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Integrated guide — Our learning placeYear 1 · T1 · Week 01 Our Learning Place

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Teacher copy: This page may include teaching prompts or answer keys. Answer keys in this public library can be viewed by anyone. Give learners a clean prompt, use checks as formative evidence, and change a case locally when prior access matters.

Version: v0.1, 29 September 2026. Five 35-minute sessions. Draft for educator, cultural, accessibility, privacy and local-syllabus review. This is a school-approved place inquiry, not a survey of children's homes, identities or routes to school. Pair with daily mathematics and English; it does not repeat their drills. Choose spaces the school permits. If a walk is unsuitable, use a teacher-made, non-identifying tabletop model or school-approved image viewed indoors.

National links: AC9HS1K03 (natural, managed and constructed features of local places and their location), AC9HS1S01 (develop questions about past/present people, places etc.), AC9HS1S02 (collect, sort and record from observations/provided sources, including labelled maps/models), AC9HS1S05 (draw conclusions and make proposals), AC9HS1S06 (share observations/narratives with sources and subject terms). Exact codes checked against the official ACARA v9 download, retrieved 29 September 2026, pinned workbook SHA-256 db446882d2c00cf7c085a03e250e2442fda6c44011fc114680c46c1dc7a822c3. This short inquiry is partial practice, not a full HASS judgment. Check state/local adoption.

Prepare and safeguard: Teacher checks route, supervision, mobility access, weather, sensory environment, school photo rules and any culturally sensitive places; obtain normal school approvals. Use a boundary marker and a stop signal. Do not publish pupils' names, faces, home locations, cultural sites or precise security layouts. Ask local knowledge holders only through school protocols; do not assign a First Nations meaning to a place without authority. Supplies: clipboard or firm card, broad-tipped pencil, removable paper symbols, four feature cards below, tactile/large print version as needed. A child may observe from a safe point or direct an adult's model movements. Walking pace, English fluency and drawing skill are not scored as place knowledge.

Day 1 — What can we notice here?

Question: What features can we safely see from an approved place? 35 minutes = 5 launch + 7 model + 12 observe/model + 8 sort/talk + 3 check.

  1. Launch 5: Show a plant/tree, cared-for garden bed, bench and path in drawings or approved actual view. “A feature is something we can locate. What is a question you have about this place?” Record one child question verbatim without naming the child publicly.
  2. Model 7: Teacher models looking and drawing just a symbol, then labels “tree near path.” Distinguish observed from guessed: “I see a path. I don't know who made it.”
  3. Observe 12: Groups at designated points list/draw/select two features. Adult checks safety, does not prompt every answer. Alternative: choose features on a teacher-built model whose provenance is clearly labelled “model.”
  4. Sort 8: Children place cards under natural / managed / constructed as useful descriptions, discussing that a planted tree can be natural material in a managed space. Do not force one rigid category if context matters.
  5. Check 3: “Show one feature you observed and where it is relative to another.” Accept: e.g. tree beside path, bench near garden. Next: if only objects named, model a location phrase with two real symbols; if guessed, revisit observation.

Day 2 — A place model has a viewpoint

Question: How can a model show where features are? 35 = 5 retrieve + 7 model + 12 build + 8 compare + 3 check.

  1. Retrieve 5: Recall two permitted features from Day 1, and which was closer to the approved viewing point. If observation differed, use the teacher model and mark it as such.
  2. Model 7: On a blank paper mat draw a simple rectangle for the approved area and two symbols. Say “On this model the bench is beside the path.” Show a legend: ▭ bench, ─ path, ♧ tree. A model simplifies; it is not a security map.
  3. Build 12: Children place movable symbols on a model based on observation or supplied picture. Keep orientation fixed with a tactile raised corner/arrow. For an AAC route offer “beside,” “near,” “between” choices.
  4. Compare 8: Pair models; ask what matches the source and what needs moving. Source here means Day 1 observation/supplied image, not memory treated as proof.
  5. Check 3: “Put the bench symbol beside the path; explain or point to your evidence.” Key: placement consistent with chosen source. Next: if position mismatches, compare source and model side by side.

Day 3 — Ask and record carefully

Question: What can a short question help us find out? 35 = 5 launch + 7 model + 12 collect + 8 label + 3 check.

  1. Launch 5: Offer question stems: “Where is ?” “What is near ?” “How do we know?” Learners choose one relevant to approved site/model.
  2. Model 7: Teacher asks “Is a garden bed near the path in this model?” Points to visible evidence and records yes in model, rather than claiming all real schools share it.
  3. Collect 12: Each pair checks a teacher-approved image/model or approved viewpoint and records two observed relationships. Adult may hold clipboard; child chooses placements or spoken/sign/AAC labels.
  4. Label 8: Add a title, legend and source line: Observed at approved school area on [date] or Teacher-made model. Discuss why a model isn't firsthand observation.
  5. Check 3: “Which one of your labels tells a reader how you know?” Key: source line. Next: if source omitted, add one before sharing.

Day 4 — Make a useful proposal

Question: What small change might make a shared space easier to use? 35 = 5 revisit + 7 model + 12 design + 8 feedback + 3 check.

  1. Revisit 5: Look at models, not individual children's routes. Invite observations about shade, seating or clear movement space only if visible/known.
  2. Model 7: Teacher says “Our model shows a path next to the bench. I propose keeping that path clear so people can pass.” Label it a proposal needing adult/school review, not a claim that current access is inadequate.
  3. Design 12: Children choose one safe, modest proposal based on their source (e.g. a clearer label on an approved display, shade in a model, more room to turn in a model). Mark change with a removable card; no child alters grounds or reports peers' mobility needs.
  4. Feedback 8: Peers ask “Which observation supports it?” and “Who would decide?” Teacher records evidence and unresolved question. Respect disability access expertise without making a disabled child representative.
  5. Check 3: Learner names/points to observation and proposed change separately. Key: two distinguishable statements. Next: if proposal has no evidence, return to source card.

Day 5 — Share what the source really shows

Question: Can someone else use our model? 35 = 5 prepare + 7 teacher rehearsal + 12 share + 8 reflect/revise + 3 check.

  1. Prepare 5: Groups choose one model and remove identifying details. Child decides how to present: point, read, sign, AAC, draw or adult voice with child-directed words.
  2. Rehearse 7: Teacher models a three-line presentation: “Our source was . We noticed ___ near . We propose ___ because ___.” Indicate where a statement is only about a model.
  3. Share 12: Small groups show one feature, its location and source. Audience asks one respectful question; teacher redirects requests for names/home routes.
  4. Reflect 8: Learners revise a misplaced symbol or vague label in response to source evidence. Record one next inquiry question; no public student assessment data.
  5. Check 3: Individually ask “What did your source show, and what is one thing it did not show?” Accept: e.g. model showed bench by path; it did not tell who uses it. Next: teach observation versus inference with a fresh picture.

Original low-ink source and record card

SOURCE: approved real observation / school-approved image / teacher-made model
DATE: __________    VIEWPOINT/MODEL TITLE: _____________________
FEATURE 1: __________  FEATURE 2: __________
WHERE? __________ is near / beside / between __________ .
WHAT I SAW OR WHAT THE SOURCE SHOWED: ________________________
WHAT I WONDER: _______________________________________________
MY PROPOSAL (school decides): ________________________________
WHAT THE SOURCE CANNOT TELL ME: ______________________________

Evidence: A useful response identifies a feature, a location relationship and source. Revisit source if child confuses a claim with observation. Do not score walking, drawing neatness or English-only speech. Classroom educator verifies any real local feature before use; example icons are illustrative.

Rights: Original guide and card © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0. Attribute SubjectNest Year 1 Australian-first starter, v0.1, source, license and changes. ACARA material remains separately under its terms, no endorsement. No third-party photos/maps. Educator, cultural and accessibility review pending.

Source: https://neuroforge.io/subjectnest/library/resources/year-1/term-1/week-01-our-learning-place · Original material © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026 · CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ · Credit the source and note changes. External sources keep their own terms.