Integrated Studies

Year Level Description

Integrated curriculum and inquiry develop the Year 1 student's understanding of the world across a number of disciplines – Geography, Health Education, History and Science. 

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• use a range of teacher-selected resources to gather information;
• locate and report information related to the topic being investigated;
• organise and present information in a variety of formats.

Geography

The primary focus for Year 1 is to understand the natural, managed and constructed features of places, their location, how they change and how they can be cared for.

Students identify and describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places at a local scale and recognise that people describe the features of places differently. They identify where features of places are located and recognise that spaces can be arranged for different purposes. Students identify changes in features and describe how to care for places.

Students respond to questions about familiar and unfamiliar places by collecting, recording and sorting information from sources provided. They represent the location of different places and their features on pictorial maps and present findings in a range of texts and use everyday language to describe direction and location. They reflect on their learning to suggest ways that places can be cared for.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• understand and identify the natural, managed and constructed features of places, their location, how they change and how they can be cared for;
• pose questions about familiar and unfamiliar places;
• identify the activities located in familiar places, for example, parks, schools and shopping centres. Locate these places on a pictorial map and suggest why they are located where they are;
• understand the role that emergency services play in keeping the community safe;
• represent data and the location of places and their features by constructing plans and labelled maps;
• draw conclusions based on the interpretation of geographical information sorted into categories.

Health Education

The major focus of the program is on developing an understanding and recognition of the physical, social and emotional aspects of health and wellbeing. School and family contexts provide concrete examples that students can relate to and draw upon to explore these aspects. Students participate in the Life Education Program, which aims to empower children to make informed choices for a safe and healthy life.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• set goals and reflect on personal learning;
• take responsibility for aspects of their own learning;
• develop strategies to build positive social relationships;
• understand how to protect their eyes and skin from the sun;
• show some awareness of the function of vital organs (heart, lungs and brain);
• recognise that a balanced diet and exercise promotes good health;
• identify some strategies to manage feelings and emotions;
• recognise the safe use and storage of medicines.

History

The Year 1 curriculum provides a study of present and past family life within the context of the student’s own world. Students learn about similarities and differences in family life by comparing the past with the present.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• explain the structure of their immediate family;
• begin to distinguish between primary and secondary sources to help them find out about the past.

Science

The program provides practical learning experiences during which the students describe, using appropriate language, their scientific observations of the physical, chemical and natural world. They identify simple patterns arising from their observations.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• recognise how our senses are used to learn about the world around us;
• identify the sun as a source of light and understand why light is necessary;
• recognise that objects can be seen when light from sources is available to illuminate them;
• identify some of the properties and uses of light;
• classify light sources according to natural/manufactured criteria;
• understand that living things have a variety of external features;
• classify and describe mini-beasts;
• understand the importance of mini-beasts in the environment;
• recognise common features of animals such as head, legs and wings;
• describe the use of animal body parts for particular purposes such as moving and feeding;
• understand the changes that occur during the life cycle of mini-beasts;
• recognise that all mini-beasts create a home specific to their needs.