Planning to teach geography K–10

students in Australian bush looking at rocky hills — Studying landforms, Warrumbungle EEC

This section of the course is designed to enhance your understanding of the Geography K–10 Syllabus overall. Particular attention is given to how the learning in your chosen stage develops students’ ability to think and work geographically. Learning across the curriculum (LAC) content is also discussed.

Stage statements¹ are summaries of the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes that are developed by students as a result of achieving the outcomes for the relevant stage of learning.

Each stage statement for K–10 consists of two paragraphs, describing respectively the:

knowledge and understanding, concepts and outcomes addressed
inquiry skills and tools developed across the stage.

Activity 2: Stage Statements

Read the stage statement corresponding to your chosen stage and note the key knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes developed. Record these in your Activity booklet.

Now read the stage statements for the stages before and after your chosen stage. Note and record the development that is anticipated as students progress.

Four high school students taking notes in the Australian bush — Fieldwork, Georges River EEC

A single set of objectives governs all learning in Geography K–10. These objectives are high level statements regarding students’:

development of geographical knowledge and understanding
application of geographical tools
development of geographical inquiry skills.

Geography outcomes are stage-specific and establish the progression of learning to meet the objectives. The number of outcomes increases as school progresses. At least one outcome per stage relates to the application of geographical tools and the development of geographical inquiry skills.

K–10 continuum of learning

The K–10 continuum of learning can be viewed online either as a Table of objectives and outcomes - continuum of learning² or Table of outcomes³ linked to content.

Activity 3: Objectives and outcomes

Read the outcomes for your chosen stage. How do these outcomes fulfil the requirements of the objectives? Record your answer in your Activity booklet.

The geographical concepts are integral to the development of geographical understanding. They are ideas that can be applied across the subject to identify a question or guide an investigation.

Concepts are also the key ideas involved in teaching students to think geographically. There are seven concepts taught in the Geography K–10 Syllabus.

Place: identifiable parts of Earth’s surface

Space: the organisation, patterns and distribution of places

Environment: total surroundings and relevant natural and human processes

Interconnection: the links between people and environments

Scale: the levels at which geographical phenomena are examined

Sustainability: the capacity of the environment to continue to support life

Change: developments and variations over time

Geographical concepts diagram. Scale, sustainability, change, environment, interconnection, place, space.

The K–10 geographical concepts continuum⁴ outlines when each concept is introduced and provides examples of how students’ understanding is expected to develop.

The continuum shows the increasingly sophisticated ways students consider each concept as their learning progresses.

Introducing concepts K–6

Activity 4: Geographical concepts

Choose one of the seven concepts taught in geography K–10. Compare the ways students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of this concept on your chosen stage with the stages before and after.

Record your observations in your Activity booklet.

Geographical skills

All students K–10 are taught to use the geographical inquiry process.

A process for geographical inquiry: Use geographical tools to acquire, process and — Text version, A process for geographical inquiry (.docx 112kB)

The K–10 geographical inquiry skills continuum⁵ outlines the expectations for students at each point of their learning. Review the skills expected at your chosen stage and compare these to the stages before and after.

Activity 5: Geographical inquiry process

What are the benefits of using an inquiry process to teach geographical skills? What challenges will this present in your local context?

Record your thoughts in your Activity booklet.

Geographical tools

Geographers use geographical tools to acquire, process and communicate geographical information during an inquiry. All students K–10 are taught to use geographical tools. These tools are categorised under five headings.

Maps take many forms and include digital and non-digital mediums. They are used to locate, visualise, represent, display and record spatial data.

Fieldwork involves observing, measuring, collecting and recording information outside the classroom. Fieldwork can be undertaken within the school grounds, around local areas or at more distant locations. Virtual fieldwork is possible using information and communication technologies.

Graphs (also called charts) and statistics take many forms, including digital and non-digital mediums. They are used to collate, organise, illustrate, summarise and compare patterns, relationships and trends in geographical data and information.

Spatial technologies include any software or hardware that interacts with real world locations. They are used to visualise, manipulate, analyse, display and record spatial data.

Visual representations take many forms and include digital and non-digital mediums. They are used to record, display, visualise, analyse and communicate geographical data and information.

Choosing tools

The K–10 geographical tools continuum⁶ provides examples of tools students may use in each stage of learning.

How might the K–10 geographical inquiry skills continuum⁵ and the K–10 geographical tools continuum assist in differentiating the learning to meet the needs of students in your class?

Learning across the curriculum (LAC) content

Photos of port facilities in Singapore. — Port facilities in Singapore

Learning across the curriculum content is a common feature of all new BOSTES NSW syllabuses.

It is important when programming that you consider learning across the curriculum connections.

Learning across the curriculum content is automatically included in the syllabus content descriptions for geography and identified by the relevant icon.

Refer to Learning across the curriculum⁷ in the geography syllabus.

It has been suggested that the Geography K–10 Syllabus reflects many of the emphases in the learning across the curriculum content. Do you agree?

The content of the Geography K–10 Syllabus is divided into focus areas:

Early Stage 1 - one focus area
Stages 1–3 - two focus areas
Stages 4–5 - four focus areas.

Diagram showing progression from Early stage 1 People live in places to Stage 1 Features of places, People and places to Stage 2 Places are similar and different, The earth's environment to Stage 3 Factors that shape places, A diverse and connected world.

Diagram showing progression from Stage 4 Landscape and landforms to Water in the world to Stage 4 Place and liveability, Interconnections to Stage 5 Sustainable biomes, Environmental change and management to Stage 5 Chaning places, Human wellbeing.

The Geography K–10 content⁸ section of the online syllabuses shows the progression of the 15 focus areas. Each focus area can be clicked to show its syllabus details.

The next section of this course leads participants through a detailed examination of one stage and one focus area.

If you have not done so already, select one stage and one focus area on which you would like to concentrate for the remainder of the course.

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