Understanding the World

Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of  children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to  meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends children's familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.

ELG: Past and Present

Children at the expected level of development will:  

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in  society;  
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the  past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been  read in class;  
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events  encountered in books read in class and storytelling; 

ELG: People Culture and Communities

Children at the expected level of development will:  

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from  observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps;  
• Know some similarities and differences between different  religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on  their experiences and what has been read in class;  
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this  country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from  stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps. 

ELG: The Natural World

Children at the expected level of development will:  

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations  and drawing pictures of animals and plants;  
• Know some similarities and differences between the natural  world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on  their experiences and what has been read in class. 
• Understand some important processes and changes in the  natural world around them, including the seasons and changing  states of matter.