# Early Stage 1 HSIE Resources: Kindergarten History and Geography Units > Kindergarten HSIE units for NSW Early Stage 1: lesson slides, worksheets and planning for Country and place, daily life and transport past and present. ## Kindergarten HSIE Units, Ready to Teach HSIE in Kindergarten (Early Stage 1) covers two big ideas: how people are connected to places, and how people lived in the past. The NSW Department of Education's sample units teach it as one unit a term. The packs below are written by Australian teachers, most of them for the NSW syllabus. Most include teaching slides, matching worksheets and planning documents, so you can open a lesson and teach it. Start with the unit you are teaching this term, then use the guide underneath to check what a complete unit pack should include. ## Early Stage 1 HSIE Unit Packs _(Dynamic listing feed — browse at the page URL for live results.)_ ## Which HSIE Syllabus Applies to Kindergarten in 2026? NSW is moving to a single [HSIE K–6 Syllabus (2024)](https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/hsie/hsie-k-6-2024/overview). NESA's timeline makes 2026 the year to plan and prepare, with teaching of the new syllabus from 2027. Schools can choose to start earlier. That means a Kindergarten class in 2026 might be following either syllabus: - **The current syllabuses.** Geography K–10 (2015) and History K–10 (2012). Early Stage 1 Geography is the *People Live in Places* topic and Early Stage 1 History is *Personal and Family Histories*. NESA says these syllabuses will not be available after December 2028. - **The HSIE K–6 Syllabus (2024).** Early Stage 1 has two focus areas: *People are connected to places* and *People have lived in the past*. Aboriginal Peoples' connections with Country, Culture and Community run through both. Most of the unit packs on this page are written for the 2024 syllabus, because that is what schools are planning for now. Each listing says which syllabus it targets, so check before you buy. If your school is still on the current syllabuses, the guides to [People Live in Places](/teacher-guides/early-stage-1-geography-people-live-in-places) and [Personal and Family Histories](/teacher-guides/early-stage-1-history-personal-and-family-histories) cover those topics in detail. ## Terms 1 and 2: People Are Connected to Places The NSW Department of Education has released four [Early Stage 1 sample units](https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/hsie/hsie-curriculum-resources-k-12/hsie-k-6-curriculum-resources/hsie-es1-units) for the 2024 syllabus, one per term. The NSW unit packs sold here use the same unit numbers, so you can match a pack to your term. The carousels also include some Australian Curriculum Foundation HASS packs, which suit the same topics. ### Unit 1 (Term 1): Country and local places Unit 1 starts with the Aboriginal Country your school stands on and its Traditional Custodians. Students hear Dreaming Stories, look at the natural and human features of their school and local area, and begin simple mapping. You can buy it as a full 16-lesson bundle or as smaller lesson packs (Lessons 1–3, 4–6 and so on) if you only need part of the term. ### Unit 2 (Term 2): Special places and caring for them Unit 2 looks at the special connections people have with places and groups, the words Aboriginal Peoples use to describe Country, and how people care for places. Students also collect and show simple data, such as a class tally of favourite places. One of the most popular Kindergarten HSIE packs on TeachBuySell is a Unit 2 resource with 268 slides, worksheets and a planning pack. ## Kindergarten Geography: Country and Place Units _(Dynamic listing feed — browse at the page URL for live results.)_ ## Terms 3 and 4: People Have Lived in the Past The second half of the year shifts to History. In the 2024 syllabus, Kindergarten students identify information about daily life and transport in the past, using stories, images and objects. ### Unit 3 (Term 3): My past and daily life then and now Unit 3 has students recount memorable events, put personal events and objects in order, learn from Cultural objects, and compare daily life now with the past. Complete Unit 3 packs are still scarce on TeachBuySell. In the meantime you can build it from then-and-now sorting activities and family history resources, which appear in the carousel below. You can also [search Kindergarten past and present resources](/s?keywords=past%20and%20present&pub_yearLevels=has_any%3Afoundation&pub_subjects=has_any%3AhumanitiesAndSocialSciences). ### Unit 4 (Term 4): Transport past and present Unit 4 looks at how transport has changed over time, using time words (before, after, long ago, now) and describing words. It includes the traditional use of bark and dugout canoes by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Two Unit 4 resources are available: a full unit with lessons and worksheets, and a lesson slides pack on transport then and now. ## Kindergarten History: Past and Present Resources _(Dynamic listing feed — browse at the page URL for live results.)_ ## What a Complete Kindergarten HSIE Unit Pack Includes A good unit pack saves you the whole term's planning, not just one lesson. Before you buy, check the listing for: - **Teaching slides for every lesson.** Kindergarten HSIE is mostly talk, pictures and stories, so the slides carry the lesson. Look for clear images of places, objects and transport rather than slides of text. - **Worksheets that match the slides.** Simple drawing, cutting, sorting and labelling tasks that students can do with little reading. - **Planning documents.** A scope and sequence or unit overview, with syllabus outcomes listed, so the unit fits your school's program. - **Assessment points.** An activity or checklist that shows what each student can do by the end of the unit. - **Which syllabus it targets.** The 2024 HSIE K–6 syllabus or the current Geography and History syllabuses (see above). - **Lesson count and format.** A 10 to 16 lesson unit covers roughly a term of weekly HSIE lessons. Check whether the files are PowerPoint, Google Slides or PDF, and whether they are editable. Bundles usually cost less than buying the same lessons one pack at a time. Smaller lesson packs suit you if you only need to fill a gap. ### Teaching it well with five-year-olds Keep lessons short, oral and hands-on. Walk the school grounds before you map them, bring in real objects for then-and-now comparisons, and use picture books to start discussions. Build in a daily Acknowledgement of Country so that Country is part of the routine, not a one-off lesson. For First Nations content across the year, see the [NAIDOC Week activities guide](/teacher-guides/naidoc-week-activities). ### Where to next - Starting a new Kindergarten class? See [Kindergarten orientation day in NSW](/teacher-guides/kindergarten-orientation-day-nsw). - Want fully scripted lessons across every stage? Browse [NSW HSIE explicit lesson plans](/teacher-guides/nsw-hsie-explicit-lesson-plans). - Teaching Year 1 or Year 2 next year? The [Stage 1 HSIE resources hub](/teacher-guides/hsie-resources-stage-1) picks up where Kindergarten leaves off. ## Frequently Asked Questions About Early Stage 1 HSIE ### What is Early Stage 1 HSIE? Early Stage 1 is the NSW name for Kindergarten, the first year of school. HSIE (Human Society and Its Environment) is the learning area that covers History and Geography. In Kindergarten it focuses on how people are connected to places and how people lived in the past, with Aboriginal connections to Country throughout. ### Is the new HSIE K–6 syllabus mandatory in 2026? No. NESA has set 2026 as a planning and preparation year, with teaching of the HSIE K–6 Syllabus (2024) from 2027. Schools can choose to start earlier. Until a school moves across, Kindergarten follows the Geography K–10 (2015) and History K–10 (2012) syllabuses. ### What are the Early Stage 1 HSIE focus areas in the 2024 syllabus? There are two: People are connected to places, and People have lived in the past. The NSW Department of Education sample units teach them across the year, with Units 1 and 2 broadly on places and Country, Unit 3 on personal and daily life in the past, and Unit 4 on transport past and present. ### What should a Kindergarten HSIE unit pack include? Teaching slides for each lesson, worksheets that match the slides, a unit overview or scope and sequence with outcomes, and some form of assessment. Check how many lessons are included, which syllabus it targets, and whether the files are editable. ### Can I use these units outside NSW? Yes, with some adjustment. Kindergarten is the first year of school, called Foundation in the Australian Curriculum, and Foundation HASS covers similar ideas: personal and family histories and the places people live in and belong to. Check the outcomes listed in the pack against your own curriculum. ### Are there free Kindergarten HSIE resources? Free Kindergarten HSIE units are scarce on TeachBuySell at the moment. NSW public school staff can access the Department of Education sample units through the [Early Stage 1 HSIE units page](https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/hsie/hsie-curriculum-resources-k-12/hsie-k-6-curriculum-resources/hsie-es1-units). --- Source: https://teachbuysell.com.au/teacher-guides/hsie-resources-early-stage-1 Marketplace: https://teachbuysell.com.au