Unit Plan

Matt Schultz
CURRICULUM TITLE: A Journey Through Asia
INTRODUCE AND SUMMARISE YOUR UNIT
In this unit of work, students will explore the diversity of the environment, from the physical aspects such as hills and valleys, to the global aspects such as the
differing climate zones and how these zones affect place and peoples throughout the world, with a particular focus on Australia and the Asiatic region.
Students will utilize geographical skills to distinguish between global, national, regional and local. They will culminate in an exercise where a tour of the Asiatic
region will be planned by groups of students and a sales pitch will be presented to fellow students.

Humanities discipline: Geography

Victorian Curriculum statement: Location of the major countries of the Asian region in relation to Australia and the geographical diversity within the region
(VCGGK092).
Year level: 5 & 6
List of Victorian Curriculum interdisciplinary content (capabilities, priorities, other disciplines) Intercultural capability, Visual Arts

Stage 1 Desired Results

YOUR BIG PICTURE
LEARNING GOALS
Understand that
the Asiatic region
contains multiple
countries,
environments,
peoples and
cultures.
Know that Asia and
Australia have
differences, but
also similarities,
and appreciate
those similarities
and differences.

TRANSFER students will be able to independently use their learning to

Identify, locate, and research countries (especially within the Asiatic region) and how they relate to Australia.
MEANING students will
UNDERSTANDINGS
Countries have
different
characteristics,
cultures and histories.
There are multiple
sources of information
to collect information.
ACQUISITION
Students will know
How to find

understand that
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Where can I get information?
How do countries differ?
In what ways do countries relate to Australia?

Students will be skilled at

Researching and presenting countries.

information about
countries.
How to organise
information.

Identifying physical aspects of environments both locally and globally.

Stage 2 Evidence
EVALUATIVE
CRITERIA
Understanding of
location of
countries and their
relations to each
other and Australia.
Research and add
costs to make a fee
for tour, and ability
to demonstrate
these skills.

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
PERFORMANCE TASK(s) Design a 20 day contiki tour. Tour to travel through at least 2 Asian countries.
OTHER EVIDENCE
Identification of latitude and longitude, and noting of economic and cultural facts of countries in Asiatic region.

Stage 3 Learning Plan summary of key learning events

Sessi
on no.
1. A
rich
engag
e
activit
y

Five
Es
phas
e
Engag
e
Explor
e

Explor
e

Present sequence of
learning events as
snapshots

Brief resources and materials

Exploring three countries as

presented by teacher in the
form of stations in the
classroom with images and
concrete materials
representing each country.
As groups students discuss
what countries are
presented, how they came
to that conclusion,
interesting facts they
know/have learnt about the
country.
Using the internet, atlases,
magazines, etc. students

Each group has a range of pictures of people, places, and things significant to that
nations. Also can include concrete items, such as money, garmets, food, etc.

Computers, magazines, atlases, books.

Asiatic region map.

Explor
e
Explai
n

explore the Asiatic region.

Identify five different
countries and on the maps
provided, colour and label
them. Additional information
such as population,
currency, environment,
capital city, languages
spoken, religions practiced,
and 5 fun facts about each
country.
Australia is also to be
coloured and labelled.
Discuss what sources were
utilized in the last class.
Which were useful? Any that
werent so useful?
Break into groups of 4 and
share what countries were
researched. What interesting
facts were found, etc.
As groups, choose 3 from
the countries students
researched and compress
the information, find the
latitude and longitude, and
share their information with
the class.
As a class, discuss the
climate and environment of
the school and the
community.
How would you describe the
weather? Is it hot or cold
more during the year?
Relative to where is it hot or
cold? How would you
describe the weather in
Queensland? Does anyone
know the difference between

torrid (tropical) and

temperate? What is
Queensland and what is
here?
As a class, walk around the
school and discuss the
surroundings. What can we
see? Are there hills, valleys,
mountains, rivers, oceans or
is it flat? What landmarks
are near by?
In the classroom, ask
students to draw how
outside would look without
the buildings, roads and
houses. Have them to make
notes on the back of their
pictures about the climate of
the area. Is it dry/wet,
hot/cold, torrid/temperate,
hilly/mountainous/valleys/fla
t?
Watch climate zones of the
world for kids and affecting
factors.
Reflect on what we
discussed yesterday. What
zone are we in? Torrid,
temperate or polar? Why?
What zones is Australia
within?
Provide each student a world
map and ask them to mark
the different zones. They can
talk and work with each
other to make their
prediction. After they have
finished, ask them to justify
their decisions. Bring up
picture of the zones on the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1cUEXmDXgc
Printable world map found at http://www.free-world-maps.com/printable-whitetransparent-political-blank-world-map-c3
Map of zones http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/essentials/geographical_zones.html

screen and compare the

students predictions with the
map. How close were they?
Use atlases and the video to
discuss what towns and
cities are within the torrid
and the temperate zone.
Visit to Gum San, Ararat.
Museum focusing on Chinese
culture and its presence and
influence on the goldfields.
Take tour with the museum
then allow students to
explore and interact with the
many aspects of the
museum.
Recap last weeks excursion:
What drew the immigration
of Chinese peoples in the era
discussed in the museum?
Move discussion towards
what other reasons might
someone emigrate from his
or her home country?
When/if war is mentioned,
prompt students to discuss
Vietnam War, if they have
any previous knowledge of
it, know anyone who served,
etc.
Teacher reads the story of Tu
Do, a Vietnamese fishing
boat and its story of bringing
Vietnamese families to
Australia in 1975. Have
students take notes as the
story is read.
Watch video Boat People,
this a childs view of leaving
Vietnam in this era.

http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/tudo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=agmzNvN4R2o

At conclusion of video, direct

class discussion using the
notes students have taken
and open ended questions
such as:
How did passengers feel
when the left?
How did they feel when they
arrived?
Imagine if you travelled by
boat to Vietnam or China like
the people in the story?
Where would you go? What
would you do on arrival?
How would you feel?
Recap last lesson: What was
the reason for immigration
for the Vietnamese people in
the 1970s? How did they
travel to Australia?
Outline the task for this
lesson. Using the website
provided, students will
examine videos, pictures
and stories to determine
feelings, emotions and
physical details of migrants
stories.
They can then write a profile
for an individual they
researched, including
Country of birth
Year of migration
Reason for emigrating
How the came to Australia
And an outline of the
individual story.
Students can then record
this profile as a podcast that
can be posted online, or

http://mimjaeger.wix.com/history#!post-war-migration/crl6

taken home to show to

family.
Ask some students to share
the stories they discovered
with the class.
Discuss how Australia can be
divided. States and
territories, mainland and
islands, shires and councils,
metropolitan/regional/remot
e. How do the environments
differ between the areas?
Ask if anyone has been on a
holiday? Where did they go?
What did they do/see?
Does anyone know what a
contiki tour is? Prepared
tours that can be bought to
travel through countries,
continents or even the
world. Spend some time
looking at the website and
exploring.
Outline task:
In groups of 4, design a
contiki tour that will travel
through West Asia, NorthEast Asia, South-East Asia
and South Asia and tour one
country from each region.
It will be a 20 day tour.
Spending 5 days in each
region exploring a
metropolitan and regional
area.
Potential buyers want to
know what they need to
bring so plans should include
weather that will be
encountered and

Contiki website can be accessed at

http://www.contiki.com/

10

11

12

appropriate clothing for

activities to be undertaken.
Costs of the tour is not
necessary, but can be
calculated if students wish
to.
In week 12, groups will have
a chance to sell their trips
to their classmates in a 5
10 minute pitch. They can
use props, maps, videos,
pamphlets, whatever they
like to make their tour
appealing.
Groups continue to work on
their contiki tours. If some
groups finish, they can begin
to make props for their sales
pitch.
Continue working on the
contiki tours. Stress that
groups should be finished
their tours, have started
their props for their sales
pitch, and should aim to go
through at least one practice
run before presentations
next week.
Groups will pitch their tours
to the class. Ask students to
provide feedback for each
group about what they did
well and what they could
improve upon. Once all
pitches have been
completed, ask students to
anonymously elect which
tour they would most like to
go on (excluding their own).
This can be done through

heads down/thumbs up or by
writing their choice on a card
and have the teacher tally
the votes.
Reference and Resources list
Free World Maps. (2009). Printable white-transparent political blank world map. Retrieved June 2, 2016, from http://www.free-worldmaps.com/printable-white-transparent-political-blank-world-map-c3
Makemegenius. (2015, May 29). Climate zones of the world for kids and affecting factors [Video file]. Retrieved June 1, 2016, from
http://www.free-world-maps.com/printable-white-transparent-political-blank-world-map-c3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=C1cUEXmDXgc
Mrs Jaeger. (2014). Australia my home. Retrieved June 16, 2016, from http://mimjaeger.wix.com/history#!post-war-migration/crl6
NSW Migration Heritage Centre. (2010). 1975 Tu Do Refugee Boat. Retrieved June 18, 2016, from
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/tudo/
Ritter, M. (2012). Geographical zones. Retrieved June 2, 2016 from
http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/essentials/geographical_zones.html
VAYA of San Diego. (2007, April 10). Boat people [Video file]. Retrieved June 15, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
feature=player_embedded&v=agmzNvN4R2o
Critically Evaluative Reflection on Unit Planning Process
Through the experience of planning and constructing this unit plan, I can very well see the benefit of such a strategy to ensure students
will not only experience a positive learning experience, but also be engaged throughout the process of the learning. By focusing on the
students learning rather than the teaching, a learning experience where the students are central to the planning and teaching can be
cultivated. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, I know that my personal experience has been compacted into a shorter period
than perhaps would have created a more positive learning experience in unit plan construction personally. However nonetheless I
appreciate that this process has may positive attributes such as breaking down the process into manageable stages and goals, providing a
student central pedagogy, and providing a platform for future improvement upon the unit being taught. I would use this system again, as it
provides structure which I benefit from, and also as an advocate for student orientated learning it provides a system that tailors to that
teaching style.
Paragraph on how your pedagogy addressed the chosen discipline
The unit is contains multiple aspects of geography that conform to the teaching of geography. Students are provided with the opportunity
to explore, analyse and understand characteristics of different places, both in Australia and in the Asiatic region. The concept of place is
explored through the investigation of different places, peoples, cultures and environments. It promotes appreciation and a sense of
belonging to places and areas with which the identify, as well as promotion of examination and appreciation of different places in the
world. It also promotes competent, critical and creative use of geographical methods and skills through the use of atlases, the internet,
and maps.