Some states in Australia use slight variations between the Australia Curriculum (ACARA) and their own state curriculum but all Australian teachers should be aligning their work to ACARA and the national standards.
Geography has undergone many changes in the last few years and is now part of the overarching subject of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) which most Australian teachers are now familiar with.
This blog post is specifically about the Year 1 Geography pack that I developed (Tech Teacher Pto3) which is my second best seller with over a 170 pieces of positive feedback. It was overdue for a tune-up.
I like to keep my products as tightly aligned to ACARA so possible so that you, the teacher, have minimal work to do. These units of work cover everything that is required for HASS so you just have to pull out the particular pieces you'd like to use with your class and plan your lesson around the resources, confident in the knowledge that you're meeting the national standards.
So without further-a-do I'd like to take you through the newly updated pack and highlight any changes I have made (if you have already purchased this product, you can just download the updated version for free via your purchases page on TpT).
INDEX
The index at the start of the pack outlines each of the Year 1 Geography Knowledge and Understandings and their alignment with each resource, poster or slide. This should be your starting point with your planning. Print out the index and highlight the resources you think your class will enjoy (you know your students best so differentiate for their needs). All the materials in the pack are in sequential order, to take you right through the unit.
VOCABULARY CARDS
The vocabulary cards come with a student-friendly definition and a matching image. Print, laminate and cut and they will last you for years. You can use these one of two ways; place them all on a word wall and discuss as necessary or put one up each week and make this part of your vocabulary lesson (STRIVE or which ever vocabulary system you use in your school). Each word is key for understanding the core concepts of Year 1 Geography.
There are lots of worksheets in this pack and each has the alignment clearly marked on the top. I use these alignments to start my lesson with my We Are Learning Today (WALT) and my This Is Because (TIB). The alignment on each resource makes it easy for students to quickly identify 'why am I learning this?'.
WHAT'S NEW?
Nearly all the worksheets have been improved with clearer, more student friendly fonts. Most have new clip art which is far more descriptive and there are several new worksheets that have been added to help build students' conceptual understanding of the topics covered such as;
- What is a constructed, managed or natural place? Reading text with definitions.
- What are the features of places? Reading text
- How are places used? Modelled example for students
- Identifying which resources can be recycled Reading text x 2
- Waterways definitions colouring pages x 8
NEW STUDENT WORKBOOK
I have included a separate PDF in this pack of just the worksheets with a HASS Geography cover page, so you can print the entire set out for students to work through in your Geography lessons should you wish.
The QR codes have proved very popular but I know not all teachers have access to iPads to scan the codes so they can use the photographic images in the poster/slide pack that is included to help prompt students with their responses. Looking at a real photograph, where possible, is always a better alternative than clip art for young students - so lots have been included in this pack!
One of my favourite parts of teaching geography is map-making! It's so much fun and students love some hands-on activities. I have removed the original map-making activity of a town and replaced it with a new map students can create and put on display of a playground. I have also included a writing sheet for students to discuss the features they have added and why.
WHAT'S NEW?
- Design your own playground - cut and paste activity with matching writing sheet
INDIGENOUS CONNECTIONS
The QR Code and video activity of Tiddalick the frog is always fun for students to explore a connection to Aboriginal dreaming and creation stories.
WHAT'S NEW?
In the last update the Noongar Seasons Calendar was updated to reflect a preferred spelling of two of the seasons (remember there are some regional variations on these spellings).
WEATHER
New clip art has been added to the weather comparison worksheets and don't forget to use the links to the websites covered in the teacher notes to take students through this activity.
You asked and I listened! More hands-on activities for Geography...so I have now added in some lovely puzzle pieces for waterways. Print, laminate, cut and bag and they will last you for a long time. Before you undertake a study of your local waterways, use these puzzle pieces with students. Here are a few ways I have used these in the past:
- Give each student a random puzzle piece and then tell them to find the other two matching pieces without speaking (this keeps the noise down but also forces students to use miming actions and other non-verbal skills to find their partners). When they have found their matching puzzle pieces, sit down. Students love this activity and it really is a great warm up to a lesson.
- Give students the whole set of puzzle pieces in small groups and get them to sort them out. They will need to discuss why they believe each piece fits with the title (as any of them can) in order to be correct. This will force them to use their vocabulary and oral language skills).
POSTERS AND SLIDES
All of the posters and photographic slides are in one file now and new fonts and clip art make them look fantastic!
WHAT'S NEW?
- Features colour poster
- Each photographic slide has a matching colour poster (use whichever option you prefer in your room)
- Materials photographic posters x 12
I hope you enjoy the new updates. Please let me know of any other activities you'd love to see in this pack as I'm always keen to keep you prepared for your geography lessons!
You can find the Year 1 Geography pack here (updates are free!).
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