Primary school teachers have a very significant role in

the teaching of geography in Australia, because they

will be responsible for seven of the nine years in which

the subject will be compulsory in probably the majority

of schools. However, they may be unsure what this

subject is all about, as few will have done more than a

minimal study of geography at the tertiary level. The aim

of this book is to help them understand the Australian

geography curriculum that is about to be implemented

across the nation, and feel confident in teaching it.

Chapter 1 explains geography as a subject, discussing why it is in the curriculum and highlighting

concepts and ways of thinking relevant to the primary school years. It also outlines what

geography contributes to a primary school education. Chapters 2 and 3 address each of the two

strands in the geography curriculum – Knowledge and Understanding, and Inquiry and Skills – and

show how the strands are structured. They also identify the key progressions from Foundation to

Year 6 that teachers and curriculum planners should be aware of, provide suggestions on how to

link geography content with related material in mathematics, science and history, and explain how

geography contributes to the development of the cross-curriculum priorities of Asia, Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and sustainability.

The rest of the book has a chapter on each year from Foundation to Year 6. These contain:

• a discussion of each of the content descriptions in the two strands, and their elaborations.
• comments on any problems in interpreting and teaching the content descriptions and

elaborations, along with ways of solving them.

• explanations of what some of the content means.
• suggestions on the order in which the content prescribed for the year could be taught and on

ways of combining or rearranging it.

• suggestions on ways of integrating the teaching of the two strands.
• links with the curriculum for other subjects.
• tables on the relationship between content descriptions and Achievement Standards, and

comments on how to interpret some of words in the Standards.

The author, Alaric Maude, is a retired Associate Professor of Geography at Flinders University in

Adelaide, South Australia. He was the Lead Writer and Writing Coach for the Australian geography

curriculum.

The book may be ordered online from the publisher, Hawker Brownlow, at hbe.com.au, code

HB1710. The price is $35.95.