Senior Geography
Ideal Year: Years 11-12
Delivery: Day Program or Residential Camp
Curriculum Focus: Geography
Program Overview
Senior Geography provides students with authentic fieldwork opportunities to investigate environmental change through the lens of land cover transformation. Using recognised field methodologies and primary data collection techniques, students explore how environmental management decisions influence ecosystem health and landscape condition.
Field investigations are conducted in contrasting environments, allowing students to compare ecosystem condition, analyse environmental change and apply geographical inquiry processes in real-world contexts.
Key Understandings
- Land cover transformation affects ecosystem condition and function.
- Environmental management decisions influence landscape health.
- Primary field data provides evidence for understanding environmental change.
- Geographical inquiry supports informed decision-making.
- Human activities can contribute to both environmental degradation and environmental restoration.
Program Experiences
BioCondition Assessment: Apply recognised environmental assessment methodologies to evaluate vegetation condition and ecosystem health.
Benchmark Site Investigation:Collect primary data from a relatively undisturbed reference site and investigate factors contributing to ecosystem condition.
Comparison Site Investigation:Compare environmental condition across contrasting sites experiencing different management approaches and disturbance levels.
Canoe-Based Fieldwork: Access field sites within the Hinze Dam catchment while investigating environmental characteristics and management challenges.
Environmental Data Collection & Analysis: Collect, organise and interpret geographical data to identify patterns, relationships and environmental trends.
Senior Syllabus Alignment
Unit 3: Responding to Land Cover Transformations
Topic 2: Responding to Local Land Cover Transformations
Focus areas include:
- Land cover transformation
- Environmental management
- Ecosystem condition
- Human impacts on environments
- Fieldwork and geographical inquiry
- Collection and interpretation of primary data
Assessment Alignment
IA2: Field Report
This program has been specifically designed to support students undertaking IA2: Field Report.
Students investigate a land-management or water-management challenge arising from land cover transformation at a local scale through authentic fieldwork experiences. The program provides opportunities to collect primary geographical data, apply field methodologies and utilise geographical inquiry processes that support the development of a Field Report.
Sample Day Program Schedule
| Time | Experience |
|---|
| 9:00am | Program Introduction & Fieldwork Briefing |
| 9:30am | Benchmark Site Investigation |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 12:30pm | Comparison Site Investigation |
| 1:45pm | Data Analysis & Fieldwork Summary |
| 2:00pm | Depart |
Residential Camp Option
Residential camps provide additional opportunities for:
- Extended field investigations
- Data collection across multiple sites
- Fieldwork skill development
- Environmental analysis
- Data interpretation and discussion
- Deeper understanding of environmental management challenges
Supporting Teacher Resources
Participating schools receive access to supporting resources including:
- Student fieldwork booklets
- Sample datasets
- Supporting background information
- Reference articles
- Assessment support materials
- Program-specific teaching resources
These resources support preparation before the visit and analysis and reporting following fieldwork.