Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Assignment 2
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Description of Unit
This unit, Landforms and Landscapes is a Year 8 Geography unit designed to meet the AusVELS curriculum
and standards. The unit was designed using an Understanding by Design approach, which was done to
maximise the potential for deep learning for students through focusing on Big Ideas (Wiggins &
McTighe, 2011). Using the UBD approach, the assignments were designed first to meet the standards,
and then the unit was designed to scaffold students learning so that their achievements would be more
likely to meet the standards.
For this unit, which was designed to take place over 10 weeks, the assessments took the form of a
summative test at the end of the unit, and a formative assessment in the form of a fieldwork report that
took place over Weeks 4 to 6. The Unit could be roughly divided into three smaller sections or sub-units:
an introduction to landforms and landscapes in Weeks 1-4; a case study of a local landform, in this case
Hanging Rock, in Weeks 4-6; and finally natural hazards in weeks 7-10. The original unit is included as an
appendix. All original tasks and resources are available online through the links provided to the Google
Drive.
For the purpose of this assessment, I will be reworking the first 6 weeks in order to better scaffold the
Fieldwork Report Assessment. As the report is already multi-modal in nature, involving the creation of
written text, graphs, charts and maps, the assessment could be enhanced by more explicit teaching of or
use of new literacies. Primarily these will include the iPed Approach, Annotation, and the Four Resources
Model.
EDFD454
Assignment 2
Week
Landscapes of
the World and
Australia Week
One
Essential Questions
Key Concepts
Students explore
landscapes through
the ideas of place
and space, through
locating and
describing
landscapes and
landforms.
The ideas of
environment and
change are studied
through the focus
on the creation of
landforms and the
processes that lead
to this.
Task
Resources
What types of Landscapes are there? Pages 4345 are read through as a class. Students
Page 43-45
summarize key points of each landscape
Oxford Big Ideas
Assessment
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
EDFD454
Assignment 2
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Students
investigate space
and place with
regards to tectonic
plates and
mountains around
the world.
Interconnection is
found between
tectonic plate
movement and
natural hazards.
Through studying
the formation on
mountains,
students
Ocean deep,
mountain high ABC Splash
EDFD454
Assignment 2
Human impact
on mountain
landscapes &
Fieldwork
Preparation
Week Three &
Four
investigate the
How are mountains distributed creation of
around the world?
environments
through change
over a large time
period, through
designing and
using scale.
The idea of
sustainability is
introduced through
investigating
human uses of
mountain
landscapes. How
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Think-Pair-Share Students name a mountain
that they know about from somewhere around
the world. They discuss in pairs why they think it
is famous, and share back to the group.
Identifying mountains around the world
Questions 1, 2, and 5 from Big Ideas page 57
EDFD454
Assignment 2
The value of a
place and how it is
interconnected to
the use of the land
is investigated.
Students are
expected to think
critically about the
scale they use in
their timeline
when organizing
ideas.
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Hexagon Tiles
Hexagon Tiles In pairs students complete a
Task
hexagon concept-mapping tool to show
relationships between landforms and landscapes Hexagon Tiles
and their uses. TASK
Think Edu
On the line, above the line, beyond the line
reading task. Oxford Big Ideas Pages 50-51
Mountain Usage
images
EDFD454
Assignment 2
News Article
Visit Macedon
Ranges History
Site Visit to
Hanging Rock
Week Four - Six
The local
environment is
studied through an
investigation into
local place,
Hanging Rock. The
larger space of the
region is
considered when
looking into its
significance.
Through mapping
tasks students use
Fieldwork Report
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Task Sheet
Topographic
Map
EDFD454
Assignment 2
A visit to hanging rock, a local
mountain landform, to
investigate human impacts
and management
the concepts of
place, space and
scale to build an
understanding of
their local
environment.
The management
strategies at
Hanging Rock are
investigated to find
practices of
sustainability. The
history of Hanging
Rock from its
formation to its
varied human uses,
are studied to find
change.
Fieldwork
Booklet
SMH Article
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Fieldwork Booklet will be
collected and marked along
with the fieldwork report at
the conclusion of the Hanging
Rock case study.
EDFD454
Assignment 2
New Fieldwork
Report Task
Sheet (iPed)
(Original)
Fieldwork Report
(Original)
Fieldwork Report
Modified
Competing
Perspectives task
sheet.
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
EDFD454
Assignment 2
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
Justification
The original unit was created using an Understanding by Design approach to planning, with the aim of
targeting the achievement of AusVELS standards through the use of scaffolding (Wiggins & McTighe,
2011). This meant that the assignments were designed first to meet the standards, and the unit content
was structured backwards to give students the best opportunities in achieving these standards. In
revising this unit, a similar approach was taken, with the already multimodal Field Work Report
Assessment Task being reworked to more explicitly meet multimodal ideas, and the content in the weeks
before that adjusted to make more use of multimodal literacy models. The unit was also designed with an
inquiry-based approach in mind, with the aim of producing deeper learning with it being used in
combination with a local site students are familiar with (Westwood, 2006). This was done as the
Australian Currciulum, which the AusVELS Geography unit was based on, presented inquiry as a major
focus (ACARA, 2015).
The iPed model was used in redesigning the assessment task due to its benefits in helping students be
creative producers of texts, and critical consumers of information presented (Mills & Levido, 2011).
Before considering the iPed Approach, there was no real idea of challenging information, which is needed
when reading online sources that may not be reputable. The greater focus on authentic and digital
literacies will help students develop skills that they will use later in their schooling (Mills & Levido, 2011).
Basing this approach on the geographically significant teaching method of field work, is beneficial in
achieving all four of these outcomes (Taylor et al, 2012).
The use of the Four Resources Model in teaching mapping is helpful in structuring the processes that
students will need to go through. Students need to first recognise and understand both mapping
conventions, BOLTSS, and the symbols used in mapping to break the code of the text (Luke & Freebody,
1999). Considering the culturally specific visual language that mapping conventions use, or even local
mapping conventions is also important in the understanding of mapping, and supports the use of the four
resources model (Kress & van Leeuwen, 1996). After decoding the symbolism in the map texts, students
are more able to use the other resources, by participating in the meaning through using maps and
creating them; then using them functionally by recognising their specific purposes; and finally critically
analysing the texts by completing tasks such as mapping annotations that demonstrate their
understanding (Luke & Freebody, 1999).
Tasks such as annotating all texts, whether they be pictorial or written in nature, are better informed by
teacher modelling and repetition, rather than just trusting that students know what they are doing
(Wong, 2016). The consideration of the composition of Visual Images is also helpful in tasks such as phot
annotations and map readings (Kress & van Leeuwen, 1996). The consideration of culture in both images
and in texts as a whole is an important consideration that should be taken throughout the unit (Kress &
van Leeuwen, 1996).
EDFD454
Assignment 2
Joseph Murphy
S00153947
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2015). Australian Curriculum:
Geography. Version 7.3. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading images: the grammar of visual design. London, England:
Routledge.
Luke, A. & Freebody, P. (1999). Further notes on the Four Resources Model, reading online. Retrieved
from
http://kingstonnetworknumandlitteam.wikispaces.com/file/view/Further+Notes+on+the+Four+R
esources+Model-Allan+Luke.pdf
Mills, K. A., & Levido, A. (2011). iPed: Pedagogy fro digital text production. The Reading Teacher, 65(1).
pp. 80-91.
Westwood, P. (2006). Teaching and Learning Difficulties: Cross-curricular perspectives. Melbourne: ACER.
Wong, G. (2016). EDFD454: Curriculum Literacies [Lecture 14/04/2016]. School of Education, Australian
Catholic University, Melbourne. Australia.
AC or AusVELS Standards:
Students will be able to:
1. Explain geographic processes that influence the characteristics of places
2. Explain how places are perceived and valued differently
3. Explain interconnections within environments and between people and
places. Explain how these interactions change places and environments
4. Explanations for spatial distributions and patterns among phenomena
and identify associations between distribution patterns
5. Compare strategies to a geographical challenge and propose a response
taking into account environmental, economic and social factors
6. Identify significant questions from observations to frame and inquiry
7. Locate relevant information from a range of primary and secondary
sources to answer questions.
8. Represent data and the location and distribution of geographical
phenomena in a range of appropriate graphic forms including maps that
conform to cartographic conventions
9. Analyze geographical data and other information to propose explanations
for spatial patterns, trends and relationships and draw reasoned
conclusions
10. Present findings, arguments and ideas using geographical terminology
and graphic representations in a range of appropriate communication
forms
11. Propose action in response to a geographical challenge taking account of
environmental, economic and social considerations and predict the
outcomes of their proposal
Understanding:
Big Ideas:
o Learning about the
landscapes that make up our
world, country and our local
area
o Investigating local
Australian environments
through studies into
mountains and Hanging
Rock
o Preventing, managing and
recovering from natural
hazard
Predictable Misunderstandings:
o What constitutes an area
being a landscape
o The concept of value being
purely in economic terms
o What types of natural
hazards exist versus the
amount that can be covered
in class.
Essential Questions:
What landscapes are there in the
world? What landforms are
present?
Where and how are mountains
formed?
How do humans use, impact on, and
manage mountain environments?
How can we see this in action at a
local site Hanging Rock?
What is a natural hazard?
How can Humans prepare for,
manage and react to natural
hazards?
Student Outcomes:
Content:
The different types of landscapes and their distinctive landform features
(ACHGK048)
The aesthetic, cultural and spiritual value of landscapes and landforms for
people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
(ACHGK049)
The geomorphic processes that produce landforms, including a case study
of at least one landform (ACHGK050)
The human causes and effects of landscape degradation (ACHGK051)
The ways of protecting significant landscapes (ACHGK052)
The causes, impacts and responses to a geomorphological hazard
(ACHGK053)
Skills:
Develop geographically significant questions and plan an inquiry using
appropriate geographical methodologies and concepts (ACHGS055)
Collect, select and record relevant geographical data and information,
using ethical protocols, from appropriate primary and secondary sources
(ACHGS056)
Evaluate sources for their reliability and usefulness and represent data in
a range of appropriate forms, for example, climate graphs, compound
column graphs, population pyramids, tables, field sketches and annotated
diagrams, with and without the use of digital and spatial technologies
(ACHGS057)
Analyse geographical data and other information using qualitative and
quantitative methods, and digital and spatial technologies as appropriate,
to identify and propose explanations for spatial distributions, patterns
and trends and infer relationships (ACHGS059)
Apply geographical concepts to draw conclusions based on the analysis of
the data and information collected (ACHGS060)
Present findings, arguments and ideas in a range of communication forms
selected to suit a particular audience and purpose, using geographical
terminology and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS061)
Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in
response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of
environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the
expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS062)
Assessment
Landscapes of
the World and
Australia
Week One
Students explore
landscapes
through the ideas
of place and
space, through
locating and
describing
landscapes and
landforms.
The ideas of
environment and
change are
studied through
the focus on the
creation of
landforms and the
processes that
lead to this.
Scale is studied
through the use of
digital
technologies in
Google Maps.
Page 43-45
Oxford Big Ideas
Landforms
definitions
handout
Port Campbell
Photograph
Google Maps
in Australia/locally?
Google Maps
Task Sheet
Local
Landscapes
Mountains
Week Two
Students
investigate space
and place with
regards to
tectonic plates
and mountains
around the world.
Interconnection
is found between
tectonic plate
Page 67 of
Oxford Big Ideas
Task Sheet
movement and
natural hazards.
Through studying
the formation on
mountains,
students
investigate the
creation of
environments
through change
over a large time
period, through
designing and
using scale.
Human impact
on mountain
landscapes &
Fieldwork
Preparation
Week Three &
Four
The idea of
sustainability is
introduced
through
investigating
human uses of
mountain
landscapes. How
these uses can
change the
environment is
critically assessed.
The value of a
place and how it
is interconnected
How are landforms and
to the use of the
On the line, above the line, beyond the line
landscapes valued by people? land is
reading task. Oxford Big Ideas Pages 50-51
investigated.
Judging Value - Select one image of a mountain
Students are
landscape as used by humans. Answer
expected to think Question 4 on Page 51 for this image. Discuss
critically about
with the person next to you.
the scale they use
in their timeline
when organizing
What meaning do mountain
ideas.
Concept Map of how Aboriginal Peoples used
landscapes have for
and continue to use mountain landscapes.
Hexagon Tiles
Task
Hexagon Tiles
Think Edu
Aboriginal Peoples?
Venn Diagram After Reading Big Ideas pages
60-61 Students use a Venn Diagram to
compare and contrast how mountains in
Australia are used now vs. how they were
used traditionally by Aboriginal peoples.
Task Sheet
Site Visit to
Hanging Rock
Week Four - Six
The local
environment is
studied through
an investigation
into local place,
Hanging Rock. The
larger space of the
region is
considered when
looking into its
significance.
Through mapping
tasks students use
the concepts of
A visit to hanging rock, a local place, space and
mountain landform, to
scale to build an
investigate human impacts
understanding of
and management
their local
environment.
What land management
strategies are in place
The management
locally?
strategies at
Hanging Rock are
investigated to
find practices of
sustainability.
The history of
What value is placed on the
Hanging Rock
land at hanging rock?
from its formation
Fieldwork
Report
Task Sheet
Topographic
Map
Map of the Area
Jacaranda
Drawing a Cross
Section
Fieldwork
Booklet
SMH Article
to its varied
human uses, are
studied to find
change.
Fieldwork
Report
Competing
Perspectives
task sheet.
Fieldwork
Report Modified
Introduction to
Natural
Hazards
Week Seven
Students once
again return to
the ideas of
interconnection
between tectonic
plates and other
phenomena
through
investigating
natural hazards.
Students find
what natural
hazards are found
in differing
environments.
The scale at
Visible Thinking
- 3-2-1 Bridge
Students demonstrate
understanding though their
use of correct terminology
(10), their use of research
(6, 7, 9) in their short
presentation.
which various
hazards can occur
is studied through
the use of video
and diagrams.
Natural
Hazards in
depth Week
Practices to
minimize the
effects of natural
Eight
Week Nine
hazards are
investigated to
find
sustainability
measures.
The change that
natural hazards
can have on
specific places as
well as across
broader
environments is
researched for the
pamphlet task.
Students review
all concepts
across the unit in
preparation for
the test.
The test has been
designed to cover
all key geography
concepts across
questions through
the use of photo
annotations,
mapping tasks
and written
responses.
Test
Test Modified
Version
Question 1
Images sourced
from Page 42 of
Big Ideas
Map from Page
67 of Oxford Big
Ideas
Bibliography is available at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByW4tQAw9kBVaEU3eUprZDBiWEk&auth
user=0