Australian Animals - Session Topic 1
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Session Topic 1:

Australia - States, 
Territories and Capitals

Session Topic 2


 
Introduction...
Since Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1788, it has been divided up into a number of different areas. From 1788 - 1829, a single  border divided the country into two halves: Western Australia and New South Wales. Tasmania was called Van Diemen's Land and it became a separate colony in 1825. 

Between 1830 and 1900, more states and territories were founded and the break-up of the country was similar to that of today. Van Diemen's Land became Tasmania in 1853 and the Queensland and South Australian borders were extended. 

Since 1901, Australia's Federation, the layout of states and territories have remained the same, however both the Northern Territory (1978) and the Australian Capital Territory (1988) became self governing.

In this Session Topic, you will learn about the layout of our states, territories and capital cities. By the end of this session you should be able to name them all and complete an accurate map of Australia. Make sure you carefully read all the information before each activity.


What you need to do...
* To complete this session, you need to work through each activity listed below.
  • Locate the file, "Blank Map" on the Junior School Server. This is a map of Australia. PRINT out 2 copies of this file and keep them for later use.
  • Visit the Australian States and Territories web site. Use the information at this site to help you complete one of your blank maps of Australia. Add the following features to your map and use light colouring when complete.
    • State and Territory names in CAPITAL LETTERS (Eg. VICTORIA)
    • Capital City names in Lower Case Letters (Eg. Darwin)
  • Complete a Net Search to find other maps of Australia. Try to find the names of the seas and oceans that surround Australia. You may wish to add other significant places of interest (Eg. Ayer's Rock). Hand in your completed map to your teacher.
  • Compare the populations of the different states and territories. With a partner, use a "ClarisWorks" Spreadsheet to make a table. List the state/territory in one column and its population in the next column. When your table is complete, you can graph the information. If you have forgotten how to use spreadsheets, look at this example. PRINT out your table and graph when finished. Also, SAVE it to your own disk.
  • Complete these 2 simple Tests to see if you know the states, territories and capital cities of Australia.
  • Begin to search the internet for "web sites" on Australian animals. Record in your Unit Book the URL's of any that you find.

  •  
  • Email your teacher when you have completed all of the above activities.


Checklist:Have you done these things: 
Activity:
- Located and printed 2 copies of the "Blank Map" from the Junior School Server? ...
- Visited the "States and Territories" web site and completed your own map? ...
- Completed a "Net Search" to locate other maps of Australia? ...
- Made a table of populations and graphed the results using ClarisWorks Spreadsheet? ...
- Completed the "Online Test" on the states and territories of Australia? ...
- Searched for "web sites" on native Australian animals and recorded their URL's? ...


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1 September 2000