Geography / Year 8 / Geographical Inquiry and Skills / Observing, questioning and planning

Curriculum content descriptions

Develop geographically significant questions and plan an inquiry using appropriate geographical methodologies and concepts (ACHGS055)

Elaborations
  • developing questions on an area of focus in the geographical knowledge and understanding strand (for example, about types of landforms or reasons for urban settlements)
  • developing questions about the significance of a spatial distribution (for example, the positive and negative effects of the spatial concentration of population in Australia)
  • planning an investigation of the processes responsible for the geographical phenomenon being studied, at a range of scales (for example, the causes and consequences of urbanisation)
  • using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about reasons for and effects of internal migration in Australia
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Experiments,  Research questions,  Data collection,  Human settlements,  Geographic location

Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This biodiversity learning resource guides students through an extended school based investigation. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Interactive

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Online

Tsunami lesson plan resources

The tsunami lesson plan provides teachers and students, especially in remote coastal areas, with an opportunity to investigate how tsunami happen and how to stay safe if a tsunami occurs. The downloadable PDF includes lesson plans. student assignments based on case studies, as well as background information on tsunamis, ...

Interactive

Water use and efficiency – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on water use and efficiency using the five step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Interactive

LocationSA map viewer

This is an interactive website providing a detailed source of geographic information about the state of South Australia in text and map form, and an interactive tool enabling the user to generate resources and to apply geographic conceptual thinking. It contains a directory of maps at both state and regional levels depicting ...

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CFA publications

This is an online resource with links to downloadable publications including brochures, guides, plans and fact sheets on fire safety and related topics. There are also links to reports and policies, documents in languages other than English, Brigade magazine and audio versions of summer fire-safety information. This resource ...

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Where do landslides occur?

This is an online resource about where landslides occur that contains two main sections. The first section, Where do landslides occur?, provides information about the types of landscapes that are prone to landslides, and landslide locations within Australia. The second section is located on the right-hand side of the screen ...

Interactive

Making a difference

This resource consists of four case studies which explore stories that illustrate issues of civics and citizenship at local, state, federal government and international levels. Students learn about active citizenship and plan their own, while covering content such as the Freedom Rides, Franklin Dam, Mabo, Wik and human rights.

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The Conversation: agriculture

This resource consists of a multitude of news articles and analytical pieces under the topic of agriculture. Eight articles address the many challenges of world food security, five explore the impact of predicted water and phosphorus shortages on crop yields and one article analyses the broader impact of organic farming ...

Video

ABC News: Getting your facts straight about water use

We hear a lot about water use in Australia. What are the real statistics about water use? What is the breakdown of water use for different groups across Australia? Watch this clip to find out who uses water and how much, and consider the value of water and the 'return' on this use for the Australian economy. The figures ...

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Biodiversity and farming for a healthy planet

This is a digital resource containing information and resources, such as printable games, that relate to biodiversity and farming, and how food and materials can be produced while protecting the Earth's natural resources. It includes an extensive glossary of important terms, and external links to teacher and student resources ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Prehistoric evidence

Beneath the Yucatán Peninsula in south-eastern Mexico exists a karst aquifer, the largest underground river system in the world. Discover its deep caverns, which have been perfectly preserved for thousands of years, complete with prehistoric remains.

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Foreign Correspondent: Mesoamerican Reef threatened

The Mesoamerican Reef, just off the shore of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, is under major threat. Listen to oceanographer Roberto Iglesias-Prieto explain how untreated wastewater affects the underground river system and the reef.

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Mayan heritage

Discover ruins of a lost civilisation of the Maya at Tulum, on the Yucatán Peninsula in south-eastern Mexico. See what has become of the civilisation's cenotes, its ancient water resources, as a Maya descendant speaks of his sadness at what has happened to the land of his forebears.

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Interconnections and human wellbeing

This is an online resource exploring the interconnections between Australian consumers and Indonesian cashew farmers, with cashews grown by farmers on Flores, a remote Indonesian Island, eventually sold for a high price in Australia. It looks at the role of World Vision Indonesia in helping farmers to carry out a market ...

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Water and human wellbeing

This is an online resource about water availability on Flores, an Indonesian island, highlighting the importance of access to sufficient safe drinking water for the wellbeing of a community. It describes a project carried out by a partnership between AusAID, World Vision and local communities, to provide access to a plentiful ...

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Renewable sources of energy

This is a worksheet consisting of a blank data table designed for students to record information resulting from their research into renewable energy resources. It specifies the types of energy resources to be investigated and suggests topics for research focus.

Interactive

ACTmapi: significant species, vegetation communities and registered trees

This is an one of several interactive web-based mapping resources available from this web page. This map focuses on the distribution of significant plants and animals within the Australian Capital Territory. It is a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) resource that allows users to present information about plants and animals ...

Online

Data in Gapminder world

This resource is a dataset providing data for a number of indicators of development over time for more than 200 countries. The indicators fall into the following categories: population, health, economy, environment, work, infrastructure, energy and education, with over 500 sets of data in total. Each set of data can be ...

Interactive

Dollar street

This is an interactive resource about the different standards of living of people at different levels of wealth. It shows a street containing photo-panoramas from households at different income levels in Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda. The user can choose the level of income ranging from $1-2 per day to over $100 per ...