Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Introduction to retrofitting

15 minutes

Find Out: The science behind retrofitting

30 minutes

Take Action: Retrofit Improvement Plan

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand how energy-efficient design reduces heat stress and supports well-being
connect energy science (heat transfer, efficiency) to real-world community needs
explore ethical and cultural considerations in the design of sustainable housing.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain how retrofit features improve comfort and reduce energy use
use scientific language to justify a retrofit design
communicate a clear improvement plan considering cultural and social needs.

Tune In: Introduction to retrofitting

Step 1

Write the term ‘retrofit’ on the board and invite students to share what they think it means.

Suggest the following definition:

Retrofitting means adding new features to an existing building, system, or piece of equipment to improve it.

Step 2

Using Google Maps, locate a community within the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

Once located, explain to students that the hot, dry desert environment of the remote APY Lands makes it difficult to keep homes cool and energy-efficient. With climate change likely to bring even hotter summers and more extreme weather by the middle of this century, it is becoming harder for First Nations people to live comfortably and safely on their traditional lands. In response, there is a push to retrofit housing so residents can continue to live in this region. This includes wider verandahs, shading, insulation, cool roofs, ventilation and efficient appliances.

Share the following video with the class

Houses in Aboriginal town camps need climate proofing and energy solutions | The Drum | ABC News – (youtube.com/watch?v=xCqDunA5AJI)

Learning opportunity: This document (online.fliphtml5.com/jczqfe/fmyv/#p=4) provides further information you could explore with students.

Step 3

Ask students:

How does extreme heat affect daily life in remote communities?
How might retrofitting houses to be more energy efficient affect daily life during extreme heat?
How does energy efficiency connect to health, safety and cultural practices?

Find Out: The science behind retrofitting

Step 1

Distribute a copy of The Science Behind Retrofitting Worksheet to pairs of students. Read the background text together, then work through the first two examples as a class before students complete the remaining sections independently.

As a class, discuss student responses.

Step 2

Ask each pair of students to team up with another pair to consider the First Nations communities explored earlier and to discuss retrofitting in the context of:

the community benefits of retrofitting
the cultural considerations of retrofitting (For example, how might retrofitting relate to gathering spaces or connection to Country? Is retrofitting only suitable for houses?).

Step 3

Ask students to predict the difference in temperature between a non-retrofitted house and a retrofitted house on a 40-degree day. Record student guesses on the whiteboard.

You could begin by asking students to guess how much cooler than 40 degrees a retrofitted house would be, and whether a non-retrofitted house would get hotter than 40 degrees, and if so, by how much. Then you can calculate the difference between the two guesses.

Display the Visual Explainer, go through the slides with students and engage them in a discussion around the following questions:

How does temperature change?
What health risks decrease with retrofitting?
How does reliable cooling support cultural practices, learning and rest?
How does safe and comfortable housing support communities to stay on Country?

Take Action: Retrofit improvement plan

Step 1

Students will now work in pairs or small groups to design a retrofit improvement plan for a school building. The first stage is to select a building at your school that is always too hot or too cold, and ask students to focus on it for their plan.

Conduct a site assessment of this building by walking around, looking for features like:

ventilation
shading
vegetation
cool roofs or other surfaces.

Ask each group to create a rough sketch of the building, including its existing features. They will be referring to this sketch in the next activity.

Step 2

Give each group a copy of the Student Worksheet. Explain that they will now work in their groups to develop their retrofit improvement plans. This requires them to create a technical drawing with annotations that show how they would retrofit the building they assessed in the previous activity. Their designs must include (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Drawings with clear labels.
Annotations that include:
- Scientific justifications for how each retrofitting feature saves energy.
- Any social and cultural benefits of their design.
- Any cost considerations (refer to energy savings and installation costs - accurate figures are not required, but these costs must be alluded to).

Students can publish their plan as a one-page poster or a digital pitch, emphasising that this retrofit improvement plan will “improve our learning environment”.

Step 3

Each group can team up with another group to share their designs. Groups can assess the work of the other group based on the following and provide a score from 1 to 5 for each point (where 1 = no information included, and 5 = excellent):

The use of science to justify designs.
Consideration of social and cultural needs in their designs.
Inclusion of energy and financial savings.

Learning opportunity: Consider giving students an opportunity to share their designs with senior management at your school.

Reflection

Engage students in a class discussion around the following question:

Why should all homes in hot climates have government-supported energy retrofits?

Exploring Retrofitting in Remote Communities

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson

Exploring Retrofitting in Remote Communities

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson