Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students will create and label a map of the state of Tasmania. They will conduct online research to find out about and mark key natural features on the map. Students will observe the distribution of natural features, including water resources, and discuss the ways in which they connect places and people.

Activity developed in partnership with   tasmania_hydro_200x84_300pxl

Hydro Tasmania has been at the forefront of clean energy innovation for one hundred years. It is Australia’s largest producer of clean energy – generating hydro and wind power – and the largest water manager. Hydro Tasmania has 55 major dams, operates 30 hydropower stations and has built some of Australia’s largest wind farms.

Hydro Tasmania also sells energy in the National Electricity Market through its retail business Momentum Energy, and sells its expertise internationally through its consulting business Entura. Visit the Hydro Tasmania website to learn how the business is working towards Australia’s clean energy future.

Learning goals:

  • Students learn to work with maps, consulting existing maps to draw and adapt their own.
  • Students identify the distribution of natural features, including water reserves, in Tasmania.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability, Ethical understanding.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.8.

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

Year 7 Science

  • Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment (ACSSU222)
  • Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116)

Year 7 Geography

  • The classification of environmental resources and the forms that water takes as a resource (ACHGK037)
  • The ways that flows of water connect places as it moves through the environment and the way this affects places (ACHGK038)

Year 8 Science

  • Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management (ACSHE136)

Year 8 Geography

  • The different types of landscapes and their distinctive landform features (ACHGK048)
  • Apply geographical concepts to draw conclusions based on the analysis of the data and information collected (ACHGS060)

Syllabus Outcomes: GE4-1, GE4-2, GE4-3, GE4-4, GE4-5, GE4-7, GE4-8. 

Topic: Hydro Tasmania, Energy.

Time required: 60 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee activity and facilitate discussion.

Resources required: Lead and coloured pencils, erasers, thin to medium black pens or markers, one sheet of A3 paper for each student, access to online map resources or atlases to be shared among students, Student Worksheet – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet

Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities and internet searching.

Homework and extension opportunities: Includes opportunities for homework and extension.

Keywords: Tasmania, rivers, mapping.

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

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

rainforest1-biodiversity-heroTeacher Preparation

Overarching learning goal: By participating in this activity students learn to work with maps, consulting existing maps to draw and adapt their own. They will also identify the distribution of natural features, including water reserves, in Tasmania.

Teacher background information: Energy is the lifeblood of our modern life. It gives us light and keeps our food fresh. It powers our industry, fuels our cars, and charges our iPhones. Our energy is produced by burning fossil fuels and this has a range of environmental, social and economic impacts. One of the most significant is the emission of greenhouse gases. A solution is the transition to clean energy sources. The brilliant thing is that we have huge amounts of free, renewable and clean supplies of natural energies. These include sunlight, wind, running water, oceans and underground hot rocks.

According to the Clean Energy Australia Report 2013:

  • 14.76% of Australia's electricity came from renewable sources in
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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: Tasmania's lowest recorded minimum temperature was -13.0 °C on 30 June 1983, at Butlers Gorge, Shannon, and Tarraleah.

Step 1. Find a map of Tasmania on an atlas or online.

Step 2. On an A3 sized sheet, hand draw your own map. Draft it in pencil, then trace over the outline in black ink (felt-tipped pen works best).

Step 3. Referring to the original map, use small circles to mark in the positions of the following eight places. Write the name of each place in small capital letters above each circle.

Hobart

Launceston

Burnie

Devonport

Queenstown

Swansea

St Helens

Stanley

Step 4. Use a number of online or atlas sources to locate the following features, then colour them according to the key provided.

Ocean

Dark blue

Lakes and rivers

Light blue

Forests

Dark green

Grazing land

Light green

Alpine regions

Light grey

Mining regions

Brow

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