Foundation: People Live In Places is part of the Australian Geography Series, which comprises nine books in total. This book has been written specifically for students in their first few years of schooling who are living in Australia and studying Geography. Australian Geography Series Foundation – People Live in Places is linked to the Australian National Curriculum.

The activities in this book have been designed to help students describe and appreciate the places around them and the areas in which they live. Students are encouraged to recognise the term ‘features of a place’, and are asked to differentiate between natural and built features in familiar places. They are also asked to categorise places that are familiar to them. In addition, the children are given the opportunity to recognise that we share places with others and therefore have a shared responsibility to look after the places that we use and keep them safe places to visit.  Exploring how places provide people with basic needs and examining places that are special to Indigenous Australians also feature.

Students will develop an understanding of how places and their features are represented on maps. They are asked to create their own maps and rearrange the features on maps to show how spaces can be used in different ways. They are also asked to draw possible routes on maps, and recognise that features on maps can be shown from above, as well as from the side.
This book is a wonderful resource for those who teach at Foundation level. The illustrations, together with the accessible layout, means that the activity pages are enjoyable and engaging for young children. This makes the introduction of geographic skills and knowledge manageable.

 Author: Lindsay Marsh