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Geocaching and the Australian Curriculum

This document has two goals:

• Provide an outline of geocaching for teachers. • Provide an outline of Australian Curriculum for non-teachers who are working with schools.

Geocaching is a global, high-tech treasure hunt that can be adapted to be used with young kids, right through to adults. There are so many ways in which it can fit in to the curriculum, limited only by our imagination.

The geocaching website (http://www.geocaching.com) has a great forum for teachers, where you can read about how teachers around the world are incorporating geocaching in exciting ways. The forum is available at http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?&showforum=105.

We have examined the Year 6 curriculum and selected specific relevant content descriptions. In showing these relevant content descriptions, we do not intend for geocaching, or any other type of learning, to become a part of ‘tick the box’ curriculum. We hope that in reading these descriptions, teachers will see the way in which geocaching can become a part of contemporary education in Australia, and use this information in their planning and implementation of programs designed specifically for their students.

Four learning areas in the Australian Curriculum; Maths, English, History and Science have been completed (at March 2013). Others are in draft form and are going through the consultation process. Visit http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/curriculum.html to view the status of each learning area.

With geocaching, as with any other activity or resource, the curriculum links will be determined by the degree to which you get involved. For example, as your class searches for caches and discusses their finds, they will be responding to text and interacting with others (as described in the English component of the curriculum.) As they begin to design their own caches, they will be creating texts. As you and your students progress more and more with your geocaching adventures, you will be covering more aspects of the curriculum.

As you get started in geocaching, you will likely get more and more ideas about using it in your teaching. Information about historical events can be hidden around the school, and after the students have found them, they can put them in chronological order. Students can learn about plants and animals found in their area and create ‘caches’ of pictures and information. Students studying Italian can go on to the geocaching website, read about caches in Italy and try their hand at translating it into English. The possibilities really are limited only by our imagination.

The lesson plans that follow will help you to introduce your class to the wonderful world of geocaching and may be the beginning of a big adventure for you and your kids!

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In getting started in geocaching we suggest that you:

• Check out the website, especially the Geocaching in 2 minutes video, available at http://www.geocaching.com/videos/#cat=cat:newbies&vid=-4VFeYZTTYs.

• Read and implement Lesson One to give you and your students an introduction to geocaching. • The Geocaching K-7 Forum http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?&showforum=105

is a great place to start getting ideas. • Read through this ‘Geocaching and the Australian Curriculum’ document, making notes about

how you might incorporate various aspects into your program. • Try geocaching Lesson 2 and begin to incorporate it in other ways.

Have fun!

The Australian Curriculum - Overview

The Australian Curriculum is made up of three main parts: Learning areas (with specific descriptions of each year level), Cross-curricular Priorities and General Capabilities. These are outlined briefly below. Go to the Australian Curriculum website at http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ for more information.

Cross-curricular priorities

There are three cross-curricular priorities in the Australian Curriculum:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia • Sustainability.

Schools are encouraged to incorporate these in an integrated way across the curriculum.

General Capabilities

The Australian Curriculum identifies seven general capabilities to be addressed. These are:

• Literacy • Numeracy • Information and communication technology competence • Critical and creative thinking • Personal and social competence • Ethical behaviour • Intercultural understanding.

Geocaching is a great way of incorporating the cross-curricular priorities and general capabilities for all year levels.

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English: Content Descriptions Relevant for Geocaching

Language Literature Literacy

Language variation and change

Expressing and developing ideas

Identify and explain how analytical images like figures, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to our understanding of verbal information in factual and persuasive texts (ACELA1524).

Literature and context

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613).

Responding to literature

Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots.

Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice (ACELT1800).

Interacting with others

Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions (ACELY1709).

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis (ACELY1710).

Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714).

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717).

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History: Content Descriptions Relevant for Geocaching

Year 6 Level Description

Australia as a nation

The Year 6 curriculum moves from colonial Australia to the development of Australia as a nation, particularly after 1900. Students explore the factors that led to Federation and experiences of democracy.

Key inquiry questions

• Why and how did Australia become a nation? • How did Australian society change throughout the twentieth century? • Who were the people who came to Australia? Why did they come? • What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to the development of Australian

society?

Historical Knowledge and Understanding Historical Skills

Australia as a nation

Stories of groups of people who migrated to Australia (including from ONE Asian country) and the reasons they migrated, such as World War II and Australian migration programs since the war (ACHHK115).

Experiences of Australian democracy and citizenship, including the status and rights of Aboriginal people and/or Torres Strait Islanders, migrants, women, and children (ACHHK114).

The contribution of individuals and groups, including Aboriginal people and/or Torres Strait Islanders and migrants, to the development of Australian society, for example in areas such as the economy, education, science, the arts, sport (ACHHK116).

Chronology, terms and concepts

Sequence historical people and events (ACHHS117).

Historical questions and research

Identify questions to inform an historical inquiry (ACHHS119).

Identify and locate a range of relevant sources (ACHHS120).

Analysis and use of sources

Locate information related to inquiry questions in a range of sources (ACHHS121).

Compare information from a range of sources (ACHHS122).

Perspectives and interpretations

Develop texts, particularly narratives and descriptions, which incorporate source materials (ACHHS124).

Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies (ACHHS125).

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Maths: Content Descriptions Relevant for Geocaching

Number and Algebra Measurement and Geometry Statistics and Probability

Number and place value

Select and apply efficient mental and written strategies and appropriate digital technologies to solve problems involving all four operations with whole numbers (ACMNA123).

Fractions and decimals

Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators (ACMNA126).

Find a simple fraction of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA127).

Make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages (ACMNA131).

Patterns and algebra

Continue and create sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Describe the rule used to create the sequence (ACMNA133).

Using units of measurement

Solve problems involving the comparison of lengths and areas using appropriate units (ACMMG137).

Interpret and use timetables (ACMMG139).

Location and transformation

Investigate combinations of translations, reflections and rotations, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMMG142).

Geometric reasoning

Investigate, with and without digital technologies, angles on a straight line, angles at a point and vertically opposite angles. Use results to find unknown angles (ACMMG141).

Chance

Data representation

Interpret and compare a range of data displays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables (ACMSP147).

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Science: Content Descriptions Relevant for Geocaching

Science Understanding Science as a Human Endeavour

Science Inquiry Skills

Biological sciences

The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (ACSSU094).

Use and influence of science

Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100).

Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220).

Questioning and predicting

With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232).

With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103).

Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105).

Processing and analysing data and information

Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate.

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Geography – Content Descriptions Relevant to Geocaching (DRAFT)

Place

• The characteristics of a place are the result of cause and effect relationships within the place, and with other places; locally, regionally and globally.

Space

• Global population, wealth and health is unevenly distributed.

Environment

• Bushfires and other hazards are a recurring feature of seasonal changes to environments.

Observing and Questioning

• Pose geographical questions that range in complexity and guide deep inquiry, then speculate on their answers.

Planning, Collating and Evaluating:

• Identify a variety of information sources that will be used for inquiry, considering their validity. • Identify and create appropriate materials, geographical tools or equipment to collect data or

observations, using formal measurements and digital and spatial technologies as appropriate. • Select appropriate geographical methodologies to collect data, including following protocols for

consultation with local Aboriginal communities and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.

Processing, Analysing, Interpreting and Concluding

• Manage data and information collected and look for patterns or relationships. • Combine data and information to draw and share conclusions, considering their impacts.

Communicating

• Present findings, choosing an appropriate communication method for more than one audience, using appropriate geographical tools and skills and geographical vocabulary.

Reflecting and Responding

• Reflect on the quality of inquiry. • Reflect on what has been learned, feelings about conclusions and what should happen as a

result.

NOTE: Geography is in DRAFT in the Australian Curriculum, as at February 2013.

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Health and Physical Education: Content Descriptions Relevant to Geocaching (DRAFT)

Being healthy safe and active

• Examine ways to respond effectively to successes, challenges and failures that strengthen personal identities and sense of self.

• Evaluate the influence of emotional responses on behaviour and relationships. • Examine the influences on individual health decisions and behaviours, and discuss strategies

that support them to take action to enhance health, safety and physical activity levels.

Communicating and Interacting for health and wellbeing

• Research a range of health information sources and places where they can seek help if they are concerned about their health or safety and prioritise those that are reliable and trustworthy.

• Practise and refine decision making skills and take positive action to manage their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing.

Contribution to healthy and active communities

• Explore how connections to the natural and built environment can support personal and community health and wellbeing through participation in a range of outdoor activities.

Movement and physical activity

• Demonstrate ethical behaviour and fair play that aligns with the rules when participating in a range of physical activities.

• Participate in physical activities designed to develop particular aspects of health-related and skill-related fitness, and discuss the impact regular participation in these activities can have on health and wellbeing.

• Manipulate the elements of effort, space, objects, and people to perform movement sequences. • Explore how participation in physical activities from their own and other cultures can create

community connections and intercultural understanding. • Contribute positively to groups and teams by encouraging others, negotiating roles and

responsibilities, and demonstrating leadership to achieve movement goals. • Assess and refine strategies to persist and successfully perform new and challenging movement

skills and sequences. • Apply critical and creative thinking processes in order to generate and assess solutions to a

range of movement challenges.

NOTE: Geography is in DRAFT in the Australian Curriculum, as at February 2013.

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Caches across the learning areas

The examples below are real caches, hidden in various parts of Western Australia. As teachers, you will be able to see how each fits in with the curriculum outlined above. In addition to the curriculum areas listed, all involve English (reading and/or writing), Geography (maps and use of GPS), and Health and PE (physical movement).

Old Memories – Denmark The Arts, History, Health and PE, Geography, English.

Glass and Steel – King’s Park History, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures , Science, Languages.

Dinosaur Footprints – Broome Science, History.

Discover Mullewa – Mullewa Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, History, Science.

There are many other great caches to discover, around Australia and around the world. Enjoy.