No Prep Plans | Year 7 Geography: Water & Country Story Map | HASS Aligned

No Prep Plans | Year 7 Geography: Water & Country | First Nations Australia Story Map Australian Curriculum Geography + HASS-Aligned Research & Story Map Investigation | Grades 6–8

Explore the relationship between water, Country, place, and First Nations perspectives through a respectful research-based investigation. In this no-prep lesson, students examine how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples understand Country as a living, interconnected system encompassing land, water, sky, plants, animals, people, culture, history, and relationships.
Students then create a Water & Country Story Map, using publicly shared information from Traditional Owners, First Nations organisations, and educational sources while considering cultural knowledge, responsibility, diversity, and respectful representation.

WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Teacher directions + Water & Country overview
- Research resources + group Story Map investigation
- 3 student research & planning pages
- Color + black-and-white student versions

STUDENTS WILL
- Explore the meaning of Country
- Investigate water’s place within Country
- Examine connections between people, water, land, and living things
- Recognize the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations
- Avoid treating First Nations perspectives as one uniform viewpoint
- Distinguish publicly shared information from community-held knowledge
- Evaluate the authority and appropriateness of research sources
- Consider the responsibilities connected to respectful geographical research
- Plan and create a Water & Country Story Map
- Communicate geographical understanding through research, mapping, and visual representation

WHY TEACHERS LOVE THIS
- No prep and ready to use
- Designed for 1–2 class periods of approximately 45–60 minutes
- Meaningfully integrates First Nations perspectives
- Encourages culturally respectful research practices
- Combines Geography, research, source evaluation, and visual communication
- Builds toward deeper study of Australian water places and liveability
- Includes structured planning without prescribing a single “Aboriginal view” of Country

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM CONNECTION
This resource is designed to align with the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), Geography, with particular relevance to Year 7 geographical study of Water in the world and Place and liveability. The Australian Curriculum identifies these as the two units of study in Year 7 Geography.
The lesson also supports geographical inquiry through research, interpretation of perspectives, consideration of place and environment, and communication of geographical understanding.

PERFECT FOR
- Year 7 Australian Geography
- HASS Geography
- Water in the World
- Place & Liveability
- First Nations Geography
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Perspectives
- Country & Place
- Water & Country
- Geographical Inquiry
- Grades 6–8

QUICK SETUP
Students research the concept of Country using authoritative, publicly shared sources before investigating the relationship between water, Country, Traditional Owners, cultural knowledge, and responsibility. Groups then plan and create a Water & Country Story Map that communicates their learning respectfully.

CURRICULUM DISCLAIMER
This independently created resource is designed to support alignment with the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), Geography. The Australian Curriculum is developed and published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). This resource is not affiliated with, endorsed by, approved by, or produced by ACARA or the Australian Government. References to the Australian Curriculum and HASS are provided for curriculum-alignment purposes only.

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