Design and technologies / Year 7 and 8 / Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Analyse how food and fibre are produced when designing managed environments and how these can become more sustainable (ACTDEK032)

Elaborations
  • comparing land and water management methods in contemporary Australian food and fibre production with traditional Aboriginal systems and countries of Asia, for example minimum-tillage cropping, water-efficient irrigation
  • investigating the management of plant and animal growth through natural means and with the use of chemical products like herbicides and medicines when producing food and fibre products
  • recognising the need to increase food production using cost efficient, ethical and sustainable production techniques
  • describing physical and chemical characteristics of soil and their effects on plant growth when producing food and fibre products
  • investigating different animal feeding strategies such as grazing and supplementary feeding, and their effects on product quality, for example meat tenderness, wool fibre diameter (micron), milk fat and protein content when producing food and fibre products
  • recognising the importance of food and fibre production to Australia’s food security and economy including exports and imports to and from Asia when critiquing and exploring food and fibre production
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
Cross-curriculum priorities
ScOT terms

Farming systems,  Human settlements,  Food miles,  Fibres (Materials),  Farms

Text

Cotton Australia: posters

This page provides links to 5 posters that can downloaded as PDFs. The posters include: field to fashion process, sustainable cotton farms and a map showing where cotton is grown. Variations of the posters are available for primary and secondary students. The web page also provides a link to order free hard copies if required.

Text

Cotton Australia fact sheets

This library provides a series of one to two page fact sheets on a range of topics related to the Australian cotton industry including: an overview of the industry, history of the cotton industry in Australia and in the world; economics of Australian cotton; biotechnology; climate challenges and cotton; properties of cotton ...

Online

Growing your own pizza

In this hypothetical exercise, young learners will explore what they would need to establish if they were to grow their very own pizza. The OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for children to: investigate where and how food is produced; appreciate the complexities of food manufacturing; expand their knowledge of food ...

Online

Creating a food garden: site assessment and mapping

This learning activity is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a food garden. The order of these learning activities are: vision, site assessment, installing a no dig garden bed, planting and harvesting. OUTCOMES of the learning activity are for children to understand more about the ...

Video

Farm Diaries: producer video

This is a video about pig production at the Tintinara property of the Mount Boothby Pastoral Company in South Australia. Pigs at various stages are shown, including nursing piglets, weaned piglets weighing between 7 and 10k, and pigs close to a live weight of 100k. Pig producer Alastair Johnson gives statistics about the ...

Video

Farms and people’s connections to them: producer video

This is a video about the operation of the Outback Pride project and the value of the Australian native food produced in conjunction with Aboriginal peoples. To a visual background of the nursery at Reedy Creek in South Australia and some of 25 Aboriginal communities involved in the project in SA and Northern Territory, ...

Online

Creating a bee hotel: construction

As we clear land for urban development, and for broadacre farming, we remove the spaces where bees nest and find their food. With no food, and nowhere to produce their young, native bee populations are under threat of local extinction. In this activity, we will look at providing nesting spaces for native bees which mimic ...

Online

Understanding weeds: investigation

In this activity you will be looking for weeds in your local park, backyard and surrounds. Build your knowledge and weed investigation skills as you explore your local environment and examine the presence of weeds. Using online resources, field guides and expert local knowledge, you will be looking at and identifying weeds ...

Online

Understanding weeds: life cycle

Weeds compete with native plants in our natural environments, and can dominate both natural ecosystems and areas of agricultural production. This competition limits biodiversity, as well as the economic potential for farmers. This activity will look closely at three different weed forms and children will learn about their ...

Online

Soil – more than just dirt!

Explore different soil textures and discover their various properties. Through simple soil testing, children will learn to appreciate the true value soils have in helping plants grow. The learning outcomes of this activity are for children to: - understand how soil texture influences the amount of water and air it holds - ...

Online

Creating a beneficial garden: planting

Planting flowers with food crops increases biodiversity, and is known as beneficial planting. Beneficial planting not only makes our garden beds look more attractive to us, it also makes gardens look more attractive to pollinators and predators, which in turn, help to fertilise and protect crops from pest invertebrates. ...

Video

Biomes that produce our food, industrial materials and fibre: producer video

This is a video about the mixed farming operations of Boonderoo Pastoral Company in South Australia. The farm is introduced by owner Lachie Seears who describes its size, family history and how region's Mediterranean climate allows him to diversify across a range of valuable commodities including Angus cattle, cross-breed ...

Video

Producing cattle and sheep...and beef and lamb: producer video

This is a video about the operation of a Southdown sheep stud and olive plantation at Gum Park farm in South Australia. Introduced by farmer Dee Nolan, it shows the sheep in the olive groves, the lambing paddocks and birthing shed as she describes the farm's certified organic approach that starts from the soil up and uses ...

Video

Out and about on farms: producer video

This is a video about the Willalooka Pastoral Company in South Australia and its annual cycle of cattle and sheep production. Narrated by owner Thyne McGregor, it shows the scale of the company's operations as he describes how its 10,000 ha size came about and how its five staff are deployed. He emphasises the importance ...

Video

Finding farms: producer video

This is a video about how lobsters are harvested and processed in South Australia for live export to China. In the first part of the video, Mark Denton, a professional rock lobster fisherman describes how the sustainability of the lobster fishery is ensured; compares and contrasts his work with farming any other form of ...

Video

Investigating food and fibres: producer video

This is a video about biodynamic grape growing and wine production at Cape Jaffa Winery in South Australia. It is narrated by co-owner and winemaker Anna Hooper, who describes the wine regions in which the vineyard is located, its soil types, and the main wines grown. She goes on to illustrate the winery's commitment to ...

Video

Investigating key Australian approaches to producing cotton, timber and wool: producer video

This is a video about short wool sheep breeds and how their wool is used at the MiniJumbuck factory at Narracorte South Australia to make quilts, underlays and pillows. Sheep are seen on farms as merino sheep producer Thyne McGregor and Southdown breeder Dee Nolan discuss the strengths of each type of wool and how each ...

Video

Carey Bros Queensland

This is a video about the operation of the Carey Brothers meat production business. Introduced by Greg Carey, the video shows beef cattle at the company's abattoir as he lists the numbers of cattle, lambs and pigs processed in a typical week and the numbers of staff employed at the plant. He praises the resilience of the ...

Video

A Year on a Farm: producer video

This is a video about operation of an organic orchard near Kalangadoo in South Australia and the commitment to biodiversity of its owners Michelle and Chris McColl. Michelle McColl describes and illustrates the annual cycle of work with the trees and fruit while discussing the economic and agronomical advantages of the ...

Video

Exploring farms that produce our meat and wool:producer video

This is a video about Mayura Station in South Australia and the full-blood Wagyu beef it produces. It is introduced by owner Scott deBruin who explains the origin of Wagyu cattle in Japan; points to the characteristic marbling of its meat preferred by Asian customers; and outlines the importance of high energy grain feed ...