Unit plan includes...
Unit Plan
Our Place – Australia Unit Plan
This Humanities and Social Sciences unit addresses a range of concepts relating to the natural and human features of Australia.
It consists of 10 lessons of approximately 60 minutes duration.
The sequence of lessons and suggested time frames should be regarded as a guide only; teachers should pace lessons in accordance with the individual learning needs of their class.
An assessment task for monitoring student understanding of the unit objectives is included and will require additional lessons.
This unit plan includes the following resources:
- What Makes Australia Unique Posters
- What Makes Australia Unique Word Wall Vocabulary
- Natural and Human Features of Places – Sorting Activity
- States and Territories of Australia PowerPoint
- Map of Australia Template
- Map of Australia Puzzle
- The Story of Gulaga – Comprehension and Activity Worksheet
- Natural Features of Australia – Rivers
- Natural Features of Australia – Mountain Ranges
- Natural Features of Australia – Deserts
- Natural Features of Australia – Rainforests
- The Great Barrier Reef Poster
- Great Barrier Reef – Comprehension and Note Taking Worksheet
- Human Features of Australia PowerPoint
- Our Place, Australia – Inquiry Task
Overview
Objectives
- To explore the natural and human features of Australia.
- To investigate how Australia can be represented on a map as states and territories.
- To investigate the geographical location of capital cities and regional centres around Australia.
- To explore the oral traditions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples use to map landscapes.
- To identify, describe and locate rivers in Australia.
- To identify, describe and locate mountains in Australia.
- To identify, describe and locate deserts in Australia.
- To identify, describe and locate rainforests in Australia.
- To explore the unique natural environment of the Great Barrier Reef.
- To identify the human features of Australia and to explore some Australian landmarks.
Preparing for Learning
This Geography unit provides opportunities for cross-curricular integration. Look for ways to meaningfully integrate the content of the unit with other learning areas e.g. Literacy, Numeracy, The Arts.
Prior to commencing the unit, create a classroom display which celebrates the natural and human features of Australia. Display posters, word wall vocabulary and learning goals that the students will engage with throughout the unit to stimulate their learning. For examples of additional teaching resources to display in your classroom, browse the Australia collection on the Teach Starter website.
Some of the resources which accompany this unit plan will need to be prepared prior to teaching. For this reason, it is advised that teachers browse through all lessons before commencing the unit.
Lessons
NSW Curriculum alignment
- GE2-2
Describes the ways people, places and environments interact
- GE2-4
Acquires and communicates geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry
- HT2-1
Identifies celebrations and commemorations of significance in Australia and the world
- HT2-3
Describes people, events and actions related to world exploration and its effects
- HT2-5
Applies skills of historical inquiry and communication
Victorian Curriculum alignment
- VCHHK072
The significance of Country and Place to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who belong to a local area
- VCGGK079
Representation of Australia as states and territories, and Australia’s major natural and human characteristics
- VCGGC075
Represent data and the location of places and their characteristics by constructing tables and simple graphs and maps of appropriate scale that conform to cartographic conventions of border, scale, legend, title and north point
Australian Curriculum alignment
- ACHASSI061
Present ideas, findings and conclusions in texts and modes that incorporate digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms
- ACHASSI057
Interpret data and information displayed in different formats, to identify and describe distributions and simple patterns
- ACHASSI055
Sequence information about people's lives and events
- ACHASSI052
Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues
- ACHASSK085
Stories of the First Fleet, including reasons for the journey, who travelled to Australia, and their experiences following arrival
- ACHASSI077
Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish facts from opinions
- ACHASSI075
Record, sort and represent data and the location of places and their characteristics in different formats, including simple graphs, tables and maps, using discipline-appropriate conventions
- ACHASSI059
Interact with others with respect to share points of view
- ACHASSI056
Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish facts from opinions
- ACHASSI054
Record, sort and represent data and the location of places and their characteristics in different formats, including simple graphs, tables and maps, using discipline-appropriate conventions
- ACHASSI074
Locate and collect information and data from different sources, including observations
- ACHASSI058
Draw simple conclusions based on analysis of information and data
- ACHASSI053
Locate and collect information and data from different sources, including observations
- ACHASSK066
The representation of Australia as states and territories and as Countries/Places of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; and major places in Australia, both natural and human
- ACHASSK062
The importance of Country/Place to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples who belong to a local area
Find more resources for these topics
GeographyCountriesEnvironmentsAustraliaAustralian States and TerritoriesNatural and Built Environments
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Wondering if there is a criteria sheet for the Inquiry Task?
Allison Campbell · Feb 12th, 2020
Hi Allison, thank you for your question. At the moment, we do not have a rubric for this assessment task. While we understand that providing a rubric would save teachers time, it is also difficult to create a rubric that would meet each teacher’s specific needs. Nonetheless, please feel free to request this resource at our ‘Request a Resource’ page. http://www.teachstarter.com/request-a-resource/ Requests are voted on by the Teach Starter community and we create the top requests. Please let me know if you have any further questions, I’m more than happy to help.
Stephanie (Teach Starter) · Feb 17th, 2020
Very helpful
Leah Ostwald · Apr 16th, 2019
Hi Leah,
Thank you for your lovely comment. I am so glad you are enjoying our resources.
Kristian · Apr 17th, 2019