Australia fact file
Research Australia: where it is, what it is known for, three interesting facts, and a drawing.
Browse all fact file country
Australia reading map
Explore Australia through English readings set in cities and other places across the country. The collection includes practical instructions, fiction, biography, and informational writing.
10 readings
Australia reading map
Find Australia readings in several text forms, from city transportation instructions and a fictional classroom diary to a biography of Edith Cowan. Compare their purposes and use details from each text to tell a person-focused reading from a place-focused one.
Riding the City Circle TramLower Elementary · Instructions • Functional TextsAustralia
Classroom in the Red DirtUpper Elementary · Diary Entry • FictionAustralia
Guardians of the Reef: Biodiversity and Change in the Great Barrier ReefUpper Elementary · Report • InformationalAustralia
The Heartbeat of Melbourne: Australian Rules FootballUpper Elementary · InformationalAustralia
Edith Cowan: A Voice for the VoicelessMiddle School · BiographyAustralia
Saving the Wongari: Why K'gari Needs Stricter Tourist RegulationsMiddle School · Opinion Piece • Opinion / ArgumentativeAustralia
Springtime Wonders in AustraliaMiddle School · InformationalAustralia
Sydney: The Harbour City’s Landscapes, Climate, and CultureMiddle School · InformationalAustralia
The Heart of the Red Centre: Geology and Sacred Lore of UluruMiddle School · Explanatory Article • InformationalAustralia
The Emerald City: Exploring the Splendor of SydneyGrade 7 · Report • InformationalAustraliaAustralia printables & worksheets
Use a fact file to collect details from an informational reading, then compare those details with a fictional diary or practical instructions.
Build a Australia workbook Pro
One PDF with the reading passages, puzzles and worksheets you pick — start from a grade level and adjust from there, with the answer keys at the back.
Australia KWL chart
Write what you already know about Australia, what you want to find out, and what you learned.
Browse all kwl chartAustralia story map
Plan a story set in Australia: characters, setting, problem, what happens first, next, and last, and how it ends.
Browse all story mapAustralia word web
Put Australia in the middle and collect words and ideas connected to it.
Browse all word webCompare two things from Australia
Use a Venn diagram to compare two places, landmarks, animals, traditions, or other features from Australia.
Browse all compare two things from australiaAustralia acrostic poem
Write an acrostic poem using the letters in the name Australia.
Browse all acrostic poemAustralia word game worksheets
Printable word puzzles built from Australia words — download as PDF, answer key included.
Easy word search
8×8 grid · 6 words across and down · answer key included
Medium word search
10×10 grid · 8 words with diagonals · answer key included
Tricky word search
12×12 grid · 10 words with backwards words · answer key included
No printer at hand? Play the Australia word search right here on screen — free.
About Australia
Australia is the only nation-state that governs an entire continent.
The Great Barrier Reef, located off Australia's northeastern coast, is the world's largest coral reef system.
Australia is home to unique endemic wildlife, including marsupials like kangaroos and koalas.
Australia readings: instructions, fiction, and biography
The Australia readings include practical directions for riding the City Circle Tram, a fictional classroom diary, and a biography of Edith Cowan. Ask readers to sort details by whether they describe a city, a person, or an imagined experience, then support the comparison with evidence from the texts.
Compare purpose and evidence
Riding the City Circle Tram is a Lower Elementary text with instructions. Ask what order the directions use and which details would help someone follow them. In Classroom in the Red Dirt, an Upper Elementary diary entry uses a fictional narrator. Readers can point out what a diary can show about a character’s day and what it cannot establish as a general fact about Australia.
Connect a person and a city
The Middle School biography Edith Cowan: A Voice for the Voiceless focuses on a real person. Have readers sort details into “person,” “place,” and “text purpose,” then support a comparison with evidence from the biography and the city transport instructions. A fact file or KWL chart can help organize questions and confirmed details. For a city-focused contrast, The Emerald City: Exploring the Splendor of Sydney is an informational report labeled for 7th grade. Compare how the report presents its subject with the diary’s fictional account. The country collection brings these different reading forms together. Explore Oceania for more place-based readings. For broader geography topics, browse the geography reading collection.
Australia reading map FAQ
What kinds of Australia readings are linked here?
The readings include tram instructions, a fictional diary, and a biography of Edith Cowan.
How can readers compare these readings?
Sort details by whether they describe a person, a city, or an imagined experience, then point to evidence in each text.
How is the classroom diary written?
“Classroom in the Red Dirt” is a fictional diary entry. Compare its narrator’s experience with details in the Edith Cowan biography or Sydney informational report.
Where can I find broader geography readings?
Browse the geography reading collection for broader geography topics.