Introduction to Geography

Overview

In Lesson 1 of 20, students are introduced to core geography ideas: location, place, human–environment interaction, and regions. They will practise using simple geospatial tools (globe/map) and organise information to build understanding for the wider unit, “Exploring Our Global Landscape”.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify examples of places and describe how location helps us find them
• explain what “place” means by using observations (natural and human features)
• describe human–environment interaction using simple cause-and-effect language
• sort countries/areas into regions and explain the purpose of regions in geography

Success criteria

Students can:

• use a map/globe to locate at least one place and describe where it is (north/south/east/west; relative position)
• describe a place using both natural and human features
• give one example of how people affect the environment (and/or how the environment affects people)
• group places into a region and justify their grouping using one geographic reason

Curriculum links

• AC9HS6K04: identify the geographical diversity and location of places in the Asia region, and its location in relation to Australia
• AC9HS6S02: locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats, including creating simple maps using cartographic conventions
• AC9HS6S02: use spatial tools such as a globe/wall map/digital application to find locations and organise information
• Geographical thinking (from HASS skills): observe, represent, and communicate location and place using appropriate geographic language

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (images). Teacher shows a slide set of 4–5 places (e.g., beach city, mountainous village, river plain, desert edge) and asks what these images have in common. Students do a quick think about which features stand out and share one observation.

2. 5–15 min · Mini-lesson: Big ideas of geography. Teacher introduces four concepts with student-friendly examples:

• Location: where a place is
• Place: what it is like (features)
• Human–environment interaction: how people and environments influence each other
• Regions: areas with shared characteristics (not just “random groups”) Students record a one-sentence definition for each concept in their geography notebook.

3. 15–25 min · Skill focus: Finding location. Teacher demonstrates using a globe or wall map: finding Australia, then locating nearby Asian countries/areas (teacher-selected examples). Emphasise relative location (north/south/east/west) and the idea of direction from Australia. Students, in pairs, use a printed map or atlas page to locate two places and write relative location statements (e.g., “To the north of Australia…”).

4. 25–35 min · Guided activity: What makes a place? Teacher models a “Place Snapshot” using a chosen example place (from the images). Students identify two natural features and two human features (e.g., coastline/river; roads/buildings/farms/schools). Students complete a Place Snapshot for one place card, using sentence starters provided on the board (e.g., “This place has…”, “People here…”, “The environment shows…”).

5. 35–45 min · Guided activity: Human–environment interaction. Teacher provides 3 scenario cards (teacher-selected, age-appropriate), such as:

• people build houses near a river; flooding risks affect where people build
• farming in a dry area; water availability affects crops
• fishing communities and coastal ecosystems Teacher models a cause-and-effect sentence frame: “Because the environment…, people… / This affects…”. Students choose one scenario and write one cause-and-effect explanation, then share with a partner.

6. 45–55 min · Main task: Create a region sort. Teacher introduces the idea of regions using Asia as an anchor region, then demonstrates sorting places into a simple “region table” (e.g., Asia vs Australia; or categories within Asia based on teacher-chosen shared characteristics like “coastal”, “mountain”, “tropical”). Keep it simple and based on observable characteristics from images/maps. Students work in small groups to sort 6–8 place cards into two regions (or one main region and “outside”), then write one justification sentence per group.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket (quick check). Teacher prompts: “In 3 sentences, tell me: a location, a place, and one human–environment interaction from today’s work.” Students complete the exit ticket independently.

Resources

• Globe and/or wall map of the world and/or Australia–Asia map
• Printed world/Australia–Asia map handouts (one per student)
• Place image cards (4–8)
• Scenario cards for human–environment interaction (3 options)
• Place Snapshot template (natural features / human features)
• Region sort template (simple table) and place cards
• Geography notebooks or worksheets with sentence starters
• Markers/coloured pencils
• Document camera or slide deck with image set and concept definitions

Assessment

• Formative during activities: teacher circulates to check students’ location statements (relative position) and geographic language use
• Formative during Place Snapshot and interaction writing: check that natural vs human features are correctly identified and that cause-and-effect is clear
• Exit ticket: verify each student can provide at least one location statement, one place description, and one interaction example

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters and word banks (location words: north, south, east, west, near, beside; place words: coast, river, city, village, farm; interaction words: affects, changes, depends on)
• Support: offer a “worked example” on the board for the first place card and first scenario sentence
• Extension: challenge students to justify their region sorting with two reasons (e.g., shared climate/landform plus human activity)
• EAL/SEN: allow oral responses to be scribed or recorded briefly; reduce card sorting to fewer cards if needed while keeping the same concept goals