Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this geography lesson students consider both the impacts of bushfires and strategies for responding to them. Students use clips from ‘A Fire Inside’ to deepen their understanding of the ways bushfires affect communities and the environment. Through the case study of the RFS, students consider existing strategies of prevention, mitigation and preparedness. They then work together to consider other approaches to bushfire response.
Learning intentions:
- Students can identify multiple impacts of bushfires
- Students can predict the follow on consequences beyond the immediate impacts of bushfires
- Students can analyse an existing response to bushfires
- Students can suggest their own responses to bushfires.
21st-century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Years 7 Geography:
- Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS054).
Years 8 Geography:
- Causes, impacts and responses to a geomorphological hazard (ACHGK053)
- Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS062).
Year 9 Geography:
- Reflect on and evaluate findings of an inquiry to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic, political and social considerations; and explain the predicted outcomes and consequences of their proposal (ACHGS071).
Year 10 Geography:
- Human-induced environmental changes that challenge sustainability (ACHGK070)
- Reflect on and evaluate findings of an inquiry to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic, political and social considerations; and explain the predicted outcomes and consequences of their proposal (ACHGS080).
Syllabus outcomes: GE4-2,GE4-3,GE4-8
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Literacy, Personal and Social Capability.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 achievement standards: By the end of Year 8, students can explain interconnections within environments and between people and places and explain how they change places and environments. They compare alternative strategies to a geographical challenge, taking into account environmental, economic and social factors.
Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 achievement standards: They present findings, arguments and explanations using relevant geographical terminology and digital representations in a range of appropriate communication forms. Students propose action in response to a geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social factors, and predict the outcomes and consequences of their proposal.
Topic: Impacts of bushfires
This lesson is part of the wider unit of work A Fire Inside: Feature Documentary Years 7 to 10.
Time required: 110 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion
Resources required:
- A device capable of presenting a video to the class.
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student.
Keywords: Bushfires, land management, geography, firefighters, Rural Fire Service (New South Wales, Australia), documentary, film, sustainability, pollution, health, biodiversity.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
