# Week 1 integrated guide — Our learning place

**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](../mathematics/term-1/weeks-01-02/lessons.md#day-1--find-the-entry-point-zero-to-twenty) and [English](../english/term-1/weeks-01-02/lessons.md#day-1--hear-sounds-check-short-vowel-entry); 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](https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/downloads), 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 Do not publish pupils' names, faces, home locations, cultural sites or precise security layouts.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

```text
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](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attribute *SubjectNest Year 1 Australian-first starter*, v0.1, [source](https://github.com/neuroforge-io/neuroforge_business/tree/main/products/curriculum-studio/content/year-1/term-1), license and changes. ACARA material remains separately under [its terms](https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/copyright-and-terms-of-use), no endorsement. No third-party photos/maps. Educator, cultural and accessibility review pending.