Geography / Year 8 / Geographical Knowledge and Understanding / Unit 1: Landforms and landscapes

Curriculum content descriptions

Different types of landscapes and their distinctive landform features (ACHGK048)

Elaborations
  • identifying different types of landscapes (for example, coastal, riverine, arid, mountain and karst) and describing examples from around the world, including Antarctica
  • identifying some iconic landscapes in Australia and the world, and describing what makes them iconic
  • describing some of the different types of landforms within a landscape
  • exploring the names, meanings and significance of landform features from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander perspective
General capabilities
  • Numeracy Numeracy
ScOT terms

Landforms

Interactive

Rainforest: read a brochure

Read a six-page brochure about the climate of a temperate rainforest in Victoria. Look at maps of Australia showing patterns of temperature and rainfall. Find out what clothing to bring and how to get to the rainforest from the airport. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Cenotes

The Yucatán Peninsula is located in south-eastern Mexico and covers a vast area of coastline south of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a popular tourist destination for people who travel to cities such as Cancún to enjoy sandy white beaches. Explore the subterranean freshwater caverns of this region and discover why this pristine ...

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Wild backyards: digital stories transcript

This is a transcript of a series of three short digital stories produced by the Queensland Museum, entitled 'Wild backyards', in which experts explain how they attract wildlife to their backyards located in Brisbane, Roma and Innisfail. The transcript includes accompanying photographs taken from the digital stories and ...

Online

GeogSpace: year 8 - exemplar

This is a web page consisting of an overview and four illustrations of practice on the GeogSpace website, a resource for teachers. The illustrations relate to the Geographical Knowledge and Understanding, and the Geographical Inquiry and Skills strands of the Australian Curriculum: Geography. The four illustrations investigate ...

Interactive

Interactive maps

Interactive Maps is a discovery and exploration view of Geoscience Australia's geospatial services. Maps are organised under the following themes: Australian Marine Spatial Information System (AMSIS); Earth observation and satellite imagery, National location information; Geology and geophysics; Hazards; Marine and coastal; ...

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 ...

Interactive

ACTmapi Land custodians

This is an one of several interactive web-based mapping resources available from this web page. Land Custodians focuses on the custodianship of land within the Australian Capital Territory. It is a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) resource that allows users to assemble information about land usage as spatially mapped ...

Online

GeogSpace: years 7-8 - inquiry and skills

This is a web page consisting of an overview and two illustrations of practice on the GeogSpace website, a resource for teachers. The illustrations relate to the Geographical inquiry and Skills and the Geographical Knowledge and Understanding strands of the Australian Curriculum: Geography. In Illustration 1, year 7 students ...

Online

Catchment management: the story of a river

Water moves through the environment by the Water Cycle. This activity investigates the journey of a river through the catchment. It is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities designed to support understandings of catchment management. Follow water through the environment and explore the changes to water quality ...

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Work sample Year 8 Geography: Landscapes and landforms

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 8 Geography. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

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Landforms from space

This is an online resource containing satellite images of nine distinctive landforms across Australia. The images, taken from the Landsat satellite series, are of the landforms: Roper River, NT; Lake Eyre, SA; Gulf Country, Qld; Channel Country, Qld; Cairns, Qld; Liverpool Plains, NSW; Snowy Mountains, NSW; Gippsland, Vic; ...

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Geography: Landscapes and Landforms

Join Shona from Geoscience Australia and explore the formation of Australia's coastal, desert and mountain landforms and landscapes.

Online

Catchment management: what’s in a drop?

Water is a precious resource, yet water is also wasted every day. This activity investigates water consumption and how you can reduce the amount of water wasted. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for students to: understand the urban water cycle; learn different ways to reduce water usage; discover how much water is ...

Online

Catchment management: water sustainability

Water is an important resource, and is required by all living species to survive. Water is also important for many industries and businesses. This activity investigates the different land uses over time across your local catchment. OUTCOMES are for children to: understand the natural and urban water cycle; learn about the ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Sustainable tourism

The Yucatán Peninsula in south-eastern Mexico is a popular tourist destination. This clip focuses on examples of sustainable tourism - tourism that aims to have a low environmental impact. View Tulum, a town under threat of being developed similarly to Cancún, a major tourist resort destination.

Video

Battling erosion on the Gold Coast

Queensland's iconic Gold Coast beaches experienced severe erosion as a result of wild weather in early 2013. The liveability of beachside homes in the area is under threat. See the local council's attempts to shore up the coastline and hear some questions being asked about the best way to protect the landscape. Where does ...

Video

This Place: Burringurrah - the boy who ran from initiation

Charlie Snowball tells the story of Burringurrah, a landform named after a boy who ran away from tribal initiation. Also known as Mount Augustus, Burringurrah in Western Australia is often claimed to be the world’s largest rock. What other significant rock features is Australia known for?

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Foreign Correspondent: Dams and dolphins on the Mekong?

If the Lao Government's plans are realised, nine hydropower dams will be built across the Mekong River in Laos, and more across its tributaries. The government wants the country to become the 'battery of Asia'. With this dream comes a host of issues. Listen to reasons why the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) suggests hydro-dam ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Power is money on the the Mekong

Discover why the Lao Government plans to build a hydropower dam at Xayaboury (Xayaburi) on the Mekong River and how neighbouring countries might react. The Mekong River Commission is attempting to maintain a balance for all users of the river. Find out why this is a difficult and complex task.

Video

ABC News: Light rail plan for western Sydney

Long lines of cars, frustrated drivers in peak traffic: familiar? As the population of Australia's major cities continues to rise and spread outwards, increased strain is placed on existing infrastructure such as roads. People often look to government to fix urban problems. Could a light rail system solve Sydney's western ...