What are we doing?
During the first semester, students will being looking into the first unit of geography called, Water in the World. This unit looks at several aspect of the importance of water in our world including the forms that water take, the movement of water through our environment and the ways this affects places, Australia’s water resources compared to other continents, economic, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic values to people of the world. Importantly, during this term, students will be looking into the nature of water scarcity and the ways of overcoming it and the causes, impacts and responses to hydrological hazards, such as cyclones. These two content descriptors have been taken from the Australian curriculum and studied together as students will be able to make connections between the two content areas.
The following have been taken from the Australian curriculum for your viewing.
Content descriptor: The nature of water scarcity and ways of overcoming it, including studies drawn from Australia and West Asia and/or North Africa.
Content code: ACHGK040
Elaborations: Investigating the causes of water scarcity, for example, an absolute shortage of water (physical), inadequate development of water resources (economic), or the ways water is used sustainably.
Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of strategies to overcome water scarcity, for example, recycling (‘grey water’), stormwater harvesting and re-use, desalination, inter-regional transfer of water, transfer and trade in virtual water, and reducing water consumption.
Content Descriptor: The causes, impacts and responses to an atmospheric or hydrological hazard.
Content code: ACHGK042
Elaborations: Explaining the physical causes and the temporal and spatial patterns of an atmospheric or hydrological hazard through a study of either droughts, storms, tropical cyclones or floods.
Explaining the economic, environmental and social impacts of a selected atmospheric or hydrological hazard on people and places, and describing community responses to the hazard.
Inside the classroom.
By now you are probably wondering about the activities that will be happening within the classroom. The following are three activities that will help build the skills and concepts students will need to be successful in gegraphy and successful in the use of ICTs. I will also embed in each activity the link to a curriculum content, please use the code at the end of each activity to be taken to the Australian Curriculum website.
Activity One:
To showthe reliability and usefulness of resources, students will create there own online journal, a collection of information, data and facts on water scarity. This works in a number of ways to promote and increase students ability to build a collection of information and facts, as well as learning about the important of using reliable websites.
This collection of imformation will go towards students assignment marks as a 10% bonus and the information gathered, students will be able to use towards build there first assignment (ACHGS049).
Activity two:
This activity links with the first activity but will have more of an assignment based aspect to it. From the information gathered on water scarcity, students will use ICT to enhance the representation of data and facts by creating a graph or graphic using an available or approved program. Using this data students are to argue at least two proposed actions to ensure future water security in the form of a written arguement (ACHGS053).
Activity three:
Using the ability to construct graphs and graphic, students will anaylise and compare geographical data regarding spatial patterns of a natural hydrological hazard. The selected can be cyclones, tsunamis', drought or floods. After selecting a hydrological hazard, students will organise and write a geographical inquiry with a group of four students. Students will prepare an oral presentation and present information on a PowerPoint Slide presentation (ACHGS051).