Grade 2 Geography: My Place in the World (Australia)
A 12-week lesson plan for H (age 7) using the Charlotte Mason Philosophy. Each weekly lesson should take approximately 20-30 minutes.
Core Materials Needed:
- A large, good-quality wall map of Australia.
- A globe.
- Geography Journal: A blank, unlined notebook for drawings, maps, and narrations.
- Coloured pencils, watercolour paints, and fine-liner black pen.
- Modelling clay or salt dough ingredients (flour, salt, water).
- A simple compass.
- A sand tray or bin with sand/salt for tracing maps.
- Living Books (select a few):
- Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester
- Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas
- My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins
- Window by Jeannie Baker
- Uno's Garden by Graeme Base
- A simple children's atlas (e.g., National Geographic Kids World Atlas).
Part 1: Our Immediate World (Weeks 1-4)
Learning Objectives: By the end of this block, H will be able to give a simple oral narration about maps, use cardinal directions, and draw a basic map of a familiar place with key features.
Week 1: What is a Map?
- Reading: Read the first few pages of Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester, focusing on the map at the beginning of the book. Discuss how a map shows a place from a "bird's-eye view."
- Narration: Ask H to tell you, in her own words, what a map is for. "Tell me all about what we just learned about maps."
- Activity: Go into H's room. Together, draw a simple "bird's-eye view" map of the room in the Geography Journal. Draw the bed, a rug, a bookshelf. Keep it simple and fun.
Week 2: Our Place in the Sun
- Reading: Reread a favourite picture book that involves a journey (e.g., We're Going on a Bear Hunt). Talk about the path the characters took.
- Narration: "Tell me about the journey the characters took. Where did they go first? What did they cross next?"
- Outdoor Exploration: Take the compass outside into the backyard or a nearby park. Find North. See where the sun is in the morning (East) and where it sets in the afternoon (West). Play a game: "Take three giant steps towards the North! Now take five little steps towards the West!"
- Activity: In the Geography Journal, draw a map of your backyard. Mark a special tree, the sandpit, or the back door. Draw a simple compass rose in the corner showing N, E, S, W.
Week 3: Mapping Our Neighbourhood
- Reading: Read a section of My Place by Nadia Wheatley, focusing on how the neighbourhood changes over time but some things (like the big tree) stay the same.
- Narration: Ask H to narrate the part of the story you read.
- Outdoor Exploration: Take a walk around the block. Pay close attention to landmarks: a unique letterbox, a big gum tree, the corner shop, a stop sign. Take photos if you like.
- Activity: Back at home, create a map of your walk in the Geography Journal. Draw the path you took and add pictures of the landmarks you saw along the way.
Week 4: Making Our Town
- Reading: Look at a local map online or a physical tourist map of your town/suburb. Find your street and other familiar places like the library, the park, or the grocery store.
- Narration: "Looking at this map, tell me three interesting places you see in our town."
- Activity: Create a 3D map of your town centre or neighbourhood using blocks, small boxes, and toys. Use blue ribbon for a creek or road. This is about spatial awareness and creativity, not accuracy.
Part 2: Our State and Country (Weeks 5-8)
Learning Objectives: By the end of this block, H will be able to identify her home state on a map of Australia, name a few other states/territories, and narrate simple facts about Australia's coastal and outback environments.
Week 5: Our Home State
- Reading: Choose a book or story set in your home state. As you read, point out any geographical features mentioned.
- Map Work: Go to the large wall map of Australia. Find your state. Trace its border with your finger. Find your town/city and the state's capital city.
- Activity: In the Geography Journal, H can either trace an outline of her state or you can draw it for her to colour in. She should then draw a star where the capital city is and a dot for her own town.
Week 6: A Nation of States
- Reading: Read Possum Magic by Mem Fox. As Hush and Grandma Poss travel, trace their journey on the big wall map, pointing out each new state and capital city they visit.
- Narration: "Tell me about Hush's journey. Which cities did she visit?"
- Activity: Make a simple salt dough map of Australia. While it's soft, use a toothpick to draw the state borders. After it bakes and cools, paint each state a different colour. This is a wonderful sensory activity.
Week 7: The Great Big Coastline
- Reading: Read a book about the Australian coast, like Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker or a non-fiction book about the Great Barrier Reef. Focus on the beautiful pictures and vivid descriptions.
- Narration: "Describe the place we just read about. What did you see? What animals lived there?"
- Map Work: On the wall map, trace the entire coastline of Australia with your finger. Notice how long it is. Point out the Great Barrier Reef.
- Activity: In the Geography Journal, paint a watercolour scene of the Australian coast.
Week 8: The Bush and the Red Centre
- Reading: Read a story set in the Australian bush or outback. This could be another part of Are We There Yet? or a Dreamtime story about a landform like Uluru.
- Narration: Ask H to narrate the story or describe the landscape from the book.
- Map Work: On the wall map, find the large, central part of Australia. Locate Uluru. Compare this area to the green edges along the coast.
- Activity: Using red, orange, and brown modelling clay, create a small model of Uluru or another outback landform.
Part 3: Australia in the World (Weeks 9-12)
Learning Objectives: By the end of this block, H will be able to locate Australia on a globe, name the seven continents, and understand that she lives on a planet in a vast world.
Week 9: Our Island Home
- Reading: Use a children's atlas to look at the world map. Read the section about Australia.
- Globe Work: Get out the globe. Slowly spin it until you find Australia. Notice how it is a giant island, surrounded by water. Spin the globe again and see how long it takes for Australia to come back around.
- Activity: In the sand tray, have H draw the shape of Australia with her finger. This helps commit the shape to memory.
Week 10: The Seven Continents
- Reading: Read a picture book that introduces continents, or look through the continents section of a children's atlas. Focus on one or two continents that interest H, perhaps looking at pictures of unique animals (penguins in Antarctica, elephants in Africa).
- Narration: "Choose one continent we looked at and tell me everything you remember about it."
- Globe Work: Find the seven continents on the globe as you say their names: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Chant them together.
- Activity: Draw a simple world map in the Geography Journal (or print an outline) and colour in each continent a different colour.
Week 11: The World's Great Oceans
- Reading: Read a book about oceans or sea life.
- Globe Work: Point out the vast blue spaces on the globe. Explain that these are the oceans. Name the oceans that surround Australia (Pacific and Indian). Then, locate the other major oceans (Atlantic, Arctic, Southern).
- Narration: "What are the big blue parts of the globe called? Can you name one?"
- Activity: Add blue watercolour paint to the world map from last week to show the oceans. Label the oceans nearest to Australia.
Week 12: My Place in the World Project
- Reading: Reread a favourite geography-themed book from the term.
- Activity: Create a "My Place in the World" nesting booklet. You will need several circles of paper, each larger than the last.
- Smallest circle: Me in my Home (H draws herself).
- Next circle: My Street (draw the house on a street).
- Next: My Town/Suburb.
- Next: My State.
- Next: My Country (Australia).
- Next: My Continent (Australia).
- Largest circle: My Planet (Earth).