribution of opportunities, routes, credentials and later positions.
• Equity: defensible fair access.

Each pair also records one example, one non-example and one borderline case that would need more information. Borderline cases are the most useful thing to collect on the board.

What do students do in the case analysis? (25 minutes)

1. Distinguish the selection mechanism from the allocation of opportunities.
2. Examine whether the achievement criterion fits the course.
3. Evaluate the proposed change.

Students need at least two specific references to the case for each task. The annotated solution gives you the core points: ranking by video and interview is the selection mechanism, while access to the course concerns allocation. Professional editing may reflect resources rather than relevant prerequisites. Shared preparation time reduces some differences without removing all inequality, and transparent criteria plus review improve accountability. Watch for two opposite errors: "every grade is unfair" and "the same procedure for everyone means equal opportunity". The annotated answer rejects both.

How do you structure the discussion and transfer? (30 minutes)

Comparison and correction, 15 minutes. Groups use three rotating roles: concept checker, evidence checker and alternative perspective. Students then compare their work with the annotated example and mark one revision with a short change note.

Transfer lab, 15 minutes. Each group changes exactly one condition of the case, for example making the criteria transparent to everyone, or making a previously trusted fact uncertain. They state what changes, which conclusions still hold and which need revision. Another group supplies one objection and one request for more information. The final judgement does not have to change; the reasoning should get sharper.

How should you finish? (5 minutes)

Use the unit's closing question as the exit ticket: What tension remains even after improving the selection procedure? A strong answer notes that the course still has only 20 places. Scarcity remains, and so does the question of what counts as relevant achievement. Collect answers anonymously and open the next lesson with a short retrieval task built from the most common misconception.

The full unit adds lessons on a local history project and on replacing a cultural elective with exam preparation, plus a writing workshop, a practice assessment and a 100-point rubric. It costs $24.99. The Moral Development & Socialization Bundle includes it with the Kohlberg, Critiquing Kohlberg and Mead units for $49.90 in total, and Upper Secondary Complete offers 24 units for $149.90. Related resources are on our psychology and educational studies page.

Frequently asked questions

Does this suit Australian senior secondary courses?

It roughly fits Years 11–12 social science, psychology and society-focused courses that look at education as an institution, and it can support HSC or VCE study in general terms. There is no official endorsement by ACARA, a state curriculum authority or any exam body. It was originally developed for German upper-secondary courses; the English edition is a full parallel version.

Do students need lesson 1 before this activity?

It helps but is not essential. Lesson 1 introduces all four functions through a local history project. If you teach lesson 2 on its own, spend two extra minutes of the hook naming enculturation, qualification, allocation, and integration and legitimation, then focus on the selection and allocation pair.

What is the difference between selection and allocation?

Selection is the act of sorting, for example ranking applicants by a video and interview. Allocation is what that sorting distributes: places in a course, credentials, and later educational and occupational positions. The two are related but not identical, and allocation is the broader term in Fend's later work.

What paper size are the files?

The 32-page student workbook and 20-page teacher guide are A4 PDFs, so they print directly on Australian paper. You also receive an editable Word text edition with different pagination. Everything arrives as an instant download after purchase, and all teaching texts and cases are inside the workbook, so no extra reading packs are needed.

Related reading

• Functions of Schooling Lesson: Fend and the Sociology of Education
• How to Teach Fend's Functions of Schooling: A Lesson Plan
• Teaching Moral Development and Socialization Theories in Grades 11–12
• G. H. Mead Discussion Questions and Essay Prompts