Blue: Our Ocean is a Valuable Resource - Geography - Year 7

Activity Introduction

Quick Summary: This lesson incorporates clips from Blue The Film as learning inspiration. Students will understand how vast the world’s oceans are by exploring the big question: ‘How is the ocean a resource for life on our planet?’. Students investigate water through different classifications and comparisons before considering the importance of the role of the largest body of water on the planet – our oceans. They then consider how the ocean impacts their own lives.

Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of the industrialization of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change. Blue changes the way we think about our liquid world and inspires the audience to action. Find out how to screen or download the film here. Along with the film is an ambitious global campaign to create advocacy and behaviour change through the #oceanguardian movement. To become an ocean guardian, see the website.

Learning intention:

Students will be able to identify the role of the ocean as a valuable resource and be able to articulate how this affects their own lives.

21st century skills:

critical_creative_personal-social_global-citizenship_community, problem finding, global citizenship, personal and social skills(1)

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 7 Geography Unit 1 Water in the World:

Classification of environmental resources and the forms that water takes as a resource (ACHGK037)

Syllabus outcomes: GE4-3, GE4.

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Numeracy.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.1, OI.2.

Relevant parts of Year 7 Geography achievement standards: Students explain interconnections between people and places and environments and describe how these interconnections change places and environments. Students record and represent data and the location and distribution of geographical phenomena in a range of forms.

Topic: Blue The Film, Ocean Conservation, Water.

Unit of work: Blue The Film – Geography – Year 7.

Time required: 100 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – lead students in discussion and class activities, oversee group work.

Resources required: Student Worksheet – one copy per student. Device capable of presenting a website to the class. Two copies of the Water Flashcards for the lesson. Tape (optional).

Keywords: Blue The Film, ocean conservation.

Cool Australia and Northern Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of GoodPitch² Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and Screen Australia in the development of these teaching resources.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Learning intentions: Students will be able to identify the role of the ocean as a valuable resource and be able to articulate how this affects their own lives.

Success criteria: Students will...

Classify water resources into available and potential categories.
Identify the volume of the oceans compared to other forms of water resources.
Identify the importance of the ocean as a resource for the livability of the planet.
Reflect on how their lives are connected to the health of the oceans.

blue_learning-intentions-tip

Teacher content information: From space, our planet appears as a tiny blue dot in the vastness of space. No matter where you live on our blue planet – you’re connected to the sea.

But the seas are under threat. The industrialisation that has occurred in the oceans over the last century, mirrors the events that triggered mass extinctions on land. Industrial scale fishing, habitat destruction, species loss and pollution have placed the ocean in peril. The very nat

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: “The oceans are the lungs of the planet” - Lucas Handley

1. Watch the following clip from the film Blue.

What is the role of the ocean? (https://vimeo.com/211777687)

Note down the things that you 'See-Feel-Wonder' when you watch the video:

SEE	FEEL	WONDER

2. After watching the video and thinking about your class discussion, respond to the questions below:

a) Lucas is a free diver - from watching the clip, what do you think free diving is?

b) How have you used the ocean for a leisure activity?

3. After completing the group flashcard activity, answer the questions below.

a) A resource is any physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value. Natural materials become resources when humans value them. Do you think salt water is a resource?

b) What classification did you choose for salt water? Potential resource or available resource? Give your reasons.

4. Read the Ocean Facts below. Your challen

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Activity: Blue: Our Ocean is a Valuable Resource – Geography – Year 7