0121 Stage 3 Teaching Unit vers2 - Grafton Public Schoolgraftonpublicschool.com.au/Libweb/Stage3ExtraResources/Living Land...sheets and work sheets are provided to support the teaching

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This teaching unit was produced for Hawkesbury City Council by Molino Stewart Pty Ltd. It was reviewed by Ms Anne Southwell, K-6 HSIE Consultant, Curriculum Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training.

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HELPING THE HAWKESBURY TEACHING RESOURCES

Background The Helping the Hawkesbury project is being implemented by Hawkesbury City Council through funding from its Environmental Levy. The project is a series of activities aimed at working with communities in the Hawkesbury Local Government Area (LGA) to minimise impacts on water quality. The activities include:

• Presentations to community groups • Training for industry groups • Assistance to schools including with the development of School Environmental

Management Plans • Displays at community events • Promotional items such as posters, flyers and other promotional items • Media exposure

There are several behaviours that Helping the Hawkesbury project focuses on including those listed in the ‘Helping the Hawkesbury in Ten Easy Ways’ sheet in this booklet. Teaching Resources Students and the broader school community can carry out many of the recommended behaviours in the Helping the Hawkesbury project. Hawkesbury City Council has developed three teaching resources (for Stages 1, 2 and 3) to promote the behaviours in local schools. Each teaching resource centres on a teaching unit based on outcomes and indicators in the NSW K-6 Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) syllabus. The teaching unit also addresses curriculum objectives in the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools. The unit is designed for teaching over ten weeks (one lesson per week). A series of fact sheets and work sheets are provided to support the teaching and learning activities in the unit. Links The NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (incorporating the EPA) has produced a Stormwater Teaching Guide that can be accessed at www.dec.nsw.gov.au/stormwater/hsieteachguide/index.htm. The Guide provides excellent activities that complement this local teaching resource. Further Assistance For more information and help related to water quality issues contact Hawkesbury City Council on (02) 45604538.

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STAGE 3 HSIE TEACHING UNIT

Outcomes This teaching unit helps students achieve the following outcomes in the K-6 HSIE Syllabus:

• ENS3.5 Demonstrates an understanding of the interconnectedness between Australia and global environments and how individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner

• ENS3.6 Explains how various beliefs and practices influence the ways in which people interact with, change and value their environment.

Subject Matter This teaching unit will help students learn about the following subject matter outlined in the K-6 HSIE Syllabus:

• Physical, political and cultural regions and main reference points in Australia and

the world, including continents and some capital cities • Geographical terminology • Communities, regions and environments in Australia and in the world • Patterns of human involvement and use of environments • Effects of human and natural changes on environments • Ecologically sustainable development of environments • Different perspectives about the maintenance and improvement of environments

Literacy Links The teaching unit provides opportunities for students to explore expositions, reports, descriptions and recounts. Links with other Key Learning Areas The teaching unit directly links to the following outcomes in other KLAs.

• Science and Technology – ESS3.6, INVS3.7 • Mathematics – MS3.2, DS3.1

Resources The following resources are recommended and are noted where relevant in the teaching and learning activities in the unit. Web sites such as Hawkesbury City Council (www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au) - local

information, Streamwatch (www.streamwatch.org.au) - schools water quality

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monitoring program, KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch (www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc) - student activities, NSW EPA (www.dec.nsw.gov.au/stormwater/hsieteachguide/index.htm) - stormwater teaching guide.

Australian State of the Environment Report (www.deh.gov.au/soe), NSW State of the Environment Report 2003 (www.dec.nsw.gov.au/soe/soe2003)

Support Materials The following fact sheets and work sheets are referenced and provided in the teaching resource. • Helping the Hawkesbury in Ten Easy Ways Sheet (page 6) • Water Fact Sheets (page 8) • Sample Survey (page 11) • Water Role Play Guide (page 15) • My Helping the Hawkesbury Code of Behaviour (page 20)

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LESSON 1 Teaching and learning activities Using a blank map of the world, students colour (light blue) in the oceans of the world. They label the major oceans (e.g. Pacific, Atlantic, Indian) on the map. They label Australia on the map to show its location in relation to the oceans. Students trace (in blue) and label on the map some of the world’s major rivers e.g. Nile, Mississippi, Amazon. They also show and label the Murray and Darling Rivers in Australia. Students shade (in dark blue) and label the world’s main ice caps e.g. Antarctica, Arctic. Students estimate the proportion of the Earth’s surface that is water (i.e. blue colour). Students then check their answer using the Water Facts sheet on page 8. Students read the Water Facts sheet on page 8. Using this information as a guide, they write an exposition on the need to protect the world’s freshwater. In their exposition they could note the small proportion of the world’s water that is freshwater, the difficulties in accessing freshwater, variability in rainfall across the world and problems with providing unpolluted water particularly in developing countries.

Outcomes and indicators ENS3.5 Demonstrates an understanding of the interconnectedness between Australia and global environments and how individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner

• uses maps and globes to locate global and Australian reference points

ENS3.6 Explains how various beliefs and practices influence the ways in which people interact with, change and value their environment.

• examines how natural, cultural, religious, historical, economic and political factors can influence people’s interactions with environments

Objectives of the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools Students will develop knowledge and understandings about:

• the impact of people on environments (K2).

Students will develop skills in:

• identifying and assessing environmental problems (S2)

Resources required

• Blank map of the world • Water Facts sheet (page 8)

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WATER FACTS SHEET

• Two thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water

• 97.5% of all water on Earth is salt water

• Of the remaining 2.5 % that is fresh water, some 70% is frozen in the polar icecaps and most of the remaining 30% is underground water or soil moisture.

• Only less than 1% of freshwater (and 0.007% of all the Earth’s water) is

accessible for direct human uses (this is about one drop in every bucket full of water).

• People already use over half the Earth’s accessible freshwater, and may use nearly

three quarters by the year 2025.

• A person can live about a month without food, but only a week without water

• More than 1.5 billion people (or one quarter of the Earth’s population) do not have access to a safe and adequate water supply. Unless action is stepped up, this number could increase to 2.3 billion by 2025.

• It is estimated that 50% of the world’s population lacks access to adequate

sanitation

• The average Australian family uses 30 times more water each day than the average African family

• People need about 50 litres of water each day to stay healthy (for drinking,

washing, cooking and sanitation). In 55 countries the average water use per person falls below this.

• One litre of wastewater pollutes about eight litres of freshwater. The amount of

polluted freshwater in the world will increase by 50% by 2050 if people do not take action to minimise water pollution

• Asian rivers are the most polluted in the world, with three times as many bacteria

from human waste as the global average.

• 80% of all diseases and one third of all deaths in developing countries are caused by polluted water.

• Around 70% of water used by people is for agriculture. It is estimated that only 40

per cent or so of all irrigation water gets to where it is needed.

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LESSON 2 Teaching and learning activities In class discussion, students brainstorm and list how people throughout the world use water. Using this list and their exposition from Lesson 1, students then produce a small poster on the need for people around the world to conserve water. Good background information for the poster can be found at the Sydney Water web site: www.sydneywater.com.au Divide the students into small groups. In the groups students research (using the Internet and library resources) how human changes can affect the quantity and quality of freshwater in Australia and other parts of the world. The human changes could include:

• Building a dam • New urban development • Re-using water • Improved sewerage treatment • Clearing forests for farms • Planting trees along riverbanks

Information about theses changes can also be found in videos and CDs (e.g. National Geographic programs). Consult with the school Librarian for further help. In groups, students work out whether the human changes had a positive or negative impact (or both) on the freshwater. Each group then presents a short verbal report to the class on their findings.


• investigates an environmental issue of local, State, national, regional or global significance

• explains the effects of human changes on the environment, evaluating the positive and negative aspects





Resources required

• Internet and/or library access

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LESSON 3 Teaching and learning activities Help the class to construct a survey about people’s attitudes towards the importance of clean water and how to protect it. Incorporate personal details in the survey such as occupation, age gender, level of environmental interest, residential location. A sample survey is provided on pages 11 and 12. An excellent reference for the survey questions is Who Cares about the Environment in 2003? (a survey of NSW people’s environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours). The document can be found at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whocares or obtained by phoning NSW Department of Environment and Conservation on 131555. The questions for this survey are found in Appendix B. Students should survey at least 10 people each and bring their completed forms for Lesson 4. The surveys can be conducted over the phone (good for child protection issues) or in person e.g. if family members are involved.


• investigates an environmental issue of local, State, national, regional or global significance


• examines factors that may give rise to different views about the care of places

Objectives of the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools Students will develop skills in:

• applying technical expertise within an environmental context (S1)

Resources required

• Survey form (sample survey provided on pages 11-12)

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WATER QUALITY SURVEY

Please answer the following questions about water quality in the Hawkesbury area.

1. How concerned are you about the quality of water in our creeks and the Hawkesbury River? (please tick answer)

a. A great deal b. A fair amount c. Not very much d. Not at all

2. Please rate the most important thing to you in the community (number 1) to the least important (number 7) (please write a number in each box))

a. Good roads b. Clean water in the Hawkesbury River c. Sporting facilities d. Libraries e. Parks f. Recycling service g. New housing developments

3. How would you describe the change in the water quality of local creeks and the Hawkesbury River that you have noticed over the time you have lived in the area? (please tick one answer)

a. Got worse b. Stayed the same c. Improved

4. List some ways that you can tell whether there has been the change you chose in Question 3.

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5. How much do you feel you are doing to look after water in the local creeks and the Hawkesbury River? (please tick one answer)

a. Doing a great deal b. Doing quite a lot c. Doing at least some things d. Doing just a few things e. Doing nothing

6. How much do you feel other people are doing to look after water in the local creeks and the Hawkesbury River? (please tick one answer)

a. Doing a great deal b. Doing quite a lot c. Doing at least some things d. Doing just a few things e. Doing nothing

7. Which of the following behaviours do you carry out regularly? (please tick answers)

a. Carry shopping in reusable bags b. Put rubbish in the bin c. Put mulch on your gardens d. Pick up and bin dog droppings e. Use fertiliser only when necessary f. Plant local native plants g. Wash vehicles on the lawn h. Use phosphorus-free detergents i. Sweep paved areas instead of hosing j. Compost garden waste such as fallen leaves and grass clippings

8. Are there any other ways you look after our local creeks and the Hawkesbury River? 9. Please provide the following information about you. Male or Female…………… Age…………………………… Occupation…………………………………………. Do you belong to an environment group? YES/NO Do live in the Hawkesbury Local Government Area? YES/NO

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LESSON 4 Teaching and learning activities Students bring completed survey forms (see Lesson 3) to the lesson. Collate survey results on the board by moving through each question and tallying responses. Graph overall results for questions with students. Students may use a simple spreadsheet or database computer program for this task. Analyse some factors that may determine people’s attitudes. For example compare male with female responses, different age groups, occupations etc. From the analysis, with the class identify factors that may give rise to different views about water. Are there any other factors that could give rise to different views about water? Students write a report about the survey results including:

• Aims of the survey • Methods used • Findings (include graphs) • Factors that may give rise to

different views about water An excellent reference for the survey report is Who Cares about the Environment in 2003? (a survey of NSW people’s environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours). The document can be found at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whocares or obtained by phoning NSW Department of Environment and Conservation on 131555.


• Investigates an environmental issue of local, State, national, regional or global significance


• examines factors that may give rise to different views about the care of places

Objectives of the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools


• applying technical expertise within an environmental context (S1)

Resources required

• Completed survey forms

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LESSON 5 Teaching and learning activities Organise students into six groups. Each group is a different water user:

• Irrigation farmers • Environment group • Shop owners • Water skiers • Town residents • Factory owners

Background details for each group are provided in the Guide to Water Role Play on page 15. As outlined in the Guide, each water user group reacts in their roles to several water management scenarios. They provide their responses in a forum style discussion. De-brief the students after the role play. Ask them to write their own views (with reasons for their views) on each of the scenarios after considering all views portrayed in the role play.


• evaluates a variety of ways of addressing environmental problems


• evaluates alternative views about the use of natural and built environments

• expresses a personal point of view on an environmental issue and provides supporting evidence




• resolving environmental problems (S4)

Resources required

• Name card for each group

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GUIDE TO WATER ROLE PLAY

Preparation. Organise students into six groups. Each group is a different water user: The suggested groups are:

• Irrigation farmers • Environment group • Water skiers • Shop owners • Town residents • Factory owners

NOTE: You may wish to use other groups that are more suited to your local area. Give each group a name card. Also explain that there is no ‘winner’ of the activity – the role play is designed to outline and appreciate other people’s views. The Role Play Provide groups with a series of scenarios related to water management. Provide them with a short time (e.g. 10 minutes) to decide on a group response in their role to each scenario. Scenarios could include:

• The community has to develop a water sharing plan for the local river. Water has to be shared between the environment, the local town water supply and farmers and still provide enough water for the river downstream.

• The community is confronted with a drought. Decide on what water restrictions should be enforced for which uses of water.

• The river is polluted. What could be the source of the pollution and how could it be fixed?

• A new industry is being set up to mine sand from the banks of the river. Decide if you support the industry or not and why.

• A large urban area is planned for development close to the river. Decide if you support the development or not and why.

Allow for interaction between the groups in a forum-style situation. For example, let a group speak outlining their response to the scenario and the others can question them. Then move on using this process until all groups have been heard. De brief De-brief the students after the role play by asking them to move out of their water user role and back to themselves. Ask them to write their own views (with reasons for their views) on each of the scenarios after considering all views portrayed in the role play

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LESSON 6 Teaching and learning activities Organise and conduct an excursion to appropriate local sites with assistance from Hawkesbury City Council (phone 45604538) if possible. The aim of the excursion is for students to investigate local water quality issues and management. Council will assist in identifying these local issues. Students should understand that people’s behaviour is the main cause of water quality problems and that there are different values and attitudes towards managing water quality (link with Lessons 3, 4 and 5). On the excursion students can identify possible water quality problems, their causes and what can be done to minimise them. Students should use geographical tools (e.g. maps, photographs) in their investigation where appropriate. They can also carry out water quality monitoring (e.g. by using the Streamwatch kit). For more details about Streamwatch contact the Streamwatch Coordinator on (02) 99520358 or the Streamwatch web site www.streamwatch.org.au. Students can also conduct a water bug study at each site. This study can also indicate the health of water and more details are available from the Streamwatch Coordinator. Students can record information using a notebook or clipboard and paper. The excursion can also be recorded through the use of a digital or video camera.


• uses geographical terminology and tools to locate and investigate environments


• examines issues associated with different values about natural and built environments, using a variety of sources, including the media





Resources required

• notebook or clipboard/paper • digital camera/ video camera

(optional)

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LESSON 7 Teaching and learning activities Discuss with the class their observations from the excursion. Use student notes as well as photographs, video footage if taken on the excursion. After the discussion, students write a recount of the excursion including the location of the sites visited (using a map if possible) and activities they carried out at each site and any findings (water quality problems, ways to minimise them). With the class list on the board the main causes of potential local water quality problems identified on the excursion (you may request further assistance from Hawkesbury Council with this). For each of the potential water quality problems students describe behaviours to minimise the problems (see Helping the Hawkesbury in Ten Easy Ways on page 6). For example:

• Blue green algae. Reduce fertiliser use. Collect and bin dog droppings

• High turbidity (muddiness of water) Vegetate bare slopes, use farming practices that minimise soil erosion, stop sediment from washing away off building sites

In small groups, students imagine they are a local group who wants to encourage people to use these behaviours. The groups list barriers (e.g. cost, time, lack of information, peer pressure) to people taking up the behaviours and ways (e.g. media, events, talking with groups) to best promote the behaviours.


• evaluates a variety of ways of addressing environmental problems in Australia or overseas


• examines factors that may give rise to different views about the care of places.

(NOTE: links also to SSS3.7) Objectives of the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools Students will develop knowledge and understandings about:

• the principles of ecologically sustainable behaviour (K4)


• communicating environmental problems to others (S3)

Resources required

• photographs, video footage from the excursion (optional)

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LESSON 8 Teaching and learning activities In the small groups from Lesson 7, students decide on a group activity related to one or more behaviours to minimise people’s impact on water quality and therefore help the Hawkesbury. The group activities could include:

• planning and/or implementing an action in the School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP)

• planning and performing drama, dance or music about desired behaviours to an audience e.g. school assembly

• designing artistic work (e.g. sculpture, collage) to symbolise behaviours

• presenting to community groups about desired behaviours and how they can help the Hawkesbury. Groups could use a PowerPoint or other type of presentation

• researching and designing articles for the school web site about desired behaviours

• carrying out a stormwater audit in the school playground (contact Hawkesbury City Council for help)

• clean up or regeneration project The groups carry out their activities and report verbally to the class on what they did and how successful they thought their activity was in helping the Hawkesbury.


• participates in the maintenance or improvement of an environment


• adopting behaviours and practices that protect the environment (S5)

Students will develop values and attitudes relating to:

• a commitment to act for the environment by supporting long-term solutions to environmental problems (V3)

Resources required

• materials as required in group activities

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LESSON 9 Teaching and learning activities Based on the behaviours identified in previous lessons and in the ‘Helping the Hawkesbury in Ten Easy Ways’ sheet (page 6), students develop an individual code of behaviour. Students identify at least five behaviours that they can achieve and where they will carry out the behaviours. They record this using the ‘My Helping the Hawkesbury Code of Behaviour’ sheet on page 20 for this activity. Students decide on how they could communicate their code of behaviour to others. These methods could include:

• talking to others about behaviours

• demonstrating behaviours • recommending articles, stories,

web sites about behaviours • showing important symbols or

slogans (e.g. recycling symbol, ‘Don’t be a Tosser’ slogan) for behaviours

Students decide on how they will report the implementation of their code of behaviour. This could include presentation to the class or school assembly, a short written report, email or photographic report. Contact Hawkesbury City Council to organise a method of rewarding achievement in carrying out the respective student’s code of behaviour.


• participates in the maintenance or improvement of the environment


• identifies their own code of behaviour as it applies to their local area




• a commitment to act for the environment by supporting long-term solutions to environmental problems

• Resources required

• ‘My Helping the Hawkesbury Code of Behaviour’ sheet on page 20

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LESSON 10 Teaching and learning activities Students research and evaluate the saying ‘Think Globally Act Locally’. They find examples of community actions that are designed to help global environments. Examples of organisations involved in community environmental actions include:

• Clean Up Australia: www.cleanup.com.au

• Streamwatch: www.streamwatch.org.au

• Planet Ark: www.planetark.org • Oz Green: www.ozgreen.org.au • Landcare: www.landcare.gov.au • WWF: www.wwf.org.au • Greenpeace:

www.greenpeace.org.au Students each design an A3 poster that promotes the actions of one of these organisations. Students discuss questions such as: Are these community actions making a difference to global environments? Are they helping the problems of limited freshwater discussed in Lesson 1? Students write an explanation showing how their group actions (Lesson 8) and Code of Behaviour (Lesson 9) could help declining global amounts of good quality freshwater.


• evaluates a variety of ways of addressing environmental problems in Australia and other countries

(NOTE: links also to SSS3.7) Objectives of the NSW Environmental Education Policy for Schools Students will develop skills in:


• evaluating the success of their actions (S6)


• a commitment to act for the environment by supporting long-term solutions to environmental problems

Resources required

• A3 paper

Documents

0121 Stage 3 Teaching Unit vers2 - Grafton Public Schoolgraftonpublicschool.com.au/Libweb/Stage3ExtraResources/Living Land...sheets and work sheets are provided to support the teaching