Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune in: Activating Prior Knowledge

20 minutes

Find out: Interpreting Data

20 minutes

Take action: Rapid Change Pamphlet

10 minutes

Reflection

Please make sure to read the About Cool Burning Factsheet.

Tune In: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by creating a table on the board with two columns. Label one column as 'climate change' and the other as 'cool burning'.

Invite students to stand around the board and to add thoughts or ideas they have about these two terms to the relevant columns of the table.

You can then use the following information to clarify student understanding:

Climate change: Climate change is a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer. An increase of greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere due to human activity is warming the globe and causing changes to our climate. The impacts of climate change may include increased frequency and intensity of storm events, bushfires, droughts and heatwaves. We can also expect changes to ecosystems, rainfall patterns, agricultural output, sea levels and global temperatures.
Cool burning: Cool burns are a land management technique. Started soon after the wet season, before the grass completely dries out, cool burns do not damage plants, seeds or animals to any significant extent. During a cool burn, the grasses on the ground burn slowly, allowing most of the small animals to escape. Seedlings, green grass, tree trunks and fallen logs are not burnt or damaged. The rising heat from the burning grass usually won’t singe the eucalyptus leaves above. Overnight, the cool moisture in the air will put out any remaining fires before the morning. The practice of cool burning has been used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for many thousands of years. However, in recent years, scientists from around the world have become more and more interested in these practices as one way of managing devastating bushfires.

Find Out: Interpreting Data

Step 1. Watch:

Restoring Country with cool burns - (https://vimeo.com/79474009

How to conduct a cool burn - (http://vimeo.com/79469831)

Step 2. Read:

Factsheet - The Benefits Of Cool Burning
Factsheet - How Do Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Peoples Use Fire To Manage Country?

Step 3.

Once the ten minutes are up, ask students to create a set of questions about what they saw and read in the toolboxes. They can use the following question starters to prompt them (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How would it be different if…?
Suppose that…?
What are the reasons…?
What if…?
What if we knew…?
What is the purpose of…?
What would change if…?
Why…?

Step 4.

Once students have completed their questions, ask them to select one question that they would like to have answered.

Students should write this question on a piece of paper and hand it to the teacher. The teacher should then redistribute these questions among the class to be answered. Each student will have a different question than their own.

Ask each student to investigate the answer to the question they were given. They can start by using the sources of information in the reference list below (also available on the Student Worksheet). When conducting their own independent research, remind students of the Online Search Strategies.

In addition to the factsheets used earlier students can use:

Climate Change Factsheet
Factsheet - The Link Between Climate Change And Fire
The Conversation
NAILSMA
Kimberley Land Council
NAILSMA - What is carbon farming?
Carbon Farmers of Australia - What is carbon farming?

Take Action: Rapid Change Pamphlet

Step 1.

Independently or in pairs, students answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What evidence is there for human-induced climate change?
What is climate change mitigation?
What is the relationship between cool burning and climate change mitigation?
How do savanna cool burn projects generate carbon credits?
Is it economical for land-holders in the tropical savanna to do the work to obtain carbon credits?
What other benefits of cool burning practices can you identify?

Reflection

Students should work independently to respond to the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Think back to the question you chose to be answered that one of your classmates answered:
- What was the original question?
- What is the answer to this question?
- What is still unclear for you about this topic? What would you like to know more about?
In addition, think about what you looked at in this lesson and complete the following:
- I used to think...
- But now I think...

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

• What did you learn about your teaching?
• What worked well?
• What didn't work well?
• What would you share?
• Where to next?
• How are you going to get there?

Climate Change and Cool Burning

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