Australia The Land Down Under Lisa Blair

Table of Contents • • • History of Australia People of Australia Geography of Australia Economics of Australia Government of Australia Citizenship in Australia

Australia The Land Down Under • 2 nd grade • Australia Unit • Lisa Blair

History of Australia • Captain James Cook claimed Australia for England in 1770. It was first used as a prison colony by the English. The first free settlers landed in Sydney in 1793. Today Sydney is Australia's largest city. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most unique buildings in the world. • The first people to live in Australia were aborigines. Aboriginal means first. They were like our Native Americans. Today there are still aborigines in Australia. Some live on reservations, some live on ranches (called stations or property) or in cities. You can see some examples of their beautiful art if you visit Australia.

History Lessons • Where in the world is Australia? • http: //www. education-world. com/a_lesson/00 -2/lp 2130. shtml • Bushrangers • www. proteacher. com/090070. shtml&title=Bushrangers • How The Kangaroo got its Pouch • http: //www. planetozkids. com/oban/kanpouch. htm • Kookaburra • www. kiddyhouse. com/songs/Kookaburra. html • All About Australia • http: //homepages. wmich. edu~d 1 folk/history 2. htm

People of Australia • Australia is like the United States in many ways. Most people live in or near cities. They speak English. They work in buildings like your parents.

People Lessons • Boomerang Fun • http: //www. nationalgeographic. com/ngkids/trythis/try 11. html • Bark Paintings • http: //www. silverbushmusic. com/barkpain 2. htm • www. princetonol. com/groups/lad/lessons/elem/Aboriginal. Bark. Pai nting. htm • Early Explorers • http: //www. teachers. 8. com/P_aearlyexplor. htm • Moomba Festival • http: //fga. freac. fsu. edu/resources/academy/k 1 aust_removed. h tm

Geography of Australia • Australia is called the land down under because it is below the equator. It is one of the seven continents of the world. It is also a country. • Australia is made up of six states and two territories. It is about the size of the United States (not including Alaska. ) 18. 3 million people live there, about as many people as in New York. Canberra is the capital of Australia.

More about Geography • January and February are the warmest months, with average temperatures between 65° and 70° F. June and July are the coldest months, with an average July temperature of about 50° F, except in the Australian Alps, where temperatures average 35° F. • The middle part of the country is called the outback. The outback does not get very much rain and is very dry. Not very many people live in the outback. • The Great Barrier Reef is also in Australia. It is made up of coral and algae. Coral are tiny invertebrate animals. The Great Barrier Reef is about 1250 miles long. There is a channel of water that separates the reef from the Queensland coast. It is the largest deposit of coral in the world. It is also the world's largest living structure.

Lessons on Geography • Label Australia • http: //www. enchantedlearning. com/subjects/continents/Australia/labelaus. shtml • Coral Reef • • http: //www. enchantedlearning. com/biomes/coralreef. shtml http: //mbgnet. mobot. org/salt/coral/threats. htm • The Land Down Under • http: //fga. freac. fsu. edu/resources/academy/k 1 aust_removed. htm • What Plants Grow in Australia? • http: //www. terrax. org/projects/australia. aspx • The Great Barrier Reef

Economics of Australia • In the outback, there are some sheep and cattle ranches (property. ) There about ten times more sheep than people in Australia. Sheep are raised for wool and for meat. In Australia what Americans call a ranch is known as a station. Stations are very big. Some stations are so big they have to use planes to keep track of the animals.

Economics Lessons • Vegemite • • http: //bearessentialsgraphics. com/Aust. htm http: //whatscookingamerica. net/History/Vegemite. History. htm • http: //www. teachers. 8 m. com/P_rainforests. htm • http: //fga. freac. fsu. edu/resources/academy/k 1 aust_removed. htm • http: //www. glc. k 12. ga. us/Builder. V 03/LPTools/LPshared/lpdisplay. asp? L PID=56079 • Rainforests • Learning about Sheep • Products and Resources • Food in Australia • http: //www. glc. k 12. ga. us/Builder. V 03/LPTools/LPshared/lpdisplay. asp? L PID+51286

Government of Australia • http: //www. glc. k 12. ga. us/Builder. V 03/LPTools/LPShared/l pdisplay. asp? Session_Stamp=&LPID=56079 • The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a federation, and a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement between what were previously six self-governing British colonies.

Government Lessons • How is Australia’s Government Different than ours? • Territories • http: //www. theteacherscorner. net/thematicsunits/matching. htm • Who’s the Queen of Australia and why Does she Live in England? • www. kidcyber. com. au/topics/austgovt. htm • What is a Parliament? • www. kidcyber. com. au/topics/austgov 2. htm • Australian State/Territories Emblems • http: //www. atozkidsstuff. com/aus. html

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities in Australia Lessons: • Flag of Australia • http: //www. glc. k 12. ga. us/Builder. V 03/LPTools/LPshared/lpdisplay. asp? L PID=51288 • Transportation • • http: //www. glc. k 12. ga. us/Builder. V 03/LPTools/Lpshared/lpdisplay. asp? L PID=52050 • Recipes • http: //www. theteacherscorner. net/thematicsunits/recipes. htm

Citizenship Lessons • Australian Lingo • Mackers is Mc. Donalds • Me is used often instead of my. “ Me car needs to be washed" • Hungry Jacks=Burger King • Mate is commonly used for friend. "My best mate Jack“ • Footy is Australian football which is a mix of rugby and football • http: //homepages. wmich. edu/~d 1 folk/lingo. htm