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Geography K–10 · Years 3–4

Measure the playground and draw it to scale

Geography (HASS F–6 sub-strand); NSW Geography K–10 (2015) Stage 2 processing skill "represent information by constructing large-scale maps that conform to cartographic conventions, using spatial technologies as appropriate" (ACHGS022, ACHGS029), which the syllabus integrates throughout Stage 2, taught within Places are Similar and Different; the word scale does not appear in the Stage 2 maps row of the K–10 geographical tools continuum, which names location, direction, distance, map references, spatial distributions and patterns, and first appears in the Stage 4 row, so the scale bar drawn here rests on the cartographic conventions of that map-construction skill and not on the tools row, and the continuum is in any case headed "Examples may include:". On the ACARA side, v9 words AC9HS3S02 and AC9HS4S02 identically, so the pair covers both years of the stage rather than adding a second anchor, and no ACARA descriptor cited here mentions scale either.

Practical, model not builtLow risk

This site has no interactive model of its own. Where a step or a material names a Concept Studio model, simulation or tool, it has not been built; an external simulation a step names (for example PhET) is not part of this site.

The idea

A scale is a fixed ratio between map distance and ground distance, so measured ground lengths become map lengths by division.

Safety card

Low riskAn adult supervises

Hazards

  • trundle wheel on stairs
  • tape trip hazard

Controls

  • measure flat areas only; wind the tape after each length

Note

No chemicals or heat are used. The activity is run under the school risk-assessment procedure; RiskAssess (riskassess.com.au) holds templates for school practicals and fieldwork. The NSW Department of Education Chemical Safety in Schools package is not triggered.

What you need

  • 1 trundle wheel (1 m circumference) or a 30 m tape per group
  • 1 magnetic compass per group
  • 1 cm grid paper A3, pencil, ruler
  • Chalk to mark measured corners

How to do it

  1. Choose a rectangular area such as the basketball court and its surrounds, about 40 m by 25 m.
  2. Measure each side with the trundle wheel; two learners measure each side and record both values, then use the mean.
  3. Choose the scale so the drawing fits A3: at 1:200, 1 cm on the paper is 2 m on the ground, so 40 m becomes 20 cm.
  4. Draw the outline on the grid; add fixed objects (seats, bins, taps) by measuring their distance from two corners.
  5. Use the compass to draw a north arrow; add a legend and a scale bar (a 10 m bar is 5 cm long at 1:200).
  6. Check the map: pick two objects, measure between them on the map in cm, multiply by 200 to get centimetres on the ground and divide by 100 for metres (5 cm on the map is 1000 cm, or 10 m), then measure the ground distance with the trundle wheel.

What you should see

A map with a north arrow, a legend and a scale bar, and a check number for each pair of objects: the difference between the distance predicted from the map and the distance measured on the ground with the trundle wheel. The class sets its accuracy target before the check, for example 1 m on the ground, which is 0.5 cm on the map at 1:200. It worked if the north arrow, scale bar and legend are present and the check differences are recorded against the target.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

  • A bigger scale number (1:25 000) means more detail than 1:200.
  • A map without a scale can still be used to measure distance.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

  • Geography K–10 Syllabus (2015), NESA; current and taught in 2026, replaced from 2027. The outcome codes are not printed on the NESA landing page for this syllabus, which only links the document, so the url given is the syllabus document itself (geography-k-10-syllabus-2015.docx); the code and its outcome text were read in that document on 23 September 2026.GE2-4GE2-1
  • Human Society and its Environment K–6 Syllabus (2024), NESA; implementation from 2027, not yet taught; code read on this page on 22 September 2026HS2-GEO-01
  • Australian Curriculum v9AC9HS3S02AC9HS3S03AC9HS4S02

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

  1. www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/map-reading-guide
  2. www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/an-introduction-to-topographic-maps
  3. education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/hsie/hsie-curriculum-resources-k-12/hsie-k-6-curriculum-resources/hsie-s2-units
  4. curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/hsie/hsie-k-6-2024/outcomes

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