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Learning intention: To understand changes in Illawarra rainforest's management strategies over time
Learning intention: To understand changes in Illawarra rainforest's management strategies over time
Success criteria:
I can identify the changes that have occured in land use and management strategies over time
I can justify why these changes have occured
Lesson content
Lesson content
Management strategies
Inquiry question: How does the environment support the lives of people and other living things?
Earth's Environment
GE2-1 Examines features and charactersistics of places and environments
GE2-2 Describes the ways people, places and environments interact
GE2-3 Examines differing perceptions about the management of places and environments
GE2-4 Acquires and communicates geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry
Lesson description
Lesson description
In lesson five, students learn that rainforest once covered much of the Illawarra and that only 15% remains after European settlement. Students view historical paintings that depict what the Illawarra rainforest cover was once like. They then complete a series of reading tasks and games to learn about the causes of impact to Illawarra's rainforests over time, including: cedar logging, farming, mining, housing development and introduced pests. Students test their knowledge with an interactive Kahoot challenge.
Outdoor learning component: Walk to local environment that has most rainforest trees and do a sit-spot. Observe how the area has been managed and modified by humans.
Estimated time
Estimated time
60 minutes
Supporting materials required
Supporting materials required
Interactive whiteboard
Lead pencil
Access to Kahoot Earth's Environment
Threats to Illawarra's rainforests
Threats to Illawarra's rainforests
Different perceptions of the rainforest in both places has led to widespread deforestation. Less than 15% of the Illawarra rainforest remains since European settlement, mainly due to agriculture.
However, across the Illawarra, there was once less vegetation than there is now. There has been a lot of work in the past few decades to regenerate some of the native vegetation. Hopefully we can continue this trend.
What was the Illawarra rainforest once like?
What was the Illawarra rainforest once like?
200 years ago, the area now known as the Illawarra was covered by thick, dense sub tropical rainforest.
It had been this way for thousands of years, as well as being home to the indigenous Dharawal People, along with many plants and animals. The paintings to the left show just how big and special the forest was like at this time.
However, European settlment to the area in the early 1800's quickly began to change this environment.
Why do you think the images are paintings, rather than photographs? (Think, pair, share)
Changes to the rainforests of the Illawarra
Changes to the rainforests of the Illawarra
Cedar Logging
Cedar Logging
The first impact to the Illawarra Rainforest was from the logging, or cutting down, of a special tree called a Red Cedar. This tree was chosen as it has soft timber which was easily cut, is a lovely red colour, pest resistant and was light enough to be carried away by horses or large animals called Bullocks.
This timber was very valuable and was sold for high prices, to be used as furniture and household items.
Dairy Farming
Dairy Farming
The early settlers were told that if they cleared land they would be able farm and eventually own the land. To make way for grassy paddocks, farmers first had to remove the thick forest using simple tools like axes, saws, picks and shovels. This was hard work and took many years, however, over time the forest was removed to make way for farms to grow grass for animals like cows, horses and sheep and plants such as wheat, potatoes and other vegetables.
Coal Mining
Coal Mining
Beneath the ground of the Illawarra lies a special type of material called coal. This material is special as it burns very hot, and was needed by the early settlers to power steam trains, boats and steam engines. Unfortunately, the mines caused much damage to the rainforests, as space was cleared for roads and railway tracks, and timber was needed to support the inside of the mine shaft. As a result, even more of the forest was damaged or destroyed.
Introduced Species
Introduced Species
Deer
Deer
Were introduced by settlers in the 1800s as animals to hunt for fun. They eat or trample young trees, eat the grass that kangaroos and wallabies need, and also cause erosion (digging up the ground) with their hooves.
Foxes
Foxes
Were also introduced by settlers in the 1800s as animals to hunt for fun. Foxes kill a lot of native wildlife.
Cats
Cats
Were introduced to Australia as pets, which often escaped and lived in the wild. Cats kill a lot of native wildlife, including many bird species.
Lantana
Lantana
Grows quickly when a rainforest tree falls down, which means the rainforest trees can't grow.
Today, the plant and animals of the Illawarra Rainforest are threatened by introduced, or feral, plants and animals. Animals like deer eat many of the special native plants that grow in the rainforest, foxes and cats kill many native animals and weeds such as Lantana smother the natural forest. It is a big job to control these feral animals and weed plants but it must be done to make sure that the rainforest will continue to survive.
Conservationists
Conservationists
Conservationists are people who protect the environment, living things, and whole ecosystems. They work closely to manage the impact of feral animals and weeds to help the ecosystem function more sustainably.
Cedar getter
Cedar getter
Dairy farmer
Dairy farmer
European settler
European settler
Coal miner
Coal miner
Developing the characters
Developing the characters
Allocate a space or an outline of each character in the classroom.
For each of the 5 character roles above (cedar getter, dairy farmer, European settler, coal miner, conservationist), write a answer to what the character could:
Say
Think
Do
Don't forget to write your name on your post-its!
Hot seating!
Hot seating!
5 chairs will be set up at the front of the classroom. Each chair is allocated one of the characters. The students in the 'hot seats' will be asked one of the questions below: (or perpahs you could think of your own!)
How do you feel about your job?
Why is your job important?
What’s the hardest part of your job?
What is the best thing about the Illawarra?
What is the worst thing about the Illawarra?
What achievement are you most proud of?
What is something bad that happened to you recently?
Make sure you answer in role!
Check your knowledge
Check your knowledge
Walking curriculum: Border walk
Walking curriculum: Border walk
A border is an edge or boundary of something. It can be natural or human-made. It can be a path, a fence, the edge of a playground, lines of vegetation, etc.
You will take a walk with your class in the school grounds. You will record your observations on your worksheets.
Guiding Questions: Are there borders on your walk? How do you know it is a border? Is it human-made? Is it a natural border? Why is there?
Reflection question: Why are there borders (in both human and natural instances)? (Think, pair, share).
Sit spot and observation of management strategies
Sit spot and observation of management strategies
In your local environment, find a spot that has a lot of vegetation where you will sit for 10 minutes. For 5 minutes you will sit in this spot observing the landscape around you. For the next 5 minutes, you will brainstorm a list of ways that you can see humans have modified and managed this environment. Try to justify how and why you think management strategies have been used. You will record your observations in your reflection journal.
Sounds of the school grounds
Sounds of the school grounds
Sound is a major element of what makes places special.
Think of some familiar places and consider what natural and human made sounds you would hear in those places. Consider the places below.
Home
Home
Beach
Beach
Classroom
Classroom
Local shop
Local shop
Discussion questions:
Discussion questions:
What would a supermarket sound like without the beep of the check-out and sounds of trolleys rolling around?
What would a playground sound like without children yelling, sliding down slides and squeaks of the swings?
What would the beach sound like without the crashing waves, lapping of the water on the sand, and splashes of swimmers?
Think of your own “What would the _______ sound like without ______” question.
Sounds in your sit spot?
Sounds in your sit spot?
Recall the sounds you heard in your own sit-spot and categorise the sounds as natural, human made or an interaction of humans and environment (think, pair, share). We will start by adding some of these sounds to our soundscape sheet.
Soundscape in pairs
Soundscape in pairs
You will now make a soundscape of the school playground in pairs. You will record the sounds you hear, while also stimulating objects to make sounds that would occur when people interact with the environment. For example, recording the sound of walking across crunchy leaves, digging in a sandpit, sliding down a slide.
Make sure you also record lots of natural sounds including those associated with animals (eg bird calls, frog croaks), as well as vegetation (eg wind rustling through trees).
Soundscape criteria
Soundscape criteria
Include 5-8 sounds from the school environment using the audio recorder. If you would like to include more, use a second recording sheet. Make sure the metronome is off when recording the sounds, and the iPad is as close to the sound as possible.
Don’t use any preset instruments in Garageband.
The entire soundscape clip should be 12 bars long.
Trim the sound samples to fit in the bar with 4/4 timing.
Loop sounds that you would like to hear continue playing at different points throughout the soundscape.
More common sounds in that landscape should feature more frequently.
Build to a crescendo (noisier section) of sound before dissipating (building back down).
Students listen to each others’ soundscapes. Encourage peers to comment on the music features, for example:
Rhythm - the length of individual sounds
Tempo - how fast or slow the beat of the music is
Pitch - how high or low the sound is
Structure - the order or arrangement of the parts of the music
Dynamics - how loud or soft
Tone colour - sounds used
Use 2 stars and a wish strategy for feedback. (Two positive points and one constructive suggestion on how to improve for next time).
Onomatopoeia poetry
Onomatopoeia poetry
Onomatopoeia is when the word sounds like the sound. For example, say the word 'click'. Does it sound like a click? What others can you think of?
Together, make a list of onomatopoeia words that represent the sounds in your playground.
Read inspiration poetry containing onomatopoeia:
‘Pitta Patta Pitta Patta’ by Kenn Nesbitt
‘Crack an Egg’ by Denise Rodgers
‘On the ning nang nong’ by Spike Milligan
‘Push Button’ by Shel Silverstein
‘Noise Day’ by Shel Silverstein
Construct an onomatopoeia poem inspired by the sounds of the school and based on one of the rhyming patterns used above.
Reflection journal: What did you notice about the sounds of the school grounds that you hadn’t noticed before?
Draw an aerial landscape picture of the school including some symbols showing some of the sounds featured in the landscape. Your response can be creative rather than technical.
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