Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes	Part A: Imagine an Australia resilient to hazards
30 minutes	Part B: What is the impact of natural disasters and hazards in Australia?
30+ minutes	Part C: Creating a resilient Australia
30+ minutes	Reflection

Part A: Imagine an Australia resilient to hazards

Step 1.

Explain to students that today they will be bringing together all the learning from this unit to produce an oral presentation responding to the topic ‘Imagine an Australia resilient to hazards’. Give students some time to reflect on the big themes and ideas that they have learned across this unit of study, using the lotus diagram found on the Student Worksheet. Some of the themes have been indicated for them, but there are some blank spaces for them to add their own ideas relevant to their study.

You might like to photocopy this diagram onto a larger A3 sheet or allow students to complete it digitally, if appropriate.

Step 2.

After students have had some time thinking about the big ideas of the unit, and filling in some of the boxes with what they learned or have remembered, have them, partner, up to share ideas with each other. Students should seek to add to their own lotus sheet, based on the thinking of their partner.

Step 3.

You can repeat the pairing and sharing as many times as necessary for students to have lots of ideas on their worksheets.

Part B: What is the impact of natural disasters and hazards in Australia?

Step 1.

Redirect student's attention to the board and project the page from the Guardian website: theguardian.com/news/datablog/2020/dec/22/interactive-map-which-areas-of-australia-were-hit-by-multiple-disasters-in-2020. Scroll down to the interactive map:

Step 2.

Using the highlighted drop-down menu, show students how the map changes when each of the following is selected:

drought assistance regions
the % burned in 2019-2020 fires
flood Storm Cyclone.

Ask students what connections they can observe between these three maps and their completed learning across the unit. Students will likely be able to link some of the locations discussed in the articles and videos throughout the unit to the locations most affected by fire and flood. You can find additional information in the Disaster Index that outlines specific towns and areas affected by these hazards over time.

Step 3.

(Optional) If students have access to their own devices, provide students some time to explore the website themselves and to see how much of Australia is affected by fires and floods.

Step 4.

Facilitate a conversation with students about whether they live in fire or flood-prone zones or not. Ask them how much the threat of fire or flood has impacted where their family has chosen to live. Answers will vary depending on geographical location, but the goal is for students to acknowledge that hazards do play a part in choosing where one lives. When the class has agreed on this, present them with the following question:

What if hazards did not play such a significant role in choosing where to live?

Part C: Creating a resilient Australia

Step 1.

Ask students to close their eyes and imagine an Australia resilient to fires or floods. Give them a couple of minutes to reflect on this statement. When they open their eyes, ask them to free write for one minute about what they imagine Australia to be in this future.

Step 2.

Explain to students that they will prepare an oral presentation on this topic, presenting to the class where and how they would live if Australia was resilient to fires or floods. Their presentation should be 1.5-2 minutes long. Encourage students to support their oral point of view with a visual presentation. Remember that they can use the planning guide on their Student Worksheet to help structure their presentation.

Step 3.

Provide students time to prepare their presentations. This may be done in class time, or as a homework task, as appropriate for your classroom context.

Reflection

Provide students with the opportunity to watch and appreciate their classmates' presentations. As a peer feedback strategy, nominated students can provide the presenter with two stars and a wish - two things they thought the presenter did really well (stars), and one thing they wish would be included in future.

Differentiated learning

Extension

Students requiring extension would benefit from having access to the article from The Guardian to explore and read in further detail. They could also be extended by providing them with an option to present a longer oral presentation.

Provisions for learning support

Students with individual needs may need assistance in structuring their presentations and could benefit from a reduced time expectation.

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?

Resilient Australia - Imagine A Resilient Australia

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