Cultural Landmarks

Overview

In this lesson, students compare the cultural significance of Uluru in Australia and Machu Picchu in Peru. Students use geographic and historical thinking to explain how landscapes can hold meaning, identity, and responsibilities, building toward understanding environmental change and management through cultural knowledge.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• recognise connections between cultural identity and Country/landscapes
• describe key features of Uluru and Machu Picchu as meaningful places
• identify ways Aboriginal Peoples care for and manage Country
• compare how different cultures protect and interpret significant places

Success criteria

Students can:

• explain that Uluru and Machu Picchu are cultural, not just physical, landmarks
• identify at least two ways people connect to these landscapes (beliefs, stories, practices, wellbeing, identity)
• give one example of Aboriginal care for Country and connect it to environmental management
• use evidence from class resources to support a comparison

Curriculum links

• GELS-APC-01: Students recognise the connections Aboriginal Peoples have to Country
• GELS-APC-02: Students identify ways in which Aboriginal Peoples care for and manage Country
• HI4-SPE-01: Students explain key features of past societies, historical periods and events relating to colonisation experiences and impacts (linking to how cultural landscapes change through contact)

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter (Recall + question). Teacher displays two images: Uluru and Machu Picchu, and asks: “What makes a place ‘important’ to people?” Students quick-write 3 ideas in their books.

2. 5–15 min · Direct teach (Cultural significance). Teacher briefly introduces each landmark: Uluru as a significant Aboriginal place with cultural knowledge and ongoing connections; Machu Picchu as a significant Inca-era site with cultural meaning and heritage value. Students complete a two-column note: “Uluru means…” and “Machu Picchu means…” using provided prompts.

3. 15–30 min · Guided inquiry (Connections + care). Teacher models a “Compare using evidence” sentence frame.

• Evidence about connections (identity, stories, belonging)
• Evidence about care/management (how people protect or sustain places) Students work in pairs at stations:
• Station A: Uluru—students sort cards into “connections” and “care for Country”
• Station B: Machu Picchu—students sort cards into “connections” and “heritage protection” Teacher circulates, checking understanding and correcting misconceptions (for example, treating landmarks as purely tourist attractions).

4. 30–42 min · Whole-class sense-making (T-chart discussion). Teacher draws a class T-chart: “Cultural connections” and “Cultural management.” Students contribute one idea per pair and justify it with evidence from the card sort. Teacher highlights links to wellbeing and responsibilities for place.

5. 42–52 min · Application writing (Short response). Teacher sets task: “Choose one landmark. Explain (1) what it means culturally and (2) one way people manage/protect it. Then briefly compare it to the other landmark.” Students draft a paragraph using a structured paragraph scaffold:

• Topic sentence
• Evidence (1–2 facts)
• Explanation (why it matters)
• Comparison sentence

6. 52–58 min · Share + peer feedback (Gallery walk). Students display their paragraphs. In groups of three, students use a checklist to give feedback: clarity of cultural meaning, strength of evidence, and accurate comparison.

7. 58–60 min · Exit ticket (Accountable summary). Students answer: “One way Aboriginal Peoples care for Country is… and this shows… (link to cultural significance).” Teacher collects for quick formative assessment.

Resources

• Image set of Uluru and Machu Picchu (projected and/or printed)
• Printed card sorts (connections and care/management for each place)
• Two-column note-taking worksheet
• Paragraph scaffold sheet with sentence starters
• Peer feedback checklist
• Markers/Sticky notes for gallery walk

Assessment

• Formative: observe pair station work (ability to sort “connections” vs “care/management” correctly)
• Formative: teacher checks paragraph drafts for accurate explanation of cultural significance and evidence use
• Summative (light): exit ticket showing link between Aboriginal care for Country and cultural meaning

Differentiation

• Support for students needing structure: provide sentence starters and a simplified comparison frame (“Uluru is important because… Machu Picchu is important because…”).
• Support for EAL learners: allow first-draft oral rehearsal with partner before writing; provide a word bank (connection, identity, stories, heritage, protect, manage, Country).
• Scaffold for unfamiliar concepts: use “What does it mean to people?” vs “How are people responsible for it?” to prevent confusion between physical features and cultural value.
• Extension for advanced learners (keep it purposeful): ask students to add a “Possible impact of contact/changes over time” sentence—linking to how historical events and societal change can affect cultural landscapes and legacies.

Extension (for advanced learners)

• Challenge: “Create a two-bubble model: ‘Beliefs/stories’ and ‘Practices/protection’. Add one example for each landmark and explain how each bubble strengthens the other.”
• Stretch comparison: include one counterpoint (for example, similarities in heritage protection, differences in cultural ownership/meaning).