Geography: Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) People and Places
Students identify factors affecting people’s accessibility to places.
Topic:
People’s connections to places – Accessing places
Key inquiry questions:
•
How are people connected to places?
•
What factors affect people’s connections to places?
Content
People’s connections to places
Students:
•
investigate people’s connections and access to places, for example: (ACHGK013)
− identification of factors influencing people’s accessibility to places (i.e distance)
− examination of how technology has improved people’s access to places
1 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Student Learning Activities
Activity 1: Engagement
Students observe Sources 1 and 2. Discuss the differences and similarities between how people access different places now and in
the past.
Source 1: Spit Road, Middle Harbour, New South Wales,
ca.1900–1910, photographed for the Star Photo Co.
Source 2: The central control room of the Sydney traffic control
centre, 2006, photographed by Michael Amendolia (No. 1)
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=413326
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=825675
2 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Activity 2: Acquiring information – How did people travel in the past?
a. Formulate questions for inquiry
•
How did people from the past get to different places?
•
How do we access different places today? (modes of transport and transport infrastructure)
•
How has technology changed our ability to connect with places?
b. Collectively observe Sources 3 to 10 and discuss how people accessed places in the past.
c. Students interview their grandparents or people from two generations ago on how they were able to access different places.
Alternatively, ask an elderly member of the community to visit the class and speak about how they travelled to different places.
Ask questions about their experiences travelling to visit family and friends and where they went on holiday and what transport they
used. How did they keep in touch with friends and family who lived a long way away?
3 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 3: Morning passengers leave the Manly ferry with
wharves, Circular Quay, ca. 1946–1949, photographed for
Australian Geographical Society (No. 2)
Source 4: A dray, a Ford Model A coupe (1928 model) and a
Morris Oxford Roadster (1932 model) in summer rain, Railway
Square, Sydney, 1935, photographed by Sam Hood
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=411686
http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=43319
What mode of transport is being used? What infrastructure (built feature) is needed for this mode of transport to operate?
What challenges would you encounter using this type of transport?
Would you travel short or long distances in this type of transport?
Is this type of transport used today? How is it the same or different?
4 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 5: Mass of streamers as passenger ship leaves the
wharf, Sydney, ca.1930–1939, photographed by Sam Hood
Source 6: Crew of the royal train, Orange, New South Wales,
1934, photographed by Sam Hood
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=43497
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=9672
What mode of transport is being used? What infrastructure (built feature) is needed for this mode of transport to operate?
What challenges would you encounter using this type of transport?
Would you travel short or long distances in this type of transport?
Is this type of transport used today? How is it the same or different?
5 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 7: Tram photographs, ca.1933–1942, photographed by
K Davis
Source 8: Children going to school, Sydney, 1935,
photographed by Sam Hood
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1122678
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=14202
What mode of transport is being used? What infrastructure (built feature) is needed for this mode of transport to operate?
What challenges would you encounter using this type of transport?
Would you travel short or long distances in this type of transport?
Is this type of transport used today? How is it the same or different?
6 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 9: Billy goat cart, Narooma, New South Wales,
ca.1880–1940, photographer unknown
Source 10: ANA DC-3 ‘Kurana’ VH-UZK over Melbourne, c.
1940s, by unknown photographer
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=389697
http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/ItemViewer.aspx?itemid=82367
8&suppress=N&imgindex=15
What mode of transport is being used? What infrastructure (built feature) is needed for this mode of transport to operate?
What challenges would you encounter using this type of transport?
Would you travel short or long distances in this type of transport?
Is this type of transport used today? How is it the same or different?
7 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Activity 3: Representing information – Accessing places in the past
Students draw and label past transport modes and the built features (infrastructure) onto the photograph by Sam Hood.
Hood Collection Part II ca.1935–ca.1955 http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.cgi?itemID=153521
Word bank: airplane, billy cart, bridge, car, horse and cart, footpath, pedestrian, railway, railway bridge, road, train
8 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Activity 4: Acquiring information – Accessing places today
Collectively observe Sources 11 to 18 and discuss how people access places today.
Source 11: Light rail, Central to Lilyfield, 2010, photographed by
Patricia Baillie (No. 10)
Source 12: Qantas Plane, King Street, Newtown, 2012 – 2013,
photographed by John Immig
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1036960
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1079232
What mode of transport is being used?
Would you travel short or long distances using this type of transport?
Does this type of transport make access to places easier or faster than in the past? How?
9 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 13: King Street, Newtown, New South Wales, 2012–
2013, photographed by John Immig
Source 14: Boys on bikes, Wollongong, 2007, photographed by
Tom Williams
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=825805
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1079230
List the different modes of transport you can see in the images.
Would you travel short or long distances using these types of transport?
Does this type of transport make access to places easier or faster than in the past? How?
10 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 15: Roll on roll off car carriers, Glebe Island Wharf,
2007, photographed by Patricia Baillie (No.6)
Source 16: STA travel, Flight Centre shop fronts, 2012 – 2013,
photographed by John Immig
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1079242
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=825698
What modes of transport are represented in the above images?
What technology might be used in these businesses?
How does this improve our access to places both near and far?
11 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Source 17: Editor of Japanese magazine beams home, Olympic Source 18: Home school, 2008, photographed by Michael
Games, Sydney, 2000, photographed by Wendy McDougall
Amendolia
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=1269483
http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.c
gi?itemID=412035
How do people access faraway places?
What ways can you think of that we can communicate with people from far away without visiting them in person?
How has technology changed our ability to communicate with people from far away?
12 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Activity 5: Processing information – Past and present access to places
Students complete the sentences in the table.
In the past people travelled to school by…
Today people travel to school by…
It is different today because…
In the past people visited family by…
Today people visit family by…
It is different today because…
In the past people travelled on holiday
by…
Today people travel on holiday by…
It is different today because…
In the past people travelled overseas by…
Today people travel overseas by…
It is different today because…
In the past people communicated with
people who lived far away by…
Today people communicate with people
who live far away by…
It is different today because…
In the future we might…
WORD BANK: airplane, car, comfortable, bicycle, faster, Internet, ferry, letters, less expensive, less often, mobile technology, more
expensive, more often, movies, ship, Skype, slower, smart phones, telephones, train, tram, truck, uncomfortable, walking
13 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Activity 6: Communicating – Access in an imaginary land
Students draw and label a pictorial map of an imaginary land. They include the following elements:
•
Title for the map
•
Natural and/or built features that would be the reason for visiting this place
•
Modes of transport that would be used to access this place from another land
•
Modes of transport that would be used within this place
•
Built features (infrastructure) that are required for each transport mode (e.g roads, bridges, airports, passenger terminals).
14 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Background notes for teachers
Advances in technology have greatly increased our ability to access places on all scales, local and global, be it through physical
access with faster and more affordable airline travel to advances in telecommunications. This unit explores our connections to
places by examining physical access, modes of transport and the infrastructure that is needed so it can work properly.
Accessibility to places is examined by comparing transport technology from the past to the current day. Students will understand
the challenges people faced in the past when trying to reach faraway places. People lived on a smaller scale, travelling mostly
within their local areas due to the limitations of transport networks. Today people are able to access places far more easily through
technological advancements.
The images used in this unit are limited to transport in Australia. To add further value to the unit, comparisons can be made with
other countries. Students born outside of Australia could share their stories of accessing different places, from travelling to Australia
to travelling within local areas. Comparisons could also be made by inviting an elderly guest speaker who was born in another
country.
NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum Geography K–6
Outcomes
Geographical Inquiry Skills
Geographical Concepts
GE1-1 describes features of places
and the connections people have
with places
Acquiring geographical information
Place: the significance of places and what
they are like (ie. location and features of local
places and other places in the world).
GE1-3 communicates geographical
information and uses geographical
tools for inquiry
•
•
pose geographical questions
(ACHGS007, ACHGS013)
collect and record geographical data and
information, for example, by observing, by
interviewing, or using visual
representations (ACHGS008,
ACHGS014)
Processing geographical information
Space: the significance of location and
spatial distribution, and ways people organise
and manage the spaces that we live in I(ie.
where activities are located and how spaces
can be organised).
Environment: the significance of the
15 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
•
•
represent data by constructing tables,
graphs or maps (ACHGS009,
ACHGS015)
draw conclusions based on the
interpretation of geographical information
sorted into categories (ACHGS010,
ACHGS016)
Communicating geographical information
•
•
present findings in a range of
communication forms (ACHGS011,
ACHGS017)
reflect on their learning and suggest
responses to their findings (ACHGS012,
ACHGS018)
environment in human life, and the important
interrelationships between humans and the
environment (ie. natural and human features
of a place; daily and seasonal weather
patterns of places).
Interconnection: no object of geographical
study can be viewed in isolation (ie. local and
global links people have with places and the
special connection Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples maintain with
Country/Place).
Scale: the way that geographical phenomena
and problems can be examined at different
spatial levels (ie. various scales by which
places can be defined such as local suburbs,
towns and large cities).
Learning across the curriculum
•
•
•
•
•
Information and communication technology capability
Critical and creative thinking
Literacy
Numeracy
Difference and diversity
Resources
Picture books
16 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)
Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Round Trip by Ann Jonas
Have You Seen My Dragon by Steve Light
The Journey Home by Alison Lester
Journey by Aaron Becker
17 | State Library of New South Wales: NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum – Geography (Accessing places)