1. The basic ideas of geography
Core units: Key understandings Years F–4
Illustration 1: Pointers to understanding

2. What are the basic ideas of geography
What are the basic ideas of geography? What things does a primary teacher need to keep in mind?

3. Geography is about … The physical environment of the earth’s surface
The human patterns on the earth’s surface
The interactions between physical and human processes
The results of these, such as distinctive regions, resource uses, food production, inequalities, hazards, conservation etc

4. Two key strands of geography
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
Geographical Inquiry and Skills

5. Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
Knowledge of places, environments, patterns, interactions at a range of scales
Understanding of causes and relationships between geographical concepts

6. Geographical Inquiry and Skills
A process of inquiry by which students learn new geographical knowledge and deepen their understanding
Fieldwork as well as research and critical thinking
Key skills of observation, mapping, graphing, tabulating, photographing, interpreting, presenting, communicating

7. Inquiry process Observing and questioning
Planning, collecting and evaluating
Processing, analysing, interpreting and concluding
Communicating
Reflecting and responding

8. What is physical geography?
Landforms
Weather and climate
Ecosystems – plants, animals and soils
Environmental hazards

9. What is human geography?
Population patterns
Cities and settlements
Agriculture and industries
Resources and their uses

10. What is regional or local geography?
Each place has a distinctive set of characteristics
These characteristics usually result from physical/human interactions
There is a hierarchy of regions from local to global
There are spatial patterns of similar place and regional characteristics