Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes	Part A: Regeneration terms
20 minutes	Part B: Watching “Regenerating Australia”
40 minutes	Part C: Exploring regeneration
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Regeneration terms

Step 1.

Invite students to form pairs (they will be completing several learning activities in these pairs throughout the lesson, so if you believe it to be of benefit, designate the pairs to ensure that they will support each other's learning). Distribute one term to each pair. Ask students to write down their terms and note down their ideas about what the term may mean on the paper.

Terms:

Regeneration
Environment
Community
Democracy
First Nations People
Agriculture
Energy
Climate Change
Greenhouse Gas
Carbon dioxide
Carbon Sequestration
Sustainability

If required and if time allows, invite students to perform a quick online search in order to find more information about the term and its meaning. Remind students of the Search-strategies-for-Googling when working online.

Step 2.

Re-form the class into a large group and invite pairs to share what they have discussed/discovered about the term with the rest of the class. Time permitting, ask the rest of the class if they have any further ideas about each of the terms. These can be added to the paper.

Use the following definitions to clarify the concepts:

Regeneration – Suggested definition: When things regenerate, they come back, growing anew. Regeneration means putting life and connection at the centre of every decision we make. It is about bringing vitality and renewed growth to our communities and our ecosystems. It is a process that achieves a sustained livelihood because sustainability is only achieved by a regenerative process.
Environment – Suggested definition: where people, animals, or plants live.
Community – Suggested definition: The people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a group because of their shared interests or background.
Democracy – Suggested definition: a system of government wherein people are elected to represent the interests of their fellow citizens.
First Nations People – Suggested definition: In Australia, the first peoples are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - they were here for thousands of years prior to colonisation. These groups of people are also sometimes referred to as Indigenous, first peoples, aboriginal peoples.
Agriculture is also known as farming – involves growing crops and raising animals, usually for human consumption.
Energy – Suggested definition: power created from resources such as wood, coal, gas, oil, wind, solar. Most commonly used to provide light, heat or to work machines.
Climate change – Suggested definition: 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.
Greenhouse gas – Suggested definition: A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect.
Carbon dioxide – Suggested definition: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is generally a minor, yet very important, component of the atmosphere. CO2 is released through natural processes like respiration and volcano eruptions, but also through human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third.
Carbon sequestration – Suggested definition: Carbon sequestration is a natural or artificial process where CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form, such as in forests, in the soil or in the sea.
Sustainability – Suggested definition: Sustainability is about making sure there are enough resources for our environment and for everyone on Earth, both now and in the future.

Part B: Watching Regenerating Australia

Step 1.

Ask students to position themselves so that they can see the screen, and explain that this documentary explores what Australia would look like by 2030 if we simply listened to the needs of its people. Regenerating Australia is a 17-minute short film based on a four-month interview process with a diverse group of Australians who shared their hopes and dreams for the country's future. Emphasise that while the film is not ‘real’, the problems and people featured in it are real and the solutions identified could be reality!

Step 2.

Watch the film through without interruption at least once.

This is a good time to note any other terms from the film that students are unfamiliar with by writing them on a clean piece of paper and adding them to the terms already attached to the wall in the classroom. You may choose to repeat the activity from Part A of this lesson to support student understanding of the concepts explored in the film.

Step 3.

Invite students to reform their pairs and assign one image from the regeneration news clips and images document to each pair.

Step 4.

Ask students to complete the See/Think/Wonder visible thinking routine, using the screenshot in front of them as a prompt. Students can note down what they discussed in the space provided on the Student Worksheet. Invite students to share their thoughts with their partners.

Step 5.

It’s likely that students will require a second viewing of the film - you could do this now. Encourage students to make further notes about what they observe in the space provided on the Student Worksheet and if you have time, ask students to share their observations.

The film covers some specific topics - use this list to support you in your facilitation of the class discussion about the film:

community empowerment and action
indigenous knowledge
zero emissions transport
energy resilience
regenerative agriculture and food
carbon sequestration
circular economy and waste.

Part C: Exploring regeneration

Step 1.

Explore the concept of regeneration further by distributing the:

Regeneration factsheet

to each member of the class. Read through it, asking students to follow along, circling words or phrases that they aren’t sure about. Remind them about the terms and definitions that are hanging on the wall from Part A of the lesson.

Once you've finished reading the regeneration factsheet with the class, invite students to share what they remain unsure about - and other members of the class to share their understanding. There may be some concepts that require your input in order for students to understand them.

Step 2.

Ask students to summarise what they think REGENERATION is in their own words. There is space for them to do so on the Student Worksheet.

Step 3.

Support students to explore their new understanding of regeneration through a Gallery walk activity. Print these questions about regeneration: Gallery Walk Posters then hang or place them in various places around the classroom to create six stations.

What can be regenerated? Provide examples!
Who can be involved in regeneration?
Why would people want to regenerate things/places?
When should we start regenerating?
Where can regeneration happen?
How might you (your class/your community) become involved in regeneration?

Divide students into six equally-numbered groups, and guide each group to begin at a different station.

Step 4.

Once they’re at their first station, ask groups to read what is posted and one recorder should write the group’s responses, thoughts, and comments on the paper.

After three to five minutes, invite groups to move to the next station. Students read and discuss the previous group’s response and add content of their own. Repeat until all groups have visited each station. To involve all group members, you could have groups switch recorders at each station.

Ensure that you take the time to move around to each of the stations while the students participate. This will allow you to assess learning, as well as clarify or provide hints if students don't understand or misinterpret what is posted at their station.

Step 5.

Next, ask students to go back to their first station to read all that was added to their first response. Bring the class back together to discuss what was learned and make final conclusions about what they saw and discussed.

Step 6.

Take some time to return to the unfamiliar terms identified by students in Part B of this lesson and ask students if they have seen or heard anything throughout the lesson that has helped them to better understand the term. Add student contributions to the paper. If appropriate, task students with finding the meaning of any remaining unfamiliar terms, and return to them at a later date.

Reflection

Invite students to return to their summary of REGENERATION, and to make any adjustments based on the development of their understanding. Invite students to volunteer to share any changes they made to their summary.

Encourage students to return to the ‘Wonder’ column of the visible thinking routine they competed in Part B of the lesson to see if their wonderment was addressed at any stage throughout the lesson. Ask students to share the development of their understanding.

Differentiated learning

Extension

During the reflection activity, engage students in a meta-thinking exercise: invite them to explain what they think caused the change and/or development in their understanding of the concept of REGENERATION.

Provisions for learning support

Ensure that students are paired and/or grouped in a way that supports them to complete learning tasks.

In Part A of the lesson, you could demonstrate how to conduct an effective online search before students begin the task.

In Part B of the lesson, when viewing the film for the second time, you could pause the film at intervals and share what you are wondering about. This will provide a model for students to ask their own questions about the content of the film.

In Part C of the lesson, ensure that you take the time to move around to each of the stations while the students participate. This will allow you to assess learning, as well as clarify or provide hints if students don't understand or misinterpret what is posted at their station.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

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

Regenerating Australia - Watching The Film (Years 5 & 6)

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