HASS · Year 2 · People and Places Around Us · Term 4

Natural Features of Our Local Area

Students will identify and describe the natural features of their local environment, such as hills, rivers, and vegetation.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS2K04

About This Topic

Every place is made up of a unique combination of natural and human features. This topic teaches students to distinguish between things created by nature (mountains, rivers, native vegetation) and things built by people (roads, houses, parks, bridges). This aligns with AC9HASS2K04, identifying the features of places and how they can be represented on maps.

Students explore how these features influence how we use a place, for example, a flat grassy area might become a sports field, while a river might be used for fishing or transport. In an Australian context, this includes looking at how First Nations peoples have interacted with natural features for millennia and how human features have changed the landscape since colonization. This topic comes alive when students can physically model the patterns of their local area using sand, blocks, or drawings.

Key Questions

1. What are the differences between natural features and human-made features in the area around our school?
2. How do natural features like rivers, hills, or trees affect the activities people do near them?
3. What natural features can you find around our school, and how could you show them in a drawing or model?

Learning Objectives

• Identify the key natural features present in their local environment.
• Compare and contrast natural features with human-made features found in their local area.
• Explain how specific natural features, such as rivers or hills, influence human activities.
• Create a visual representation, such as a drawing or model, depicting the natural features of their local area.

Before You Start

Identifying Objects and Living Things

Why: Students need to be able to recognize and name common objects and living things to identify natural and human-made features.

Basic Observation Skills

Why: This topic requires students to observe their surroundings carefully to identify different types of features.

Key Vocabulary

Natural Feature	A landform or body of water that exists in nature, not created or changed by humans. Examples include rivers, hills, trees, and rocks.
Human-Made Feature	An object or structure built or created by people. Examples include roads, buildings, bridges, and parks.
Vegetation	Plant life in a particular area, such as forests, grasslands, or individual trees and shrubs.
Landform	A natural feature of the Earth's surface, such as a mountain, valley, plain, or plateau.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

A park is a 'natural' feature.

What to Teach Instead

Students often think because there is grass and trees, a park is natural. Peer discussion helps them realize that because humans designed the layout and put in the paths, it is actually a human-made (or managed) feature.

Common Misconception

Human features are always 'better' than natural ones.

What to Teach Instead

Children often value buildings and shops. The 'Architect & Ranger' activity helps them see the value of natural features for wildlife, shade, and beauty.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation: Feature Sorting

Provide stations with photos of the local area. Students work in small groups to sort the photos into two hoops: 'Natural' and 'Human-made'. They must be able to explain one photo that was 'tricky' (like a planted garden).

30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Architect & The Ranger

In pairs, students are given a map of a blank piece of land. One student is the 'Architect' (adding human features) and one is the 'Ranger' (protecting natural features). They must agree on where to put a playground without cutting down the 'oldest tree'.

40 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Our Changing Place

Display a 'Then and Now' photo set of a local landmark. Students walk around and use sticky notes to label the human features that have appeared over time and the natural features that have stayed the same.

25 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Local council planners use maps showing natural features like waterways and significant vegetation to decide where new housing developments or parks can be safely built.
• Park rangers at national parks, such as the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, identify and protect natural features like cliffs and eucalyptus forests, while also guiding visitors on safe walking trails.
• Farmers consider natural features like rivers for irrigation and hills for drainage when deciding which crops to plant and how to manage their land for successful agriculture.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a worksheet containing pictures of different features. Ask them to circle the natural features and draw a square around the human-made features. Then, ask them to write one sentence about how one natural feature they circled might be used by people.

Quick Check

During a walk around the school grounds, ask students to point to and name two natural features they see. Prompt them with questions like, 'How is this different from a building?' or 'What might happen here after it rains?'

Discussion Prompt

Show students a photograph of a local park or natural area. Ask: 'What natural features can you see in this picture? How do you think these features affect the animals or people who visit here?' Record student responses on a chart.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I explain 'managed' features (like a farm)?

Explain that it's a 'bit of both.' The plants are natural, but the way they are lined up and looked after is human-made. At Year 2, it's okay to focus on the dominant feature, if humans put it there, we can call it a human feature.

What are the best local features to study?

Start with the school grounds. It has clear human features (classrooms, play equipment) and natural features (trees, garden beds, rocks). This makes the concept immediate and easy to observe.

How can active learning help students understand features of places?

Active learning, like the 'Feature Sorting' station, requires students to justify their choices. This 'thinking out loud' surfaces misconceptions (like the park example) and allows the teacher to guide them toward a more nuanced understanding through real-time feedback.

How do I include First Nations perspectives on features?

Discuss how natural features often have deep spiritual meaning or stories (Dreaming stories) attached to them. Explain that for First Nations people, a 'natural' feature like a rock or a river might be as important as a 'human' building is to others.