Australia: States and Territories

Overview

Lesson 1 of 6 in Exploring Australian Places. Students use maps, a compass rose and a simple key to locate and label Australia’s six states and two territories, then compare their positions, relative size and capital cities.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• locate Australia’s six states and two territories on a map
• use a compass rose and simple key to interpret map information
• identify the capital city of each state and territory
• use geographical language to compare locations and size

Success criteria

• I can label all six states and two territories on a map.
• I can use north, south, east and west to describe location.
• I can match each state or territory with its capital city.
• I can make a sensible comparison about location or size using evidence from a map.

Curriculum links

• Geographical knowledge and understanding of Australia’s states, territories, places and features.
• Geographical inquiry: asking questions, collecting information and communicating findings.
• Spatial concepts and geographical vocabulary, including location, distance, direction, size and comparison.
• Mapping skills: interpreting maps, using a compass rose, legends and simple keys.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Engage and wonder Display a map of Australia and ask: “If you travelled from Tasmania to the Northern Territory, what might change?” Open with the map mystery and hook slides. Students briefly share observations with a partner, then offer ideas about different places, directions and distances.

2. 5–15 minutes – Explicit teaching: map features Use the map-reading teaching slides to introduce the terms state, territory, capital city, compass rose, key, border and location. Model how to use north, south, east and west, and explain that maps show relative position and size rather than every detail of a place.

3. 15–25 minutes – Locate together Display a clear political map of Australia in the deck. Guide students to locate and name Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Use a call-and-response routine: students point first, then say the place name. Ask questions such as, “Which state is east of South Australia?” and “Which territory is in the north?”

4. 25–42 minutes – Partner mapping task Place students in nine pairs, with one group of three. Distribute the Australia states and territories mapping worksheet. Students label the eight jurisdictions, add capital cities, draw or follow a simple key, and use the compass rose to answer comparison questions. Circulate and check that students are distinguishing states from territories rather than relying only on colour.

5. 42–51 minutes – Compare and explain Return to the compare-and-discuss slides. Pairs compare answers with another pair, checking labels and capitals. Discuss prompts: “Which places are in the north?” “Which state is an island?” “Which places appear largest?” and “Why might map size be useful when planning a journey?” Emphasise that Tasmania is a state and the Australian Capital Territory is a territory.

6. 51–57 minutes – Class map challenge Invite students to solve quick clues from the map challenge slides, such as “Find the state south of New South Wales” or “Point to the territory between Western Australia and Queensland.” Ask selected students to explain their answer using a direction word or map feature.

7. 57–60 minutes – Plenary and self-check Show the plenary slides. Students complete the sentence: “One place I can now locate is …” and “One map skill I used was …”. Collect worksheets and ask students to hold up one finger if they need more practice, two if they are becoming confident, or three if they can explain their map decisions.

Resources

• Australia states and territories slide deck
• Australia states and territories mapping worksheet
• Large political map of Australia for display
• Student atlases or classroom maps, if available
• Pencils, coloured pencils and erasers
• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive display
• Optional enlarged map for students who need visual support

Assessment

• Observe students’ use of the compass rose, key and directional vocabulary during guided and partner tasks.
• Check worksheets for accurate labels, capital-city matches and reasoned comparisons of location or size.
• Use student responses in the map challenge and plenary to identify misconceptions for the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Support students with a partially labelled map, a visible word bank and a capital-city matching list. Provide an enlarged map and allow students to work with a supportive partner.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach and gesture key terms such as north, border, state and territory; accept pointing, drawing and oral responses before requiring full sentences.
• For students with fine-motor or visual needs, provide larger print, thicker outlines and the option to label with movable notes or dictate answers.
• Extend confident students by asking them to give multi-step directions, compare two journeys or explain why a capital city’s location may be important.