Year 8 First Nations Geography of Australia | Understanding Country | HASS

Year 8 First Nations Geography of Australia | Understanding Country | HASS

Help students build a meaningful understanding of Country as a living, interconnected system with this ready-to-use geography lesson for Grades 6–8.
Designed as part of the Year 8 First Nations Geography of Australia: Landscapes, Landforms & Country series, this lesson moves beyond viewing landscapes as simply physical features. Students investigate connections between landforms, water, people, plants, animals, stories, and Country while recognizing that specific places belong to particular Traditional Owners.

What’s Included
- Teacher Directions for 1–2 class periods
- Lesson overview + mini research questions
- Country Connections Web group activity
- Curated online research resources
- 3 student research, analysis & planning pages
- Color + black-and-white student pages

Students Will
- Explore Country as a living, interconnected system
- Investigate connections between land, water, people, plants, and animals
- Identify the Traditional Owners connected to a particular place
- Recognize the diversity of Aboriginal nations and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Distinguish between publicly shared and culturally restricted knowledge
- Use authoritative sources to support their research
- Explain how and why different elements of Country are connected
- Apply research to a visual group project

Perfect For
- Grades 6–8
- Year 8 Geography
- Australian Geography
- Landscapes & Landforms
- First Nations Perspectives
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
- Geography inquiry
- Research skills
- Collaborative learning
- Group projects

Australian Curriculum / ACARA Disclaimer
This is an independently created educational resource designed to support classroom instruction and has been developed with reference to relevant Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) / Geography content and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority.
This resource is not affiliated with, endorsed by, approved by, or officially connected to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the Australian Curriculum, or any state or territory education authority. References to curriculum terminology, frameworks, or content are provided for alignment and instructional purposes only.