Skip to Content
MicrosoftTeams-image (180)Menu Bookmark

Geography

Geography banner

Images of IndonesiaBookmark

Learning area: Geography
Year level: Year 3
Country: Indonesia
General capability: Intercultural understanding

This learning sequence investigates housing and shopping in Indonesia through the eyes of a young Indonesian boy, Devon. Students gain insight into the diversity of life in Indonesia through Devon’s story. This learning sequence provides the opportunity for students to learn about aspects of life in Indonesia and to make comparisons with their daily life in Australia.

Key inquiry questions

  • In what ways are families similar in Australia and Indonesia?
  • Where do people live in Indonesia and where do they shop?
  • What are the similarities and differences between life in Indonesia and Australia?


Devon's family at the zoo with two children and three adults standing in front of plantsDevon and his family at the Bali zoo

Acknowledgements

Devon at the Zoo by Pamela Stewart

Related resources

Australian Curriculum alignment

Learning area: Geography

Year level: Year 3

Country: Indonesia

General capability: Intercultural understanding

Content Description: The location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (ACHASSK067)

Elaboration: describing the similarities and differences between their local place and places in neighbouring countries (for example, Indonesia, Pacific Island nations) in their natural and human characteristics.

This learning sequence supports the following organising ideas in the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority of ‪‪‪‬‬‬‬Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia:

OI.1 The peoples and countries of Asia are diverse in ethnic background, traditions, cultures, belief systems and religions.

• Students develop knowledge about the diversity of life in Indonesia.

The learning sequence provides opportunities for students to develop the Australian Curriculum general capability of Intercultural understanding by developing respect and informed attitudes about the way people live in Indonesia.‬

Acknowledgements

The Australian Curriculum alignment statement is based on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) materials which are licensed under a ‪‬Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia (CC BY NC SA) licence.

© Unless otherwise indicated, this material may be used, reproduced and communicated free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes within Australia and in overseas schools where the Australian Curriculum is taught until 31 August 2018, provided all acknowledgements are retained.

Activity 1: Introducing Devon and his family

This activity introduces Devon and his family and where they live on the island of Java, Indonesia.

Key inquiry question: In what ways are families similar in Australia and Indonesia?

  1. Ask students what they know about Indonesia and create a mind map.
  2. Allow students to look at the class display and then ask them if there are any facts or phrases they would like to add to the diagram. You may wish to use ‪‪‬‬Go Indonesia to provide additional information.
  3. Explain to students that they are going to look at aspects of family life in Indonesia and will learn about a young boy, Devon. It is important to emphasise that there are many different family structures in Indonesia and this is just a snapshot.
  4. Discuss the different family units that exist such as single parents, step-parents and extended families. Also discuss who the various members of a family can be and what families do together.
  5. Ask them to think about their own family and create a diagram showing themselves and any members of their family. Ask students to pair-and-share their diagram and some of their daily activities.
  6. Ask students to look at the pictures and information about Devon, displayed on the right.
  7. Ask students to look at the map of Indonesia and point out where Devon lives.
  8. Ask them to write down their observations with the following questions as their guide:
    • What did I already know?
    • What was new information to me?
    • What did I find interesting?
      • After they have finished as a class discuss their responses.
  9. Complete the activity by asking students to draw a diagram of Devon's family and compare it with their own. What similarities and differences are there between Devon's family life and theirs? Provide some hints such as use of names, where they live and what they do.

Acknowledgements

Images: Devon by Commonwealth of Australia, Snapshots of Asia: Indonesia; Devon at the Zoo by Pamela Stewart; The Indonesian map is in the public domain at ‪‪‬‬Wikimedia Commons; Devon's new home by Darryl Deacon; Farmers on bicyles by DMahendra ‪‪‬(CC BY 2.0)

Devon and his family


Cartoon Devon stands with his hands outstretched. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt and a baseball cap.Devon

Hello! My name is Devon.

I live with my mother Vera, my father Agus and sister Jeo.

Here is a photograph of us and my cousin when we travelled to the zoo on the island of Bali.

Devon's family surrounded by greenery with his sister, cousin, father and mother.Devon and his family at the Bali zoo 

We live on the island of Java, one of the many islands of Indonesia.

Indonesia is a nation made up of over 13,000 islands. The equator goes through Indonesia. This means our climate is very hot. We have a lot of rain in the wet season.

Indonesia map Map of Indonesia

Devon's new home is a newly built two-story Indonesian house with a thatched roof. Devon's new home

My family and I have moved into a new house near Bandung city. Our home is very close to rice fields and some jungle.

There is a road by my house. I love to ride my bicycle along the side of the road with my friends.

Two Indonesian farmers riding bicycles that are piled high with crops. Indonesian farmers on bicycles

Activity 2: Houses and buildings in Indonesia

This activity explores aspects of life in Indonesia including the structure of houses and buildings.

Key inquiry question: Where do people live in Indonesia and what kind of buildings are there?

  1. Explain to the class that they are going to look at two aspects of life in Indonesia: houses and buildings.
  2. Ask students to look through images of Australian houses and other buildings, either on the internet or in magazines:
    • Discuss the shapes of the buildings
    • Where they are located
    • What building materials are used
    • Whether climate might affect their design.
  3. Show students the images of houses (displayed on the right) and ask someone to read the text.
  4. Ask students to share their observations. Suggest that they think about the elements discussed when looking at Australian houses.
  5. Explain to the class that they are going to compare and contrast housing structures in Indonesia and Australia by drawing a Venn diagram:
    • Ask them to draw two circles that overlap
    • Explain that in the area where the two circles overlap they should write in features of houses that are the same for both countries.
    • In the far right segment they should add features that are only found in Indonesian houses.
    • In the far left segment they should add features that are exclusive to Australian houses.
  6. Once completed, students should discuss their diagrams and whether there are more similarities than differences between house structures in Indonesia and Australia.

Acknowledgements

Images: Devon by Commonwealth of Australia, Snapshots of Asia: Indonesia; Town houses in a suburb of Bandung by Darryl Deacon; Apartment blocks in Jakarta by Darryl Deacon; TMII Toraja House.jpg by Gunawan Kartapranata ‪‪‬‬(CC BY-SA 3.0); A village street in Bali by Darryl Deacon.

Devon and his family

Cartoon Devon stands with his hands outstretched. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt and a baseball cap. Devon

My father looks after hotels. We have lived in many different houses throughout the islands of Indonesia.

A row of town houses on a tree-lined street in suburban Jakarta. Townhouses in Bandung

I like our new house in Bandung and riding my bicycle through the rice fields. A lot of my friends live in nearby townhouses.

Twin high rise apartment blocks. Apartment blocks in Jakarta

In Jakarta we lived in an apartment. I didn’t have a bike and had to play in our lounge room.

Torajan house in Sulawesi with long, trunk-like roof A Torajan house in Sulawes

My friend Luluk from Sulawesi lives in a Torajan-style house. The roof reminds me of water buffalo horns.

Did you know that Torajan houses are made without nails or screws?

A narrow back street in Bali, lined with porches with clothing hanging overhead. Bali backstreets

My grandparents live in a village on the island of Bali. I love visiting them and playing chasey with my cousins in the alleyways between the houses.

(This text is adapted from Snapshots of Asia: Indonesia, 1998 p. 10 © Commonwealth of Australia)

Activity 3: Going shopping

This activity explores shopping as an aspect of life in Indonesia.

Key inquiry question: Where do people shop in Indonesia?

  1. Explain to the class that they are going to look at an aspect of life in Indonesia: shopping.
  2. Ask students to look through images of Australian shops and shopping centres on either the internet or in magazines:
    • Discuss the shapes of the buildings
    • Where they are located
    • What building materials are used
    • Whether climate may affect their design.
  3. Show students the images of Indonesian shops (on the right) and ask one student to read the text.
  4. Ask students to share their observations. Suggest that they think about the elements discussed when looking at Australian shops.
  5. Explain to the class that they are going to compare and contrast shopping structures in Indonesia and Australia by drawing a Venn diagram:
    • Ask them to draw two circles that overlap.
    • Explain that in the area where the two circles overlap they should write in features of shops that are the same for both countries.
    • In the far right segment they should add features that are only found in Indonesian shops.
    • In the far left segment they should add features that are exclusive to Australian shops.
  6. Once completed, students should discuss their diagrams and whether there are more similarities than differences between shop structures in Indonesia and Australia.

Acknowledgements

Images: Devon by Commonwealth of Australia, Snapshots of Asia: Indonesia;Jakarta~Goldok Shopping Center by Vaneska ‪‬(CC BY 2.0); An Indonesian suburban supermarket by Darryl Deacon; People shopping at an Indonesian pasar by Darryl Deacon; Indonesian dragon kites by Darryl Deacon.

Devon and his family

Cartoon Devon stands with his hands outstretched. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt and a baseball cap.Devon

I love going shopping. Do you?

A Toyota dealership and other shops at the Goldok Shopping Centre. Goldok Shopping Centre in Jakarta

Occasionally we go to the big shopping centres in the city. It is always very crowded and busy.

Alfa Express, a 24-hour Indonesian supermarket. A suburban Indonesian supermarket

Sometimes my family and I go shopping at the local supermarket.

Two women produce sellers balance a table on their head in an Indonesian pasar (marketplace). An Indonesian pasar

But usually Mum does our shopping at the local marketplace. It is called a pasar.

The pasar is a very lively, colourful place. There are many things for sale. Mum buys fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and rice.

You can buy toys, cooking utensils, clothes and shoes. At the market, people usually bargain over the price of things. This means they try to get the lowest price they can. In the supermarket the prices are fixed.

A colourful display of dragon kites. Dragon kites for sale

Did you know that Indonesian money is called rupiah? I am saving up to buy a dragon kite so I can fly it with my friends from school.

(This text is adapted from Snapshots of Asia: Indonesia, 1998 p 16 © Commonwealth of Australia)

Activity 4: Reflection

In this activity students will create a presentation to explain the similarities and differences between life in Indonesia and Australia.

Key inquiry question: What are the similarities and differences between life in Indonesia and Australia?

Presenting the evidence

  1. Explain to students that they are going to work in pairs and create a presentation about the similarities and differences between life in Indonesia and Australia. They will use the evidence they have collected in the previous activities and conduct research in their library and on the internet prior to creating their work.
  2. Ask them to find a partner and then brainstorm with the class four areas their presentation will focus on. Explain that they have looked at some elements of daily life, in particular, housing and shopping for everyday items. Discuss what else they could include; for example, a typical school day, occupations, transport and recreation.
  3. Describe how students could present their work. It could be a poster of images, a booklet or an ‪‪‬‬online presentation.
  4. Once they have chosen their presentation format, discuss how they will take notes and structure the information. Write down some key words to help them search for the information. Ask them to use the following steps:
    • Choose a title that describes the focus of the presentation.
    • Conduct the research with teacher and library staff assistance.
    • Plan each of the segments or paragraphs of information and choose subtitles that will tell others what each segment is about.
    • Decide where images will be needed to illustrate the text and how they will capture the audience’s interest.
    • Think about what will be in the introduction and what will be in the conclusion.
    • Create the presentation, showing respect for another country's people and culture.
  5. Each pair should present their information to the rest of the class and allow time for questions.

Reflection

Students will reflect on what they have learned, create a cluster diagram about life in Indonesia and compare it to the mind map they created at the beginning of the learning sequence.

  1. Ask students to reflect on what they learned.
  2. Explain that they will be developing a large class cluster diagram that summarises what they learned about life in Indonesia.
  3. Their diagram should have a central circle that identifies the main topic.
  4. Lines connect to circles that name the themes explored in the presentations.
  5. Students add words and phrases that relate to each theme.

Once this is completed it should be displayed next to the mind map they created at
the beginning of the learning sequence. Ask students to share one piece of information they have learned and found interesting.

This learning sequence is designed to introduce students to life in Indonesia through the eyes of a young boy called Devon.

Activity 1: Introducing Devon and his family

Prior to beginning this activity, create a classroom display about Indonesia. This may be coordinated with your library staff.

Start the learning sequence by exploring what students know about Indonesia. ‪‪‪Go Indonesia is a useful interactive website that can assist you with this activity. 

Explore the range of family structures and read about Devon and his family while showing the accompanying images. It is important to emphasise to students that there are many family structures and lifestyles in urban and rural Indonesia. This is just one example. You should also discuss with students the need to be respectful when learning about other cultures.

Finish the activity by asking students to compare Devon's family structure with their own.

Activity 2: Houses and buildings in Indonesia

Students will investigate two themes associated with life in Indonesia: houses and buildings. It is important to emphasise the diversity within these themes.

Explore the range of housing and building structures in Australia and then read about housing in Indonesia while showing the accompanying images. Finish by asking students to create a Venn diagram to compare housing in Indonesia and Australia.

Activity 3: Going shopping

Students investigate shopping in Indonesia by comparing Indonesian and Australian shops and shopping centres. They discuss the shapes of the buildings, where they are located, what building materials are used and whether climate may affect their design.

Students create a Venn diagram to illustrate the similarities and differences.

Activity 4: Reflection

Students research other themes associated with life in Indonesia. This activity can be conducted in the classroom if students have access to computers, or in the school library.

A range of presentation styles has been suggested as well as a guide for constructing the presentation.

Complete the learning sequence by asking students to create a cluster diagram reflecting the themes used in the presentations. This provides an opportunity for them to focus on what they have learned in this module.



It is recommended that teachers preview websites to ensure they are suitable for their students before they are used in class. Content accessed via these links is not owned or controlled by Asia Education Foundation and is subject to the terms of use of the associated website. 

The full resource can not be displayed on a mobile device.

back to top