GeographyAlive:Stage1Geography(Topic2;Unit2)

©GeographyTeachersAssociationNSW

Lesson1:Connectionswithotherplaces

Contentfocus:InthislessonstudentsexploretheirconnectionswithotherplacesanddeveloptheirknowledgeofAustralia’sandtheworld’splacegeography.Theyreflectonthewaystheyareconnectedtootherplacesandtheimportanceoftheseconnections.TheyplottheseconnectionsonamapofAustraliaandtheworld.

Resources:• Aglobeoftheearth• ResourceSheet1:Mapoftheworld• Resource:PowerPoint(Mapsandlessonpoints)• Alarge,wallmounted,mapsoftheworldandAustralia• Oceansoftheworld–ThisYouTubevideointroducesstudentstotheworld’soceans.Itcovers:bodiesofwater,proportionofwatertoland

andthefive(orfour)oceans:Pacific,Atlantic,Indian,Southern,andArctic–[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUAGVToKgLo]• Picturebookssetinplaces.Forexample:LeighHobbs(2015),MrChickenLandsinLondonorMrChickenGoestoParis,Allen&Unwin

Children'sBooks.• NASALiveStream-ViewsOfEarthfromSpaceVideofeedofEarthfromtheInternationalSpaceStation(ISS)Cameras.FollowtheISSasit

circlestheEarthwithourliveISStracker–[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDAmSOU913Q]

Keyinquiryquestions:• Whereareplaceslocated

intheworld?

• Howarepeopleconnectedtoplacesglobally?

• Whatfactorsaffectpeople’sconnectionstoplaces?

Outcomes:Astudent:• describesfeaturesof

placesandtheconnectionspeoplehavewithplaces.

Lessonsequence:• Step1:Withtheaidofaglobeoftheworld,showstudentswheretheylive.HighlightthelocationofAustraliaandthevariousstatesand

territories.Identifythesevencontinentsanddiscusstheirrelativesize.PointoutAustralia’snearestneighbours(Indonesia,PNG,EastTimorandNewZealand).Askstudentswhattheyknowaboutthem.Locateandnamestheworld’sprincipaloceans.ShowthemtheYouTubevideoOceansoftheworld.ToreinforcethepointthattheearthisaspherefloatinginspaceshowthemtheNASALiveStreamfromtheInternationalSpaceStation.

• Step2:Withtheaidaworldmap(ResourceSheet1andthePowerPointsupplied)Promoteadiscussionofourconnectionswithotherplaces.Toengagetheinterestofstudentsreadthemastory(forexample,LeighHobbs(2015),MrChickenLandsinLondonorMrChickenGoestoParis,Allen&UnwinChildren'sBooks),useanewseventorasuitablevideo.Keyinquiryquestionsmightinclude:Howareweconnectedtootherplaces?Forexample,ancestry,culture,travel,trade,thefoodseaten,sportsplayedetc.Studentscouldbeencouragedtobringartefacts(photographs,clothes,objectsetc.)toclassthatdemonstratetheirlinkstootherplaces.

• Step3:AskstudentstoputuptheirhandiftheywereborninacountryotherthanAustralia.Then,askstudentstoindicateifoneofmoreoftheirparents/caregiverswasbornelsewhere.Tallytheresults.HowmanystudentswereborninAustraliaofAustralianbornparents?Howmanywerebornoverseas?Howmanyhadatleastoneparentbornoverseas?WhatdoesthistellsusaboutthediversityoftheAustralianpopulation?Usecolouredpinstomarkthevariouscountriesthatstudentsarelinkedtoeitherdirectly(bybirth)orindirectly(bythebirthplaceoftheirparents).

• Step4:Usingthesamemapoftheworldandawall-mountedmapofAustraliaaskstudentstothinkoftheconnectionstheyhavewithotherplacesinthefollowingcategories:

• Relativesandfriendslivinginotherplaces• Placesvisitedbythemorothermembersoftheirfamily• Placesinthenews• Placesinwhichafilmyouhaveseenwasset• Placestowhichtheirfamilyhasaspecialconnectionthroughancestorsorculture

EachofthesecategoriescouldbedistinguishedbyadifferentcolouredPost-it-note.Includeinformationrelatedto:thenameoftheplace;abriefphrasedescribingtheconnection;andthestudent’sname.ThisactivityissupportedbythePowerPointResourcesupplied.