Year 4 Exploring G20
Teaching and learning activities
Using G20 as a context for teaching and
learning
The Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders Summit will be held in Brisbane, Queensland on 15 and 16
November 2014. At the summit, leaders of the world’s most economically developed countries
discuss and make decisions about important economic and financial issues. The 2014 G20
summit is based on the themes of stronger economic growth and employment outcomes, and
protecting the global economy from future shocks.
The G20 summit provides an opportunity to connect learning in Geography and Studies of
Society and Environment (SOSE) to the concepts, issues and contexts associated with this event.
The package of resources that teachers may access includes:
 Introducing G20 (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3-5-teaching-learning.html), which contains
introductory information and activities
 Exploring G20 (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3-5-teaching-learning.html), which contains teaching
and learning linked to curriculum areas
 Literacy and Numeracy G20 (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3-5-teaching-learning.html), which
provides opportunities to embed literacy and numeracy learning related to G20.
Exploring G20
The Exploring G20 Teaching and learning activities are available for a single year level or multiple
year levels. When planning for more than one year level, refer to:
 3–5 Teaching and learning activities (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3-5-teaching-learning.html)
 P–7 Exploring G20 Teaching and learning overview (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3-5-teachinglearning.html).
Overview
14293
In this set of teaching and learning activities students explore the countries in Africa and/or South
America participating in the G20 summit. Students develop their understanding of the climate,
landforms and animals of G20 member and guest countries, and explore how the environment
supports the lives of people and other living things.
Curriculum links
The Year 4 Exploring G20 Teaching and learning package provides opportunities for students to
demonstrate the following curriculum content.
Australian Curriculum: Geography
Key inquiry question: How does the environment support the lives of people and other living
things?
Year 4
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
Geographical Inquiry and Skills
The location of the major countries of Africa and
South America in relation to Australia, and their
main characteristics, including the types of
natural vegetation and native animals in at least
two countries from both continents (ACHGK020)
Collect and record relevant geographical data and
information, for example, by observing, by
interviewing, conducting surveys and measuring, or
from sources such as maps, photographs, satellite
images, the media and the internet (ACHGS027)
The types of natural vegetation and the
significance of vegetation to the environment and
to people (ACHGK021)
Present findings in a range of communication forms,
for example, written, oral, digital, graphic, tabular and
visual, and use geographical terminology
(ACHGS031)
Opportunities to embed the general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities in the classroom
are identified using the following icons related to each content description.
Literacy
Numeracy
ICT capability
Critical and creative thinking
Sustainability
Queensland curriculum: Studies of Society and Environment Essential Learnings
By the end of Year 5
Place and Space
Global environments are defined by features, including landforms, location markers (Tropics of Cancer
and Capricorn, and the Equator), countries, regions, continents, and climatic zones
Year 4 Exploring G20
Teaching and learning activities
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 2 of 5
Assessment
The following assessment ideas could be included in a folio of student work. Teachers will make
decisions about the specific assessment techniques, formats and categories to be used.
Task
Explain the characteristics (climate, natural vegetation, animals and landforms) of a G20 country
from Africa and/or South America in relation to Australia. Represent characteristics data in a table
or on a map using cartographic conventions. Describe the interconnections between people,
places and environments. Identify the effect/s of these interconnections on the characteristics of
places and environments. Present findings using geographical terminology in a communication
form, e.g. written, spoken/signed and/or multimodal.
Students will:
 explain the characteristics of places in different locations
 describe the interconnections between people, places and the environment
 identify the effects of these interconnections on the characteristics of places and environments
 represent data in a table or on a map using cartographic conventions of border, scale, legend,
title and north point
 present findings using geographical terminology in a communication form.
Teaching and learning
The following teaching and learning activities are described in a sequence that aims to develop
student learning. However, teachers may select activities and plan alternative sequences to suit
their local setting.
Teaching and learning activities
Focus question: How do the environments of G20 countries of Africa and/or South America
support the lives of people and other living things?
Activity 1
Using the Interactive G20 map (Basic) (http://g20.qcaa.qld.edu.au), locate:




Activity 2
the equator, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the continents in relation to Australia
countries attending the G20 summit
countries from the European Union attending the G20 summit
G20 countries in Africa and South America in relation to Australia.
Explore the environmental characteristics (e.g. climate, natural vegetation and animals) of
Brisbane or another place in Queensland. Use geographical tools such as a wall map, atlas
or spatial application (e.g. Primary virtual field trip (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/virtual-fieldtrips.html) or Queensland Globe (www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mapping-data/queensland-globe)) to
complete your research.
Collect and record information in a table about climate, natural vegetation and animals.
Describe the human characteristics and discuss how the natural vegetation of Brisbane has
changed over time due to the development of these features.
Year 4 Exploring G20
Teaching and learning activities
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 3 of 5
Activity 3
Explore the environmental characteristics of a G20 member country of Africa and/or South
America.
Using information on the Interactive G20 map (Basic) (http://g20.qcaa.qld.edu.au) (see the
Climate and Vegetation zones filters and Environment information) and other sources, collect
information about the country, including:
 climate zones, e.g. tropical, temperate
 vegetation zones, e.g. grassland, desert
 animals, e.g. wild boar, cape buffalo.
Record information in a table or map using cartographic conventions, including scale, legend,
title and north point.
Compare this information to data from Activity 2 about your chosen Queensland location. Use
this information to discuss:
 How is the climate similar or different?
 How and why is the natural vegetation similar or different?
 How and why are the animals similar or different?
Discuss the possible short-term and long-term impacts of introducing vegetation and animals
of:
 an African and/or South American country into Australia
 Australia into an African and/or South American country.
Activity 4
Consider the interconnections between the environment and the lives of people and other
living things in a chosen Queensland location and a G20 member country. Discuss:
 How does the vegetation support the lives of people?
 How does the vegetation support the lives of other living things?
 What is the significance of the vegetation to the environment and the people?
 How have people influenced the environment?
Year 4 Exploring G20
Teaching and learning activities
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 4 of 5
Resources
Below is a list of resources to support the Exploring G20 Teaching and learning activities.
G20 Resources and links
 Interactive G20 map (http://g20.qcaa.qld.edu.au)
An interactive world map providing information (including resources) for teachers and students
about the G20 countries.
 Primary G20 virtual field trip (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/virtual-field-trips.html)
An interactive field trip of the Brisbane G20 precinct.
 What is the G20? (Dr Matthew Burke) video (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/expert-videos.html)
A short video of G20 expert Dr Matthew Burke introducing the G20 summit.
 G20 website (www.g20.org)
A website about the G20, its members, priorities, past summits, event schedule as well as the
Queensland 20 (Q20) and the benefits it presents Queensland’s business, community and
government sectors from Australia’s G20 presidency in 2014.
Spatial online tools
 Google Earth (www.google.com/earth)
A spatial online tool, which provides up-to-date maps, imagery, and other spatial data.
 Queensland Globe (www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mapping-data/queensland-globe)
A spatial online tool, developed by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, which
provides up-to-date Queensland maps, imagery and other spatial data.
Online information and resources
 National Geographic Education
(http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/geography/index/?ar_a=1)
A website with activities that can be used to explore G20 countries and their natural features.
Note: These activities do not cover all the G20 member and guest countries.
 National Geographic (Countries A–Z)
(http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/countries).
A website with facts, maps, photos and videos about countries in Europe, Africa, North
America and South America.
 Our Africa (www.our-africa.org)
Videos of children showing what life is like in Africa.
 Global Education (www.globaleducation.edu.au/resources-gallery/resource-galleryimages.html).
A filterable website with images from some G20 countries.
More information
For more information, please visit the QCAA website at www.qcaa.qld.edu.au.
Year 4 Exploring G20
Teaching and learning activities
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 5 of 5