Year 1 Humanities and Social Sciences

Unit Overview
School name Unit title Duration of unit
Geography Term 3
Unit outline
The Year 1 curriculum provides a study of the recent past, the present and the near future within the context of the student’s own world. Students are
given opportunities to explore how changes occur over time in relation to themselves, their own families, and the places they and others belong to. They
examine their daily family life and how it is the same as and different to previous generations. They investigate their place and other places, their natural,
managed and constructed features, and the activities located in them. They explore daily and seasonal weather patterns and how different groups
describe them. They anticipate near future events such as personal milestones and seasons. The idea of active citizenship is introduced as students
explore family roles and responsibilities and ways people care for places. The content provides opportunities for students to develop humanities and social
sciences understanding through key concepts including significance; continuity and change; place and space; roles, rights and
responsibilities; and perspectives and action. These concepts may provide a focus for inquiries and be investigated across sub-strands or within a
particular sub-strand context. The content at this year level is organised into two strands: knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and skills. The
knowledge and understanding strand draws from two sub-strands: history and geography. These strands (knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and
skills) are interrelated and have been developed to be taught in an integrated way, which may include integrating with content from the sub-strands and
from other learning areas, and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which they are taught are programming
decisions.

Achievement standard
By the end of Year 1, students identify and describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places at a local scale and identify where features
of places are located. They recognise that people describe the features of places differently. Students identify changes in features and describe how to
care for places.
Students respond to questions about familiar and unfamiliar places by locating and interpreting information from sources provided. They represent the
location of different places and their features on labelled 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.
Assessment Make judgments
Describe the assessment Assessment date Inquiry and skills:
 Sort and record information and data,
Throughout the term, teacher will mark all the students’ tasks as a form of Weeks 2-9
formative assessment. The Formative Assessment will assess understanding including location, in tables and on
of maps and the features of different maps in the form of: plans and labelled
maps (ACHASSI020)
Anecdotal records
Predications  Explore a point of view (ACHASSI022)
 Interpret data and information displayed
Observations
in pictures and texts and on
Labelled diagrams (paper plate globe)
maps (ACHASSI024)
Lists
 Reflect on learning to propose how to
Drawings care for places and sites that are
important or significant (ACHASSI026)
Diagnostic Assessment:
Find out what students already know about the world map, pictorial maps and Knowledge and understanding:
natural, constructed and managed features through discussions and Weeks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8.
brainstorms and the beginning of each sub-topic.  The natural, managed and
constructed features of places, their
location, how they change and how
Summative Assessment: they can be cared for (ACHASSK031)
Week 10
At the end of the unit students will create their own neighbourhoods which will  Activities in the local place and reasons
need to include certain features. for their location (ACHASSK033)
Teaching and learning Supportive learning environment
Teaching strategies and learning experiences Adjustments for Resources
needs of learners
Week 1: North and south. Signs saying ‘North’, ‘South’, ‘East’ and
‘West’
Explain to students that during the lesson we will be adding to our own map of the world Compass
on the butchers paper on the whiteboard. Butchers paper
Cut out continents
Discuss with students “what is north?” “what is south” “how do we know which direction Red wool for equator
is which?” Compass showing north and south.
Use a compass- in our classroom, which way is north? Put a sign on the wall. Same Two labels saying ‘Northern Hemisphere’
with South, East and West. and ‘Southern Hemisphere’
Place these directions and the compass (paper) on the butchers paper. Globe

What is meant by ‘north pole’ and ‘south pole’? Are there actual poles with signs on
them? What is there instead of poles? (Antarctica, Arctic Ocean) Place these on the
map.

Introduce continents. Discuss with students where each should go on the map.
Students can use the globe to help them.

Week 2:
Revise last lesson. What did we learn? What have we put on our map so far?
Red wool- big piece for class map,
Point out, we have three things left to add to our map. –Wool, and 2 signs. Ask students smaller pieces one per student.
if they know what either of the two signs mean. Discuss what is meant by northern and Paper plates
southern hemispheres and how the red wool, our equator, seperates them. Blank continents map to be cut out by
students.
Students make their own hemisphere globe out of paper plates with a red wool line for Labels for hemispheres and continents.
the equator. Include labels of continents and northern and southern hemispheres. Labels for directions.
Week 3: Different Pictorial Map
What if we zoomed in? show different pictorial maps. Eg, Australia, Western Australia, Resourses from last week to finish off
Perth. Even zoom into the school. Use google maps, change the view (satellite/map) paper plate globes.
Look at a few maps- the school, a house, a park. Google maps on the projector.

Finishing off paper plate globes.

Week 4: Our House and natural features.

Students draw a pictorial map of their house. (show mine as an example). The templete Templates for students to draw their
will have a square building with a fence. houses on.
Whiteboard markers to brainstorm.
Ask students what sort of features they included in their maps.
If time allows: Discuss what natural features are. Brainstorm any features we might find
in the area surrounding our school.

Week 5: Natural and Constructed features

Brainstorm any natural features students might find in the surrounding area to revise
last weeks lesson.
Clipboards with a piece of paper. Either
Discuss what is a constructed (man made) feature. Brainstorm constructed features one each or one between two (so
that we might see around the surrounding area. students can work together).
Whiteboard marker for brainstorm.
Take students for a short walk around the school looking for constructed features. As
they walk, students will carry their clipboards and make two lists on a piece of paper.
One list will be natural features they saw, the other will be constructed features they
saw.

Week 6: Natural features

Revise last weeks lesson.
Students neatly draw a natural feature they saw on the walk last week as well as Butchers paper with large map of the
something they can use to care for the feature (eg, plant and watering can). Students school.
stick this on the enlarged map of the school. Paper for students to draw on. Possibly
¼ of a A4 sheet each.
Discuss as a class what it means to care for the features and how the features might
change over time.

Week 7: Constructed features

Revise last weeks lesson.
Students neatly draw a constructed feature they saw on the walk two weeks ago as well
as something they can use to care for the feature (eg, buildings and fences). Students
stick this on the enlarged map of the school. Paper for students to draw on. Possibly
¼ of a A4 sheet each.
Discuss as a class what it means to care for the features and how the features might
change over time.

Week 8: Managed features

Revise the lessons from the last two weeks.
Introduce managed features. Features that are natural but looked after or altered by
man. (farms, parks etc). ask what managed features students can think of around the Students clip boards and paper from
school. Brainstorm any managed features we can think of in the surrounding area. week 5.
White board marker for brainstorm.
Take students for a short walk around the school with their clipboards and paper. Get
students to write the managed features they see on the bottom of the page in a different
coloured pencil and underline the managed features they may have put in the natural or
constructed list the weeks before.

Week 9: Managed features

Revise last weeks lesson.
Students neatly draw a managed feature they saw on the walk last week as well as Paper for students to draw on. Possibly
something they can use to care for the feature (eg, parks and reticulation). Students ¼ of a A4 sheet each.
stick this on the enlarged map of the school.

Discuss as a class what it means to care for the features and how the features might
change over time.

Discuss the enlarged map of the school we have added to over the course of the unit.
Week 10: Streetscape plotter
Discuss everything we have learnt over the course of the unit. Laptops- One per student or template of
empty street- one per student.
Allow students time to look at streetscape plotter on scootle.
https://web.archive.org/web/20180322102259/http://www.urbangrowth.nsw.gov.au/mini-
sites/my_neighbourhood/observer/site.htm
They will be able to add natural, managed and constructed features to their own
neighbourhood map. Explain to students that you wish to see at least 3 of each type of
feature.
If streetscaper does not work, have a printed template so students can draw their
neighbourhood.
Use feedback
Ways to monitor Teachers collaboratively plan the teaching, learning and assessment to meet the needs of all learners.
learning and
assessment Discussions and brainstorm will be a regular event throughout the unit to help monitor students learning and to assess
whether students understand or if more clarification is needed.

Teachers will do a final verbal revision with the class all the important facts and points regarding the term’s topic for Term 3
before the Summative assessment.
Feedback to students Teachers plan opportunities through the teaching strategies and learning experiences of the unit. Teachers provide ongoing
feedback and encouragement to students on their strengths and areas for improvement. Through particular learning
experiences, students can reflect on and discuss with their teachers and peers what they are able to do well and what they
need to do to improve. There will be ample opportunity for students to gain feedback as they particiapate in regular classroom
discussions, brainstorms and group activities.
Reflection on the unit At the conclusion of the unit, all teachers who have been involved in planning, teaching, learning and assessment come
plan together to reflect on the successes and challenges of the unit. They come with their personal reflections through answers to
the following questions:
 What worked well in this unit?
 What was a stumbling block?
 How would you refine it?
 What trends and gaps in learning have you identified?
 How will you build on these learning experiences next term and beyond?
Appendix 1