Year 7
Landscapes and Landforms
Students explore landscapes and landforms using examples from Australia and throughout the world. They get the chance to explore one of these in more depth within our first assignment, looking at a landform such as Uluru, the Jenolan Caves or Simpson Desert while looking at the processes that created them and the flora and fauna that rely on these landscape to live. Students examine issues of landscape degradation and ways to manage and protect landscapes and landforms. Students also investigate a natural hazard such as landslides and earthquakes, while learning about people’s responses to that hazard.
Place and Liveability
Students explore factors that influence people’s perceptions of the liveability of places, from our local centres such as Molong to a more global perspective. We investigate features and characteristics of places across a range of scales that support and enhance people’s wellbeing such as community identity, environmental quality and access to services and facilities. Students assess the liveability of places and propose strategies to enhance the liveability of a place in Australia.
Year 8
Water in the World
Students examine water as an important resource and look at the factors influencing water flows and availability of water resources in different places. They investigate the nature of water scarcity, especially in times of drought, and assess ways of overcoming it. Students discuss variations in people’s perceptions about the value of water and the need for sustainable water management. Students also investigate processes that continue to shape the environment including an atmospheric or hydrologic hazard.
As part of this course, students undertake Fieldwork as part of an assessment task. In the past we have visited local water storage, looked at water harvesting initiatives and examined the creek health of our own waterways.
Yr 8 Geography participating in Fieldwork activities at Molong Creek
Interconnections
Students focus on the connections people have to places and how these change, depending on people’s experiences and knowledge of their environment. Students individually examine what shapes people’s perceptions of places and how this influences their connections to places. Students explore how transport, information and communication technologies and trade link people to many places. They explain the effects of human activities, such as production, recreation and travel, on places and environments in Australia and across the world and investigate sustainability initiatives and possible futures for these places.
Year 9
Sustainable Biomes
Students examine the physical characteristics and productivity of biomes. Within our assessment, students examine the correlation between the world’s climatic zones and distributions of biomes and their capacity to support food and non-food agricultural production. Students analyse the impact humans have on biomes in an effort to produce food and increase agricultural yields, with a focus on Australian agriculture products such as fruit and grains. We also examine population trends and projections from Australia and across the world and forecast future food supply-and-demand issues. Challenges to food production are explored and management strategies investigated.
Changing Places
Students examine the patterns and trends in population movements and the increasing urbanisation of countries. They discuss the reasons for internal and international migration patterns and the consequences of population movements, including the increased concentration of populations within countries. Students examine strategies to create liveable and sustainable urban places, propose solutions and suggest opportunities for active citizenship.
Yr 10 Course
Environmental Change and Management
Students develop an understanding of the functioning of environments and the scale of human-induced environmental change challenging sustainability. They explore both personal worldviews influencing approaches to environmental use and management. Students get the chance to undertake an investigative study of the causes and consequences of environmental change in an environment in Australia and another country. They compare and evaluate the management responses in both countries and propose ways individuals can contribute to environmental sustainability.
Human Wellbeing
Students examine the nature of, and differences in, human wellbeing and development that exist within and between countries. They describe ways of measuring human wellbeing and development to reveal spatial variations and develop explanations for differences. Students investigate examples from Australia and across the world of issues affecting development, the impact on human wellbeing and the consequences of spatial variations across scales. Local, national and global initiatives to improve human wellbeing are also examined.
Year 10 students developing songs that communicate Geographical Processes
