Australia — Australian Curriculum (v9)
Maps and globes in the Australian Curriculum: Years 3-6 HASS
How well this site fits
The Australian Curriculum (version 9) does not name map projections, distortion, latitude and longitude, or time zones in any HASS or Geography content description; only a few elaborations mention globes or coordinates. This site therefore matches general mapping skills and location knowledge, in part, and does not meet a requirement to teach projections. Pupils use its maps and globe views as digital geospatial tools and compare how maps show the world, but they do not collect data or make maps here.
Objectives and how the site meets them
Strong fit: a pupil can meet the objective on this site alone. Partial fit: the site covers part of it. Context: related background only.
| Where in the curriculum | What it says | What pupils do here |
|---|---|---|
AC9HS5S02Year 5 — HASS, Skills Fit: Partial fit | What it sayslocate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formatsUnofficial summary Year 5 pupils find, collect and organise information and data from different sources and formats. The curriculum lists globes and digital applications as examples of geospatial tools. | What pupils do here Pupils: Uses the maps and globe views as a digital geospatial tool to find places and read how a map stretches them. Pupils read these tools; they do not collect fieldwork data or build maps. Use on this site |
AC9HS6S02Year 6 — HASS, Skills Fit: Partial fit | What it sayslocate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formatsUnofficial summary Year 6 pupils find, collect and organise information and data from different sources and formats, using maps and spatial technologies. | What pupils do here Pupils: Reads a digital map critically, comparing a shortest route with the route that looks straight and judging the map used in everyday apps. Creating maps is not covered. Use on this site |
AC9HS3K03Year 3 — HASS, Knowledge and understanding (Geography) Fit: Context | What it saysthe representation of contemporary Australia as states and territories, and as the Countries/Places of First Nations Australians prior to colonisation, and the locations of Australia’s neighbouring regions and countriesUnofficial summary Year 3 pupils learn how Australia is represented as states, territories and First Nations Countries/Places, and where its neighbouring regions and countries are. | What pupils do here Pupils: Compares the same places on different maps and a globe view, and uses direction to find a country. No Australia-specific content, and no First Nations content. Background only. Use on this site |
AC9HS6K04Year 6 — HASS, Knowledge and understanding (Geography) Fit: Context | What it saysthe geographical diversity and location of places in the Asia region, and its location in relation to AustraliaUnofficial summary Year 6 pupils learn about the geographical diversity of the Asia region and where it lies in relation to Australia. | What pupils do here Pupils: Finds Asia and Australia on different maps and a globe view, and compares sizes. The site does not teach locating places by latitude and longitude. Background only. Use on this site |
A lesson sequence
1. Hook: does a country change size?
Move Greenland toward the equator in True Size (5 minutes).
2. Globe and flat map
Peel the globe, or build the paper globe from the printables (10 minutes).
3. Where is Asia?
In the Projection Lab, find Asia and Australia on different maps and the globe view, and compare where Australia sits (10 minutes).
4. Quiz
Finish with the Size Quiz or the Africa Jigsaw to compare real sizes (5 minutes).
What this site does not cover
- Latitude and longitude, hemispheres and time zones are not taught. The Year 6 elaboration AC9HS6K04_E3 asks for coordinates.
- Making maps with cartographic conventions (border, source, scale, legend, title, north point). Pupils read maps here and do not create them.
- Fieldwork and primary data collection, which the Geography skills codes in Years 7 to 10 ask for. The Geography 7-10 knowledge strands (water, liveability, landforms, urbanisation, trade, human wellbeing) are not covered.
- Australia-specific location and place knowledge, including First Nations Countries/Places.
- Foundation to Year 2 mapping skills, and Years 7 to 10 skills, are not claimed.
Status notes
- Alignment is to content descriptions only; elaborations are ACARA's examples and are not treated as alignments. Year-level ages are general knowledge, not stated by ACARA.
Sources and attribution
Official document: The Australian Curriculum (Version 9.0): Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) F-6 and Geography 7-10 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA))
- © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2010 to present, unless otherwise indicated. This material was downloaded from the Australian Curriculum website (Website) (accessed 9 October 2026) and was not modified. The material is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Attribution 4.0 International Deed.
- Only content descriptions are quoted. This site is not affiliated with ACARA and does not have its sponsorship or approval. Source: Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0, curriculum workbook (accessed 9 October 2026).
Checked on October 9, 2026