GEOGRAPHY OVERVIEW, SEMESTER 1
Unit Title:
Achievement
Standard
Unit 1: Changing Seasons, Changing Spaces
By the end of Year 1, students identify and describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places at
a local scale and recognise that people describe the features of places differently. They identify where features
of places are located and recognise that spaces can be arranged for different purposes. Students identify
changes in features and describe how to care for places.
Students respond to questions about familiar and unfamiliar places by collecting, recording and sorting
information from sources provided. They represent the location of different places and their features on pictorial
maps and present findings in a range of texts and use everyday language to describe direction and location.
They reflect on their learning to suggest ways that places can be cared for.
Geographical
Concepts
Content Descriptions
Place
Space
Environment
Interconnection
Sustainability
Scale
Change
The natural, managed and constructed features of places,
their location, how they change and how they can be
cared for (ACHGK005)
The weather and seasons of places and the ways in which
different cultural groups, including Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples, describe them (ACHGK006)
The ways the activities located in a place create its
distinctive features (ACHGK007)
The ways that space within places, such as classroom or
Assessment (A)
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ASSESSMENT TASK 1: Students choose and
describe a season from Arnhem Land and their local
area and compare the activities that take place
during that time.
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ASSESSMENT TASK 2: Students draw and label a
map of their classroom, describing how they would
rearrange the classroom space for a role play
performance.
backyard, can be rearranged to suit different activities or
purposes (ACHGK008)
Pose questions about familiar and unfamiliar places
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(ACHGS007)
ASSESSMENT TASK 3: Reflect and respond to
another student’s plan using a T-Chart “What I Like?
and “Changes I would make?” or Two Stars and a
Wish Thinking Tool.
Collect and record geographical data and information, for
example, by observing, by interviewing, or from sources
such as photographs, plans, satellite images, story books
and films (ACHGS008)
Represent data and the location of places and their
features by constructing tables, plans and labelled maps
(ACHGS009)
Draw conclusions based on the interpretation of
geographical information sorted into categories
(ACHGS010)
Present findings in a range of communication forms, for
example, written, oral, digital and visual, and describe the
direction and location of places, using terms such as north,
south, opposite, near, far (ACHGS011)
Reflect on their learning and suggest responses to their
findings (ACHGS012)
Learning Framework
Cross Curricula
Priorities
Community Contributor
Leader and Collaborator
Catholic Ethos
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Histories and Cultures
Active Investigator
Effective Communicator
Social Emotional Learning
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with
Asia
Designer and Creator
Quality Producer
Inclusive Education
Sustainability Education
General Capabilities
Links to other LA’s
Literacy
Critical and Creative Thinking
Numeracy
Ethical Behaviour
English, Maths, Science, History, Information Technology
Information and Communication
Technology
Personal and Social Competence
Learning and Teaching Strategies
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Cross Curricular Priorities
Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive,
General Capabilities
Literacy, Information Technology, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Competence
Engage ⇒
Explore ⇒
Explain ⇒
Elaborate ⇒
ENGAGE
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Organise students of 3-4 into small groups with an allocated scribe and speaker.
Teacher displays a multimedia presentation to stimulate ideas about weather and the seasons. After viewing,
students brainstorm and record all the words they know about weather and the seasons in a two-minute timed
period.
Speakers report back their group’s prior knowledge of weather and the seasons. Use this information to build a
class concept web for display as a word wall.
Discuss and explain any new vocabulary to ensure adequate understanding of terms (eg. temperature, overcast)
Discuss: What is the weather? What other words do you think of when you hear the word ‘weather’?
Invite students to search for pictures in magazines, newspapers relating to weather and the seasons. These may be
added to the word wall.
Create a class big book through a shared writing experience containing known facts about the weather. Eg The
weather is...(define)...The weather can be...(temperature)...Some days...(clear, cloudy, windy, rainy,
snowy)...Sometimes it can...(storm, thunder)...The weather changes…(seasons) ...In Summer/Winter/Spring/Autumn
we...How do these seasonal terms compare to our seasons of wet and dry?
Invite students in pairs to paint or draw and colour the illustrations.
When complete, use class big book for a shared reading experience and allow students to access for independent
reading.
Evaluate
Resources
Multi Media
Presentation –
Weather
Paper, pens
Magazines,
newspapers
A3 paper for big book
paints
Geographical Language
Assessment
Opportunities
weather, temperature: hot/cold, cloudy, clear, seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, snow, rain, lightning, wind,
storms, cyclones
Observation
Anecdotal notes
Reflection
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Cross Curricular Priorities
Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive Education,
General Capabilities
Maths, Literacy, Information Technology, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Competence
Engage ⇒
Explore ⇒
Explain ⇒
Elaborate ⇒
EXPLORE
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Invite students to predict what the weather will be like for the day. How do you know? What do you see/feel that
tells you what the weather will be like? Encourage use of technical terms relating to seasons and the weather.
Add any new vocabulary to the word wall (eg humid).
Display a blank calendar.
Demonstrate how to create a calendar by adding the current month and correct dates for the month.
Create a key, with symbols to represent the weather and record the weather on a daily basis.
Model writing a sentence each day to describe the weather. Eg. Today the weather is ...
Introduce the Bureau of Meteorology’s website to view weather around the local area/state/country and compare
rainfall and temperatures using the legends from the site.
Evaluate
Resources
Blank calendar A3
Images of weather
Weather Symbols
BOM – Bureau of
Meteorology site
BOM – Indigenous
Weather Site Page
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Visit the website on a daily basis, or whenever students observe a weather change, such as a sudden downpour of
rain.
Pose questions about the weather/seasons, such as: Why does it rain so much? Why doesn’t it snow here? How is
the land affected by wind and rain? Have you ever experienced what happens when there’s lots of wind or rain?
Analyse the weather experienced during each week of data collection. Consider using tally marks to record how
many sunny days, rainy days etc... and discuss and compare data. Were there any windy days this week? How
many more sunny days than rainy days this week?
Geographical Language
Assessment
Opportunities
weather, temperature: hot/cold, cloudy, clear, seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, snow, rain, lightning, wind,
storms, cyclones, humid
Observation
Anecdotal notes
Reflection
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Cross Curricular Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive Education, Ethical
Behaviour,
General Capabilities
Mathematics, Literacy, Information Technology, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Competence
Engage ⇒
EXPLAIN
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Explore ⇒
Explain ⇒
Elaborate ⇒
Evaluate
Resources
Read “Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo” by Alison Lester to explore the Indigenous Australian’s seasonal calendar: “Ernie Dances to the
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monsoon, harvest time, cool weather time, early dry season, hot, dry season and, pre-monsoon season.
Refer to the text illustrations to recall the activities Ernie and his friends enjoyed during the season.
Students roleplay what Ernie and his friends did in each season.
Pose questions to make connections between the weather conditions and the activities Ernie and his friends
enjoyed, for example: In the monsoon season, Sammi surfs in the puddles and Christine slides in the mud. Could
they do this in the hot dry season? How do you know this?
Explain that the Aboriginal people lived seasonally and had particular activities to do and foods to eat for each
season. (Note: The Bureau of Meteorology website contains additional information regarding Indigenous Weather
Knowledge, including seasonal calendars for a number of regions).
Select one Indigenous season to model how to complete the activity sheet:
- Use the illustrations from the text to identify the weather conditions experienced during each season: rainfall,
temperature, sunshine and wind. List any significant weather details using either weather symbols or words.
- Compare and contrast the activities they would do with the characters in the text. Students place a tick on the
activities they would do and place a cross on the activities they would not/could not do due to location or cultural
differences.
Organise students into six groups and allocate an Indigenous season to each group. Distribute worksheets for
students to complete as a group.
When complete, invite groups to share their observations and comparisons.
Collect sheets, and using the text as a guide, create a linear sequence of the six Arnhem Land seasons for display
and connect these seasons to the months of the year in which they would be likely to occur.
Invite students to reflect upon the suitability of the Indigenous Seasons with our personal experiences of weather in
the tropics, then reflect on the four seasons. Which seasons match best with where we live?
ASSESSMENT TASK: Students compare an Indigenous Arnhem Land Season with the local tropical seasons and
the four seasons by describing the weather features of each season and identify an activity they would participate in
during that season.
Geographical Language
Indigenous Australian seasons: monsoon, harvest time, cool weather time, Australian seasons,
Arhnem Land,
Reflection
Didgeridoo” by Alison
Lester
Indigenous Seasons
Names, weather
conditions and
activities (see
Resource)
Compare and contrast
worksheet
Assessment task
Google Earth/Globe
Google Maps Street
View
Local area map
BOM – Indigenous
Weather Site Page
Assessment
Opportunities
Assessment Task 1
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Cross Curricular Priorities
Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive Education, Ethical Behaviour,
General Capabilities
Mathematics, Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Competence
Engage ⇒
Explore ⇒
Explain ⇒
9
Elaborate ⇒
ELABORATE
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Introduce Google Earth. Show globe and use directional language such as North, South, near, far and opposite to
find familiar land masses/continents.
Identify Australia, then using directional language North, South, East and West, locate Arnhem Land and some of
the places Ernie visited in the text, ie. Darwin and East Alligator River.
Locate your local area on the map. Use Google Earth or Google Maps – Street View to find the neighbourhood,
local shops and school. Identify any changed features and introduce the different spatial view presented in the
maps: (bird’s eye) top view or front view.
View a map of the local area and identify the activities that take place using the facilities and resources available
(e.g. retail, medical, educational, police, religious, recreational, farming, and manufacturing or office activities).
Print map of the local area and model how to label familiar locations or facilities. Display in the classroom.
Discuss the importance of maps: What do we use maps for? Why do we need them? Invite students to recall their
experiences of using maps.
Inform students that they are going to participate in a walk around the school grounds or an excursion through the
local neighbourhood as a field study.
Ask: What sort of things will we see? As students respond, record their ideas into two columns (untitled as yet) with
natural features on left and constructed features on right.
Invite students to comment on how the features have been organised. Introduce the terms ‘natural features’ and
‘constructed features’ and define using the students’ ideas.
Undertake the field study and use field sketches on a table (see resource sheet) to identify and record the natural
and constructed features observed in the area.
Discuss the data collected. What natural features did you see? What constructed features did you see? Were
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Evaluate
Resources
Google Earth
Google Maps
Print-out of map of the
local area
Table for natural and
constructed features.
Footprints
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there more natural than constructed, or not? Why do you think this is so?
How did you get from A to B? Plot paths to places such as the office, toilet and tuck shop using footprints, using
clear directional language. Encourage students to create visual images of the path taken.
Invite students to consider the bird’s eye (top) view of the path. Demonstrate how the top view of 3-dimensional
objects can be represented by a 2-dimensional shape. Relate these 2-dimensional shapes to the school buildings
and other features they could represent.
Model how to draw a pictorial map, using a ruler where practical, plotting a simple familiar path around the school.
Recall how to add labels to the map.
Students create their own pictorial map for a familiar route around the school and label.
Invite students to visualise their daily route to school.
In pairs, students describe the natural and constructed features they pass on their way to school. Encourage active
listening skills by having the listening student report back to the class on the features passed by on their partner’s
school route.
Geographical Language
Assessment
Opportunities
Directional and Positional language, natural features, constructed features, path, pictorial map, route
Observation
Anecdotal notes
Reflection
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Cross Curricular Priorities
Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive Education, Ethical Behaviour,
General Capabilities
Mathematics, Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Competence
9
10
Engage ⇒
EVALUATE
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Explore ⇒
Explain ⇒
Elaborate ⇒
Evaluate
Resources
Plan worksheet
Students identify and describe the features of the classroom (What can you see?). Teacher make a list of features
Assessment Task 2
to use as a word bank (include picture and name).
Assessment Task 3
Pose questions about how and why things are arranged spatially, using clear positional language. Why are the
desks at the front? Why are our school bags outside? Why do we need...? How do we use...? What would happen
if…?
Focus children’s attention on the arrangement of the classroom and encourage them to visualise the layout of the
classroom with their eyes closed.
Invite students to consider the bird’s eye (top) view of the classroom. Recall how the top view of 3-dimensional
objects can be represented by a 2-dimensional shape.
Draw student’s attention to the border area on the worksheet which represents the walls of the classroom.
Introduce the term ‘plan’ as a pictorial map of our classroom that shows the layout and placement of items.
As a shared experience, teacher and students draw a classroom plan showing the layout of entrance, desks and
furniture etc... encouraging use of ruled lines and accurate placement where possible.
Label the plan referring to the word bank to support accurate spelling. (Alternately use construction blocks/bricks to
construct a 3D model of classroom and label.)
Model using evaluative language when providing feedback to students ie. This placement of ... has been carefully
drawn to consider the size, these ... have been drawn using the right shape and arrangement, the map is neatly
drawn, lines are neatly ruled, labels are clear and and easy to read, labels match neatly etc...
Ask: How could we rearrange the desks and furniture in the room to use the classroom space if we were going to
have a performance for our parents or perhaps a class liturgy? Make connections to times when the desks may
have been rearranged, such as during individual assessment times.
Use ‘Think, Pair, Share’ strategy to brainstorm possible changes to the room layout in the event of a performance or
class liturgy. Encourage students to visualise their plan as they describe it and consider safe stage, seating and
traffic areas.
ASSESSMENT TASK: Students draw and label to describe how they would rearrange the classroom space for the
event.
When finished, place each plan on the student’s desk and allow children to view each other’s work.
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Share ideas on what they liked or suggest improvements to each other.
ASSESSMENT TASK: Reflect and respond to rearranged classroom space plan using a T-Chart to describe “What
I Like and “Changes I would make”.
Geographical Language
Assessment
Opportunities
Features, positional language (front, side, behind, left, right etc…), key, plan, label, layout, space
Assessment Task 2
Assessment Task 3
Reflection
Planning for Differently Abled Students
Student/s
Different Ability
Australian Curriculum
Content Descriptions
being addressed
Learning and Teaching Strategies
Assessment Strategies