Australian Landscape ID

Overview

In this lesson (lesson 3 of 16) students use Google Earth to identify notable Australian landscapes and their key characteristics. They practise geographical thinking by observing features, location, and environmental cues, then explain how those features shape the environment.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify features and characteristics of Australian places and environments using Google Earth observations.
• Students will recognise how landform and environmental conditions appear in real-world imagery.
• Students will record evidence using a simple observation table (what they see, where, and likely characteristics).
• Students will justify their landscape identification using geographical vocabulary.

Success criteria

• I can name a landscape type (e.g. desert, alpine, coastal, riverine) and point to evidence from the image.
• I can describe at least 3 characteristics (e.g. vegetation cover, relief/land height, drainage, coastline).
• I can use clear geographical language to explain why this location matches my chosen landscape.
• I can work safely and respectfully in a digital task, staying focused on the observation question.

Curriculum links

• GELS-DFC-02 — Students identify features or characteristics of places and environments.
• GELS-DFC-01 — Students recognise places and environments (to support identification).
• GELS-PRI-01 — Students describe how places and environments change (as a short link for “what clues suggest change?”).
• Thinking and working geographically — observing, describing, and using evidence to support conclusions.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Start up and goal. Teacher shows a short Google Earth image (one landscape only) and asks students to write: “What do you notice first?” Students share one observation using sentence stems.
2. 5–12 min · Mini teach: how to identify landscapes. Teacher models a “See–Describe–Explain” process using a worked example (features, characteristics, and a short justification). Students highlight the model in their notes and repeat the steps on a practice prompt.
3. 12–20 min · Digital setup and safety checks. Teacher demonstrates how to navigate Google Earth (zoom, search by place name, switch views if available, read labels). Students follow on devices and complete a quick check: find a teacher-provided location, then mark it on their worksheet.
4. 20–40 min · Investigation in pairs (Google Earth). Students work in pairs with a landscape task card (e.g. coastal, desert, alpine, rainforest/forest, inland river). For each site, they complete the observation table:

• Location (place name/region, state/territory if known)
• Features visible (landform/relief, water, vegetation patterns, human impacts if seen)
• Characteristics (3–4 descriptive phrases)
• Evidence statement (one sentence linking evidence to landscape type) Teacher circulates, prompting with: “What clues tell you that?” and “What else could explain this appearance?”

5. 40–52 min · Gallery share and feedback. Pairs move to two “landscape stations” (or teacher-selected class examples) and provide verbal feedback using a checklist: one strong feature description, one evidence improvement, one geography word to use. Teacher records common misconceptions.
6. 52–58 min · Quick write: justify and refine. Students choose one of their sites and write a short justification paragraph: claim (landscape type) + evidence + characteristic explanation. Teacher offers brief conferencing for students needing language support.
7. 58–60 min · Exit ticket. Students answer: “Name one landscape characteristic you can see and explain how it helps identify the landscape.” Collect for next-lesson grouping.

Resources

• Devices with internet access and Google Earth available
• Student worksheet: Observation table + sentence stems
• Landscape task cards (4–6 options; enough for 25 students in pairs)
• Teacher example screenshot(s) for the mini teach
• Map reference handout (simple Australia outline with states/territories)
• Timer and classroom noise expectations for pair work
• Coloured pens or highlighters for marking “evidence clues”
• Safety and device care reminder poster

Assessment

• Formative during the investigation: teacher checks whether students record observable evidence and use geographical vocabulary (not only opinions).
• Feedback during gallery share: teacher listens for evidence-linked statements and notes misconceptions (e.g. confusing coastline vs river features).
• Exit ticket: one characteristic + justification link to determine who needs more scaffolding in language and observation skills.

Differentiation

• Support for students needing structure: provide sentence starters (“I can see…”, “This suggests…”, “A characteristic is…”) and a word bank (coastal, rugged, arid, relief, vegetation, drainage, coastline, valley).
• Support for visual learners: allow students to use highlighters on a printed screenshot or a device annotation tool to tag evidence (e.g. water, vegetation bands, steep slopes).
• Extension for fast finishers: ask them to add one “change clue” (for example, visible erosion features, water seasonality hints, or human land use signs) and explain how environments can change over time.
• EAL learners: pre-teach key terms with gestures/pictures; offer bilingual support if available; allow oral first-draft justification before writing.
• SEN adjustments: reduce the number of sites to identify (e.g. 1 instead of 2) while requiring deeper evidence for that one site; provide a checklist for minimum requirements.
• Grouping strategy: teacher creates mixed-ability pairs and rotates roles (navigator vs recorder) to ensure balanced participation.