HASS · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Mapping First Nations Country

Active learning works for Mapping First Nations Country because the topic blends spatial reasoning, cultural storytelling, and historical awareness. Students need to move beyond abstract facts to engage directly with the concept of relational space, where boundaries are cultural and fluid rather than fixed. Hands-on mapping and dialogue make these connections tangible for young learners.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS3K03
• AC9HASS3K04

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Placemat Activity
• 45 min · Small Groups

Collaborative Mapping: Country Layers

Provide large paper maps of Australia. In small groups, students first draw state borders with markers. Then, layer on Country elements like songlines, waterholes, and totems using colored pencils and research cards. Groups present one unique feature and explain its cultural role.

Explain the concept of 'Country' from a First Nations perspective.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Mapping: Country Layers, circulate to prompt groups with questions like, 'How would a songline show movement across this area?' to guide students toward relational thinking.

What to look for

Provide students with two blank maps: one of Australia showing state borders, and one with generic natural features. Ask students to draw one way a First Nations Country boundary might differ from a state border on the second map, and write one sentence explaining their drawing.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Placemat Activity
• 30 min · Small Groups

Story Circles: Voices of Country

Form circles where one student per group reads a First Nations story about Country from approved resources. Others draw or note connections to people, land, and sky. Rotate roles twice, then discuss as a class how stories define boundaries differently from politics.

Compare First Nations Country boundaries with contemporary state borders.

Facilitation Tip

In Story Circles: Voices of Country, model active listening by summarizing a student’s contribution before inviting the next speaker, reinforcing respect for diverse voices.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are responsible for looking after a special place. What would be your responsibilities?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to connect their ideas to the concept of caring for Country and the responsibilities First Nations peoples hold.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 40 min · Pairs

Boundary Hunt: School as Country

Students walk the school grounds individually, noting natural features like trees or creeks. In pairs, they sketch a 'school Country' map linking these to imaginary stories and responsibilities. Share on a class mural to compare with state map projections.

Analyze how understanding Country contributes to respectful engagement with First Nations cultures.

Facilitation Tip

For Boundary Hunt: School as Country, provide clipboards and colored pencils so students can document observations in real time, making abstract concepts concrete.

What to look for

Present students with three statements: 1. 'Country is just the land.' 2. 'State borders are the same as First Nations Country.' 3. 'First Nations peoples have responsibilities for their Country.' Ask students to label each statement as True or False and provide a one-sentence justification for one of their choices.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Placemat Activity
• 35 min · Whole Class

Digital Overlay: Maps Compared

Using simple tablet apps or printed overlays, whole class projects state borders then adds transparent sheets for Country features from local Traditional Owners. Discuss overlaps and differences in a guided gallery walk.

Explain the concept of 'Country' from a First Nations perspective.

Facilitation Tip

Use Digital Overlay: Maps Compared to highlight discrepancies between colonial borders and First Nations boundaries, asking students to note differences in small groups before whole-class sharing.

What to look for

Provide students with two blank maps: one of Australia showing state borders, and one with generic natural features. Ask students to draw one way a First Nations Country boundary might differ from a state border on the second map, and write one sentence explaining their drawing.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by centering First Nations voices and perspectives, using stories and maps as tools for understanding complex relationships. Avoid framing Country as a historical artifact; emphasize its living, ongoing nature. Research suggests that combining kinesthetic activities with dialogue builds deeper comprehension than lectures alone. Invite local Traditional Owners or Elders to share knowledge when possible, as their lived experience grounds abstract concepts in reality.

Successful learning looks like students demonstrating an understanding that First Nations Country is defined by relationships, not just lines on a map. They should be able to explain how boundaries are communicated through stories and laws, and articulate responsibilities associated with caring for Country. Peer collaboration and teacher modeling support this depth of understanding.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Mapping: Country Layers, watch for students drawing Country as a single, undifferentiated area without relational lines or symbols.

  Prompt groups to add songlines, sacred sites, and waterways as distinct elements, then ask them to explain how these features define boundaries for custodians. Highlight examples where groups use different symbols to show the same Country, sparking discussion about varying perspectives.

• During Story Circles: Voices of Country, watch for students describing Country as only a physical place, separate from people or cultural practices.

  Guide students to include personal or cultural connections in their stories, such as, 'The river is my grandmother’s Country because she taught me the stories of its fish.' Use shared stories to weave together environmental and human elements explicitly.

• During Digital Overlay: Maps Compared, watch for students assuming that colonial borders completely erase First Nations boundaries.

  Ask students to overlay their collaborative maps onto digital state borders, then discuss how both systems coexist. Use think-pair-share to explore questions like, 'What does it mean when a sacred site is inside a state border?'

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Methods used in this brief

• Placemat Activity