This unit of work aims to develop students' geographical skills and knowledge about Africa. Students will research the location and key features of major African countries. They will learn mapping skills and create a map of Africa. Students will explore the climate, vegetation and animals of different African regions through books, websites and class discussions. They will develop inquiry questions and learn about the daily lives and culture of African children through books and videos. Students will compare lifestyles in Africa and Australia. Finally, students will work in groups to write scripts, gather materials and film a documentary about their journey to Africa that incorporates visual effects and editing.

1. Integrated Unit of Work: Travelling to Africa
Purpose Knowledge and Understanding Skills and General Capabilities

2. The purpose of this unit of work is to develop Year 4 students’ geographical skills as
they relate to:
-Collecting and recording relevant geographical data and information, for example, by
observing, by interviewing, conducting surveys and measuring, or from sources such as
maps, photographs, satellite images, the media and the internet
-Developing geographical questions to investigate
-Representing the location of places and their features by constructing large-scale maps
that conform to cartographic conventions including scale, legend, title and north point,
and describe their location using simple grid references, compass direction and
distance
-Learning about the location of the major countries of Africa and their main
characteristics, including the types of natural vegetation and native animals
in at least two countries from both continents
This instructional focus is within the context of the development of students ‘geography
knowledge and understanding and relating to the environment and culture of Africa to
Australia. Student will come up with their own questions for their research in regards to
geographical features of different parts of Africa.
By considering the contrasting example of Africa and Australia, students will develop an
understanding of the differences of the environment and values of the two places.
The selection of this learning theme allows for a number of integrations across
curriculum areas (literacy and numeracy) and arts.
Geography: Students will use various texts (internet sources, fiction, and non-fiction
books) in order to understand the different natural vegetation and geographical features of
different parts of Africa. Students will express their knowledge through being able to record
information to answer their inquiry questions about the topic and make a presentation of
their journey to the class covering all the required criteria. In addition, students will
demonstrate their knowledge by completing the map of Africa with appropriate map
symbols.
Literacy: Students will know how to use comprehension strategies and information
literacy strategies to build content knowledge in the area of geography, demonstrating this
knowledge through planning (Including the use of internet research engines, rehearsing
and presenting learned context to the class. Students will enhance their comprehension
strategies through reading various texts (internet sources, fiction and non-fiction books).
They will also create their own text to demonstrate their understanding on fiction novels.
Arts (Media/visual): Students will know how prepare or make suitable costumes props
and sound effects to incorporate in to their documentary to enhance the quality of the
documentary. They will also learn how to use video camera and various techniques to
create the effects they desire to incorporate. Finally, students will use number of video
editing principles and tools and learn the significance of it.
.
Skills- Geography:
-Students’ mental maps of the world and their understanding of
place are further developed through learning the location of the
major countries in Africa and investigating their types of natural
vegetation and native animals on those continents.
- Develop inquiry skills through creating different geographical
questions to investigate for their research
- Selecting and applying efficient methods of searching the
internet for geographically relevant information about vegetation
and animals
- Annotating a map using the appropriate cartographic
conventions including map symbols, scale and north point to
show places and their features, in Africa. (Link to numeracy skills
for year fours)
Skills- Literacy:
-Students can hare and explain ideas, discuss concepts, work
collaboratively, participate in class discussions, write/talk about
their work or other people’s work, and present or introduce work
- Students will be able to plan and present learned content
-Students will be able to use comprehension strategies to infer
meaning across a variety of text genres, for the purposes of
entertainment and to support their inquiry;
-Students will use range of software to construct, edit and publish
their presentation and documentary
Skills- Arts (Visual/Media)
-Students can plan media art works using preproduction tools
and formats
-Students can explore how to express ways of seeing and
imagining their word working with image forms, objects and
spaces
-Students can investigate and experiment with the qualities of
different media and techniques to develop intended effects
-Students can investigate and experiment with the qualities of
different media techniques to develop intended effects
-Students can create media artworks using codes and
conventions of story structures
General Capabilities:
-Students will be able to plan, locate, retrieve and organize
information in meaningful ways.
-Students will be able to use ICT effectively to record ideas,
represent their thinking and plan solutions

3. Geography English Arts
(ACHGK020)
The location of the
major countries of
Africa
and
South
Americ
a in
relation
to
Australi
a, and
their
main
charact
eristics,
includin
g the
types
of natu
ral
vegeta
tion an
d
native
animals
in at
least
two
countri
es from
both
contine
nts
(ACHGK021)
The types
of natu
ral
vegeta
tion an
d the
signific
ance of
vegetat
ion to
the env
ironme
nt and
to
people
(ACHGS027)
Collect and record
relevant
geographical data
and information,
for example, by
observing, by
interviewing,
conducting
surveys and
measuring, or
from sources such
as maps,
photographs,
satellite images,
the media and the
internet
(ACHGS026)
Develop
geographical
questions to
investigate
(ACHGS029)
Represent the
location of
places and
their
features by
constructing
large-scale
maps that
conform to
cartographic
conventions
including scale
, legend, title
and north
point, and
describe their
location using
simple grid
references,
compass
direction and
distance
(ACELA1498)
Incorporate new
vocabulary from
a range of
sources into
students’ own
texts including
vocabulary
encountered in
research
(ACELT1603)
Discuss literary
experiences
with others,
sharing
responses and
expressing
a point of view
(ACELA1488)
Understand that
social interactions
influence the way
people engage
with ideas and
respond to others
for example when
exploring and
clarifying the
ideas of others,
summarising their
own views and
reporting them to
a larger group
(ACELY1694)
Plan, draft and
publish imaginative,
informative and
persuasive texts
containing key
information and
supporting details
for a widening
range of audiences,
demonstrating
increasing control
over text structures
and language
features
(ACELT1794)
Create literary texts
by developing
storylines, characters
and settings
Media Arts
4.2 Create
media arts
works using
codes and
conventions
of story
structures
Media Arts
4.4/5 Plan
media arts
works using
preproduction
tools and
formats
Visual Arts
4.1 Explore
how to
express
ways of
seeing and
imagining
their world
working with
images
forms, objects
and spaces
Visual Arts
4.2 Investigate
and
experiment
with the
qualities of
different
media
and
techniques to
develop
intended
effects

4. Introduction (Invitation to Journey to Africa)
(ACHGK020) Students will be given a letter from a famous researcher from Africa where they are
invited to travel a journey through Africa and conduct a research. Each letter will come
with a compulsory journal. The letter explains that in order to successfully complete the
research, the students need to:
-Fill out different countries in Africa (For travel purposes)
-Record important geographical features
-Record important facts, details and information they find as they travel
Teacher will have discussion with the students on what countries/geographical features and
characteristics they know about Africa.(Diagnostic Assessment: Teacher will make notes to find
out what the students know already) Consequently, using Atlas, students will fill out different
countries of Africa on their blank map in order to familiarise with the countries they go to travel.
Websites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xsi9Pzvm8Y (The countries of Africa)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc4pgGQvwBk (The World song of Africa)
Modelled Reading: Africa is not a country!
(ACHGK020) Many students do not know that Africa is actually a continent which is comprised of
many different countries. Teacher will read the book “Africa is not a country” (G.W.
Bush, 2001) to the students as an introduction to travelling to Africa. The focus of the
session is to engage the students with the topic and give an insight to different
countries and cultures of Africa before they explore the continents in their research. By
reading this book, students will be able to come up with more variety of questions they
will be brainstorming for the Inquiry question chart
Inquiry Questions
(ACHGS026) Following on from introduction, students will be divided into groups of four students.
In groups, students will decide what countries in Africa (2-3 countries) they would like to travel
hence conduct a research on. Consequently, each group will be given an A3 sheet to brainstorm
any questions they regarding to the countries they are travelling to.
Mapping :What is a map?
Teacher and students will have discussion on based on the following questions:
-What are maps used for? Is it just for navigate purposes?
-What does a map show?
-What are some important features/characteristics of a map?
(ACHGS029) (ACHGK020) For mapping sessions, students will learn how to read the map and
that map shows continents, countries, state, cities or roads and landmarks of a town
etc. Students will also learn that different map not only shows location but also
demonstrates different landforms, kinds of natural resources and different
temperatures in specific areas. Students will learn the important featuress of a map
which include; map key, scale and compass rose. Consequently, students will measure
the distance of their school and by using appropriate scaling, they will create a map of
their school and draw important features of the school.
After students are familiar with mapping, they will use the empty map the researcher has given
(from introduction) to correctly complete the map of Africa using the map key, scale, compass
rose and giving a appropriate title to the map. Students will be also asked to draw.
Website: http://www.africa-games.com/africa_map_quiz.html
http://www.africa-games.com/africa_map_game.html (Africa Map games)
Geographical features in Africa (Library sessions)
(ACHGS026) (ACHGK020) Students will take part in guided reading session, using the text
“Explore Africa” (Kalman and Sjonger, 2007). Students will read this book as a group
and find out the relevant geographical features information of the parts of countries in
Africa (E.g. If they have chosen Congo, they would identify as rainforest) that they
have chosen.
Consequently, using different websites (some websites will be provided by the teacher) and other
books in the library, students will find out the wide variety of terrains and climates of the relevant
areas they are planning to explore. Students will continue to write down inquiry questions in the
A3 paper as they continue their research on geographical features for them to figure out when
they are on their journey. Students will be informed that this session is just to briefly find out the
background information in order to perfectly be aware of where they are travelling).
Introduction (Visiting friends in Africa)
How is life like for children in Africa?
Part A) Guided Reading Session 1: A life like mine
*These lessons will follow on from when students are on their journey to Africa
(ACELT1603) (ACELA1488) Students will meet Vincent and Mahasin (p.24-25, 32-33) , through the
text ‘A Life Like Mine” (UNICEF, 2002). The focus of the session is to engage the students with
culture/lifestyle of Africa by meeting the African children who actually live in Africa. Teacher will ask
the students how they feel after meeting the two children from Africa and what questions they want
to ask them. Moreover, students will talk about what they know about the places Vincent and
Mahasin live.(As some students will already have some knowledge from the regions from their
research)
Students will then go in groups (same group as geography) to form an inquiry sheet where they
have to brainstorm questions they have about African culture. In addition to the inquiry questions
students come up with, teacher will also provide some questions for students to find out by reading
the book “A life like mine” and visiting the website: http://www.our-africa.org/food. (Explains different
food/history/culture in different regions of Africa)
-What is the daily life like for African children in Africa?
-What are the housings like in Africa?
-What kind of food do they eat?
Part B: Guided Reading Session 2 :A school like mine
(ACELT1603) Watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealKZkZQ97u8 (Preview from Latest Documentary
about school of St Jude) as introduction to how school is like in Africa.
Consequently, students will do guided reading using the book “A school like mine” (UNICEF, 2002)
meeting Fundi and Sibusiso from South Africa. Similar to the previous guided reading session,
students and teacher will talk about how they feel after watching the video and meeting the two
African students from A school like mine.
(ACELA1488) Students will add more inquiry questions in groups they have about the school life
and students in Africa. In addition to the inquiry questions, students will come up with; teacher will
also provide some questions for student to find out by reading the book, “A school like mine” and
visiting different websites.(Students are advised to write down the websites for references)
Questions from the teacher:
-What do African students bring to school?
-What language do they speak at school?
-Do they have school uniform? What do they wear to school?
-Do lots of students go to the school? Why or Why not?
How is their life different from ours?
Part A: How is life like in Australia?
(ACELA1498) (ACELT1603) Students will be informed that the children from Africa also want to find
out how life is like in Australia. Students and teacher will discuss the environment, daily life style and
school life in Australia prior to the main activity. Also the meaning of “environment” will be discussed
in the classroom. Consequently, students will be provided with another paper to answer the following
questions. (Teacher will explain that these are the questions from the children from Africa)
-What is Australian environment like?
-What do children In Australia do daily? (Lifestyle)
-How is school like in Australia? (Students need to give examples of their own schools)
Part B: How is lifestyle in Australia different from Africa?
(ACELT1603) After students have researched and found answers for both Africa and Australia,
students will have time to compare/contrast the lifestyle between the two countries thus have small
discussion in the classroom.
Documentary
Part A: What makes a documentary?
(ACELA1490) Students will learn that documentary tells stories about what happened in real life
using real people with actual images and objects. Students will watch short documentaries on video
clips to have
Exploring sounds (In preparation for Part A)
Students will listen to different sound effects teacher provide,
concentrating on the loudness, pitch and the tone. Teacher will prepare
different pictures and ask the students to match the picture to the sound
effect that is most appropriate. Consequently, students will describe how
each sound or songs made them feel and think of different situations
where such the sound/song could be used.
Making a documentary
Part A) Visual/sound effects for the documentary (Continuing from
scriptwriting)
(Media arts 4.2)
(Visual arts 4.1) In order to make a mind-blowing documentary,
students also need to figure out the suitable visual images and music to
the script. In groups, students will work together to decide what
costumes/materials/pictures/ background music they need to
incorporate to complete the documentary. Students will need to refer to
the images, videos, books they have encountered throughout the
lessons in order to recreate the image of Africa. Consequently, students
will have few sessions to either bring or make what they need for the
specific documentary they are creating.
*Parent helpers will be needed for this part
Part B) Video production & editing
(Media Arts 4.4/5)
(Visual arts 4.2) Students will learn how to use video camera and
various techniques to create effects. Then, students will learn the
significance of video editing as people are able to remove the parts they
do not want and modify parts of video to form another piece. Students
will further learn that by using a number of video editing principles and
tools, they will be able to enhance their quality of the documentary and
catch people’s attention.
Part C) Presenting the documentary to other students
(Summative Assessment)

5. Websites: http://homeworkhelp.stjohnssevenoaks.com/mountains.htm (Mountains in Africa)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/ (Exploring regions of Africa)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africa-rivers.html (Exploring rivers of Africa)
The Research: It is time to go on the Journey
A) Short presentation
Before students go on to their journey, each group will present which countries they are planning
to travel, brief background information on the regions, what they want to find out In their journey
and finally how they will prepare for the extreme weather/geographical conditions to other
groups.
(Teacher will check the students’ journals and inquiry question to assess if the students have
found the appropriate information for the places they are travelling),
B) Research (Following the presentation)
(ACHGK021 ) (ACHGS027) After the students have their inquiry questions/ background
information checked by the teacher, each group will get the passport from the teacher to go on
their journey to different parts of Africa. Students will be mainly travelling:
-Rainforests
-Savannas
-Lakes
-Deserts
In groups, students will start researching about the countries they are travelling. As they travel
each country that they have chosen, students encouraged to mark cities, rivers and other
relevant features in the map. Moreover, in their journal, students needs to include:
-Characteristics of each geographical region
-Interesting facts they find in each region they travel
-Native animals that live in specific geographical regions
-Find pictures to add description to the information they find
-Answers to the inquiry questions they had before they started travelling
*Students will be need to include bibliography as they find information from websites, books and
magazines.
Website: http://www.our-africa.org/ (Videos of the cultures/characteristics of different African
countries)
C) Power point Presentation (Summative assessment)
In groups, by using the pictures and information they have recorded during their journey,
students will make a Power Point presentation addressing:
-Inquiry questions ( Were these questions answered while during their journal?)
-The journey route
-Characteristics of the geographical region
-Distinctive animals in each region and their characteristics
-Interesting facts
-Conclusion ( Students’ thoughts on the journey)
insight of how documentaries are supposed to look like. Students will learn that documentary films
help the viewers to see and learn what is happening around the world. Also, students will learn the
different types of language they need to use depending on the targeted audience.
Part B: Making your own documentary
Scriptwriting
(ACELY1694) Prior to making a documentary, students will need to prepare the script they will use
for the narration. In order to accomplish this task, students will need to choose up to three children
they met from the texts, “A life like mine” and “A school like mine” and choose one or two students
from the group to be the interviewer for Australian lifestyle. Based on the research they have
completed, students will write script for the documentary.
(Rest will be in “Arts” section of the Unit overview)
Creating folk tale
Modelled reading session 1 : Stories from Africa
During the journey, students will meet a famous storyteller in Africa (Teacher will dress up and read
the story) read the text “The Fire children” (Maddern, 1993) which is a famous west African folk tale.
Students will learn the characteristics (language, setting, characters, and structure) of legends/folk
tales throughout the lessons and compare how it is similar and different to other famous legends that
they know of.
Guided reading session 2,3: Stories from Africa
In small groups, students will read stories from the text, “Chasing the sun” (Tadjo, 2006) which is
comprised of various stories from different parts of Africa. Students will take turns to be the
storyteller with the costume. Consequently, they will discuss about the stories and further identify the
setting, characters and structure of the stories.
Writing a folk tale
(ACELY1694) (ACELT1794) The storyteller (teacher) will tell the students that he has ran out of
stories to tell the children hence need the help from the students in order to tell other audiences to
tell African folk tales. Students will be asked to write a short folk tale of their own using real places
and cultural facts of Africa.
Word diary
(ACELA1498) Students will be given a word diary at the beginning of the journey for them to write
down and find the meanings of the words they do not understand throughout the journey to Africa