HASS · Year 1 · Our Places and Spaces · Term 3

Features of Our Local Area

Students identify and categorize natural and built features within their immediate local environment.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS1K04

About This Topic

In Year 1 HASS, students examine features of their local area by identifying and categorizing natural elements, such as trees, rocks, and creeks, alongside built structures like houses, paths, and playgrounds. This aligns with AC9HASS1K04, where children describe spatial differences in their familiar surroundings and connect them to community significance. Through key questions, they distinguish what nature provides from human creations, fostering appreciation for places special to their community.

This topic introduces concepts of place, space, and custodianship, including the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Traditional Custodians. Students build skills in observation, classification, and respectful discussion about Country, laying groundwork for civic understanding and sustainability awareness in later years.

Active learning shines here because students engage directly with their environment through walks and mapping. These experiences make abstract categories concrete, encourage peer sharing of personal connections, and spark curiosity about changes over time, deepening retention and relevance.

Key Questions

1. What things in our local area were made by nature? What things were made by people?
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians of this land. What do you think it means to be a custodian of a place?
3. What are the important places in our community? What makes them special to the people who live here?

Learning Objectives

• Identify natural features in the local area.
• Categorize features of the local area as either natural or built.
• Describe the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as custodians of Country.
• Explain what makes certain places special to the community.

Before You Start

Observing and Describing Objects

Why: Students need basic observational skills to identify and describe the characteristics of different features in their environment.

Understanding 'Me' and 'My Family'

Why: This topic builds on the concept of personal connection to place, starting with the immediate family unit.

Key Vocabulary

Natural features	Things in the environment that exist without human intervention, such as rivers, mountains, and trees.
Built features	Structures or modifications created by people, like roads, buildings, and parks.
Custodians	People who are responsible for looking after and protecting a place or its resources.
Community	A group of people who live in the same place or have shared interests and characteristics.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All parks are completely natural.

What to Teach Instead

Parks blend natural grass and trees with built paths and benches. Field walks help students spot and discuss hybrids, refining their categories through evidence. Group sorting activities reveal nuances peers notice.

Common Misconception

People-made things never change nature.

What to Teach Instead

Built features alter natural landscapes, like paths through bushland. Mapping before-and-after sketches shows impacts, with discussions guided by photos. Active exploration builds awareness of interconnections.

Common Misconception

Custodianship means owning the land.

What to Teach Instead

Custodianship involves caring for Country responsibly. Role-plays and stories from Traditional Custodians clarify stewardship. Peer sharing corrects ownership ideas through relational examples.

Active Learning Ideas

Neighbourhood Walk: Feature Hunt

Lead a supervised walk around the school or nearby streets. Provide clipboards and checklists for students to mark natural features like grass or birds and built ones like fences or signs. Back in class, sort collected items or drawings into categories on a large chart.

45 min·Whole Class

Mapping Pairs: My Local Area

In pairs, students draw simple maps of their street or school using paper and crayons, labeling natural and built features. Discuss what makes places special, then share maps in a class gallery walk. Extend by adding symbols for important community spots.

30 min·Pairs

Custodian Role-Play: Small Group Scenarios

Groups act out caring for a local feature, such as picking up litter near a tree or respecting a park sign. Rotate roles and reflect on what custodians do. Connect to Traditional Custodians through shared stories or guest speaker input.

25 min·Small Groups

Photo Sort: Individual Digital Hunt

Students use school devices or printed photos of local areas to sort images into natural, built, or both categories. Add sticky notes explaining why, then compile into a class digital book.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Local council park rangers maintain natural features like creeks and bushland, ensuring they are healthy for people and wildlife. They might plant native trees or clear invasive species.
• Urban planners and architects design built features such as schools, libraries, and public transport routes, considering the needs and safety of the community.
• Indigenous elders share knowledge about traditional custodianship, explaining how their families have cared for specific areas of Country for thousands of years, including managing fire and water resources.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a worksheet containing pictures of various local features. Ask them to circle the natural features and draw a square around the built features. Review responses together as a class.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are a custodian of our school grounds. What are two things you would do to look after it?' Record student responses on a chart labeled 'Our School Custodianship'.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a small card. Ask them to draw one natural feature and one built feature they saw on a recent walk. On the back, they should write one sentence about why a place in our community is special.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I introduce custodianship in Year 1?

Start with simple stories or videos about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander custodians caring for land through practices like fire management. Use class discussions on school rules for places, linking to personal responsibilities. Hands-on activities like planting native seeds reinforce ongoing care, making the concept accessible and meaningful for young learners.

What activities identify natural vs built features?

Organise neighbourhood walks with checklists or photo hunts using devices. Students sort leaves, sticks, and photos of structures into T-charts. Follow with drawing sessions to label and explain, building vocabulary and observation skills tied to AC9HASS1K04.

How can active learning benefit this topic?

Active approaches like local walks and collaborative mapping immerse students in real environments, turning passive listening into discovery. They notice details independently, share cultural connections in groups, and retain concepts longer through multisensory engagement. This method also supports diverse learners by allowing movement and talk, aligning with HASS inquiry processes.

How to make local features relevant to all students?

Incorporate student home languages for labels and invite family photos of their areas. Create a class 'Our Places' wall with drawings and stories. This validates backgrounds, sparks inclusive talks on special spots, and connects personal experiences to curriculum standards effectively.