Lesson Focus and key question:

Bushfires
Q. What can we do to reduce
the impact that bushfires have?
Learning Area / Strand
Geography
Year
Level
5
Implementation Date
Duration
60mins
Prior knowledge of learners (What do they already know?)
Students may already know that fires are dangerous and can start up easily
Students know that major bushfires can happen in our area and have happened before (previous
lesson)
Students know correct safety procedure for a fire drill at school (stop what are you are doing and
listen to instructions)
The importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be
protected (ACHGK022)
Lesson objective/s
Students build from what they have learnt so far about bushfires by assessing the school area to
identify the bushfire hazards and to gather information about the environment to eventually inform
others.
Evidence of learning
Students will be taking photos of the areas around the school that the think may be able to fuel a
bushfire and will record information in notebooks to later create an informative text. Students
involvement in the activity and evidence of learning will be assessed by looking at notes of
observations around the school environment.
Resources
Camera to take photos around school
table to note down observations around school
Lesson
Introduction
Introducin
g the topic
Engageme
nt of the
learners
Revise what was learnt last lesson: what did we look at?
Who can remember the type of bushfire hazards or things
that need to be taken care of to prepare for bushfire season?
Explain that we are going to be going around the school oval
and in areas surrounding the outside of the school to look at
things that could start a fire during the peak of bushfire
season.
Explain the table that each student is given to write down
their observations.
Divide students into groups of four
Provide each group with a digital camera, explain rules before
use.
Teacher notes:
Do three- minute
pause


Groups dependent
on literacy levels (2
above level with 2
below level to
assist)
LEP 4
Students are not to
use the cameras
inappropriately
otherwise they will
not be used in any
class activity again.
Lesson Body
Delivering
the
content
through
specific
strategies
Give students safe areas around certain parts of the school to
look at point out different areas.
Ask students what fire hazards they can see yet. Is there
much of a green area around the school?
How many trees are close to the school?
Go back to the classroom and ask students to write a
summary of what they think the school should do to help
reduce the impact if a bushfire were to occur.
Share sentences
Each student to play the game Fire environments on
computers because they have looked at the hazards now they
are going to look at what happens when a fire starts and they
have to put the fire out.
Before the game starts ask student to look at how fast each
fire starts in the different environments and to take time to
read the handy safety instructions the game pops up with.


Keep all students
in areas where
they can be easily
seen.

Ensure students
are on task.

Students may
need to be
reminded that
this is a learning
activity not just a
game.
Lesson
Conclusion
Concludin
g activities
Summarizi
ng the
lesson
Ask how the students felt when they were trying to put the
fires out? Was it difficult? Were they panicking?
Did it take long for the bushfires to start getting out of
control?
Who can tell me some safety tips for preventing the impact of
bushfires or to prepare for bushfire season?
Revise what students learnt today
Encourage
engagement in
class activity.
Good idea to
choose non-
volunteers for
questions to get
everyones input.
Reflections:
What the activity around the school an effective choice or were students off-task?
Have I explained the lesson clearly enough?