Australian Geography Series: Year 4

For Ages: Year 4 Year 4 - The Environment Sustains Life is part of the Australian Geography Series which comprises nine books in total. This book has been written specifically for students in Year 4, who are living in Australia and studying Geography. The activity book is divided into three sections; each section is closely linked to the new Australian National Curriculum for Geography. Click here for sample pages from this book The first section examines the relationships that people have formed with a place over time and the circumstances under which these relationships were formed. Students will also recognize that places for a variety of reasons are significant to people and governments, who can take steps to ensure that these places are preserved for future generations. The second section looks at Australia’s natural features and resources. Students will be asked to make connections between the availability of natural resources and the pattern of settlement in their own State or Territory and in other regions of Australia and Asia. There is a particular focus on the Willandra Lakes district in New South Wales, where climate change 14,000 years ago drastically changed the environment and the way of life for its original inhabitants. Students will extend their understanding of place by developing mapping skills for the Asia region and activities on the nations of Japan and India. The third section focuses on the natural processes that shape the Earth’s surface, in particular the landforms built by transportation and deposition. Students will be asked to consider how people interact with and have impacts on natural features such as rivers and coastal dunes. This section also explains how the daily weather is determined by air pressure systems and fronts. Activities to develop students’ understanding of meteorological data include reading a barometer, interpreting the information on a weather map and researching indigenous perspectives on the weather and the environment. Year 4 is a teacher-friendly resource for 9 to 10 year olds studying Geography. The topics developed for each section are well-supported by illustrations, graphic and photographic resources, which will help stimulate students’ thinking about the way we live locally, nationally and globally. The strong research component built into tasks will invite students to dig deeper into geographical questions from their own and other people’s points of view. Author: Lisa Craig