The Humanities - Geography

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 4 standards in Geography, they investigate some of the significant natural processes that operate across Australia (for example, rainfall, drought, flood, earthquake, cyclones and bushfire), and how people react to them, including their preparation for, and management of, natural disasters.

Students explore how humans have affected the Australian environment. Examples could include: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’ care of the land; clearance by farmers and subsequent problems of land degradation and salinity; and protection of the natural environment through the creation of nature parks, national parks and marine parks. Using an inquiry-based approach, students explore environmental issues and consider possible solutions to current and future challenges. Students learn about environmentally sensitive areas such as local remnant vegetation, rivers, alpine Victoria, GippslandLakes and national parks and explore ways of protecting these unique environments in a sustainable way for future generations.

Students develop mapping skills and use conventional geographic language, including scale, compass points for direction, alphanumeric grid references and legends, to locate places. They learn about and interpret their location relative to other places. They begin to identify features on maps, satellite images, and oblique photographs and use maps at different scales to locate places, find their way around, and plan trips to visit specific places. To enhance the electronic presentations they develop, students search for and annotate relevant images from the Internet.

Students participate in fieldwork using simple techniques; for example, collecting and recording data on how the human and physical characteristics of a selected site are changing or have changed. They explore effective ways to care for local places, and are provided with opportunities to initiate and participate in an action on an environmental issue of personal or group concern; for example, pollution of a local waterway.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 5.

Standards

Geographical knowledge and understanding

At Level 4, students identify and describe Australia’s significant natural processes. They describe the reaction of people to these processes including the management of natural disasters. They compare the various ways humans have used and affected the Australian environment. Students recommend ways of protecting environmentally sensitive areas in a sustainable way. They provide examples and evidence based on their inquiries. They use geographic language to identify and describe the human and physical characteristics of local and global environments depicted by different kinds of maps, diagrams, photographs and satellite images.

Geospatial skills

At Level 4, students use atlases, street directories and town plan maps to accurately describe the distance, direction and location of places. They identify features from maps, satellite images, and oblique photographs. They draw sketch maps of their neighbourhood using simple mapping conventions such as title, scale, north point and legend. They research, collect, record and describe data obtained through field study surveys and measurements to form conclusions about the use of resources.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 5 standards in Geography, they use a variety of geographic tools and skills, together with an inquiry-based approach, to investigate the characteristics of the regions of Australia and those surrounding it: Asia, the Pacific and Antarctica. They explore how and why, over time, human and physical interactions produce changes to the characteristics of regions, for example, settlement patterns and agricultural and urban land use.

Students extend their knowledge and understanding of physical phenomena, including natural hazards, and of the physical processes that produce them. They identify patterns of distribution and occurrence of major physical features and their interrelationship with human activities such as farming, fishing, manufacturing and settlement. Students become aware of contrasts within the regions of Australia and those surrounding it from their investigation of a number of smaller regions such as South-East Asia, the South Pacific nations and Papua New Guinea. They develop an appreciation of differences in the culture, living conditions and outlooks of people, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in these areas.

Students investigate environmental issues such as forest use and global warming. They begin to design policies, and evaluate existing policies, for managing the impact of these issues and ensuring the sustainability of resources.

Students apply their knowledge and understanding of scale, grid references, legend and direction to use large-scale maps (such as topographic maps), as sources of spatial information, as well as other spatial representations (such as those found in atlases and geographic information systems). Students research and analyse photographs, maps, satellite images and text from electronic media and add these to their presentations.

Observing basic mapping conventions, students learn to draw overlay theme maps. They recognise that parts of the Earth’s surface can be represented in various ways, at different scales, and from different perspectives on a range of maps, photographs and satellite images. They are provided with opportunities to collect and process data and present a summary of results using a range of techniques such as sketch maps, graphs and electronic media (such as geographic information systems and spreadsheets).

Students undertake fieldwork to investigate the characteristics of a selected local region and the physical processes and human activities that form and transform it. Students are encouraged to participate in activities to contribute to the sustainable management of local places.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 7.

Standards

Geographic knowledge and understanding

At Level 5, students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of the regions of Australia and those surrounding it: Asia, the Pacific and Antarctica. They explain, using examples, how the interaction of physical processes and human activities create variations within the regions. They use evidence and appropriate geographical language to explain contrasts within smaller regions surrounding Australia. Students describe differences in culture, living conditions and outlook, including attitudes to environmental issues, in these regions. They demonstrate understanding of environmental issues based on inquiry and propose ways of ensuring the sustainability of resources.

Geospatial skills

At Level 5, students collect geographical information from electronic and print media, including satellite images and atlas maps and analyse, evaluate and present it using a range of forms. They construct overlay theme maps using map conventions of scale, legend, title, and north point. They identify and gather geographical information from fieldwork and organise, process and communicate it using a range of written, oral, visual and graphic forms.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 6 standards in Geography, they develop knowledge about the operation of one of the major natural systems that are part of the biosphere and atmosphere; for example, the hydrologic cycle, plate tectonics or the weather. Students investigate the interaction of human activities with the natural environment through a study of issues such as global warming and climate change, land degradation and desertification, and air and water pollution. Students develop skills to evaluate the factors contributing to the development of these issues, identify strategies to address them and explore ways of managing them.

Students investigate the characteristics of development that occur across the globe. They use an inquiry-based approach to explore how combinations of various physical and human factors interact to produce observable and sometimes predictable patterns at local, regional and global scales. Students examine global patterns of development, considering classifications used by United Nation agencies, Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and other organisations, and evaluating the relevance of such classifications at global, national, regional and local scales.

Students research at least two development topics and the impact of globalisation in creating and reducing differences in development levels, for example, through technology transfers, resource use, and indebtedness. Examples of development topics include: poverty; the links between food, hunger and technology; and the social and economic consequences of development in creating rapidly growing cities, mega cities, informal settlements and rural depopulation.

Students investigate and learn to evaluate the impact and/or effectiveness of development-related projects, policies and strategies (such as large-scale water projects, tourism, the use of foreign aid, social reform and population control) on physical and human landscapes, locally, nationally and globally. They apply their knowledge and understanding to provide explanations and justify recommendations about local, national and global situations related to development, and their impact on living standards. They reflect on plans of action and past actions, considering the value positions underlying them, including a commitment to the principles of sustainability.

Students undertake field investigations in the local area to gather, collate, analyse and evaluate data relating to the natural environment. They collect evidence from the fieldwork site to explain and predict the effects of natural processes and human activities on the environment, including consideration of the ways people respond to change. Students develop a policy for the management of a local issue, including consideration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Students apply geographical techniques, including representation of multi-variable data and complex mapping operations, to interpret environmental change and research, discriminate, evaluate and present arguments using electronic and other formats.

Standards

Geographic knowledge and understanding

At Level 6, students explain the operation of a major natural system and its interaction with human activities. They evaluate the consequences of the interaction and develop a policy to address an issue related to it. Students describe global patterns of development from a range of perspectives and identify and describe the factors that determine these patterns. They analyse development issues and formulate and evaluate comprehensive policies, including those for sustainable use and management of resources, to alter development patterns at a range of scales. They use evidence based on their inquiries and geographical language and concepts.

Geospatial skills

At Level 6, students accurately interpret information on different types of maps and photographs at a range of scales, and use map evidence to support explanations, draw inferences and predict associated outcomes. They collect and collate information gathered from fieldwork observations and present their findings observing geographical presentation conventions.