Future-Proofing Australia

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Overview

Lesson Duration: 180 minutes
Year Level: Year 11
Class Size: 13 Students
Subject Area: Other — Sustainability
Australian Curriculum Link:
Aligned to the Australian Curriculum – General Capabilities: Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking, and the Cross-Curriculum Priority: Sustainability.
Specifically aligned to Senior Secondary: Earth and Environmental Science (Unit 2, ACSES048) and Geography Curriculum (Year 11 - Unit 1): Environmental change and management.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Understand Australia’s sustainability challenges and opportunities
• Explore First Nations Australians' ecological knowledge and relationship with the land
• Investigate innovative Australian solutions to global environmental issues
• Apply systems thinking to address a real sustainability problem
• Develop a community action proposal with an emphasis on ethical responsibility and ecological integrity

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Success Criteria

Students will:

✔ Collaboratively analyse and evaluate sustainability strategies in a regional Australian context
✔ Reflect on individual and collective responsibilities for sustainable futures
✔ Develop a sustainable community micro-solution, informed by local and Indigenous perspectives
✔ Effectively communicate their proposal in a visual and/or verbal pitch

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Materials Required

• Recycled or sustainable materials (boxes, paper, tape, glue, string, markers)
• Laptops or tablets with presentation software
• Printed sustainability scenario cards
• Butcher's paper and markers
• Audio-visual equipment for group presentations
• Access to local council sustainability initiatives/resources
• Resource packets on Indigenous land management practices (e.g. firestick farming)

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Lesson Structure

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Warm-Up (30 minutes)

Activity Title: 'Whose Earth Is It Anyway?' 🌏

Method:
Facilitated using discussion and short pre-reading activity.

Instructions:

1. Begin with an Acknowledgement of Country.
2. Share an image of cracked land next to a lush green area. Prompt: “What does sustainability mean to you?”
3. Think-Pair-Share: Students respond individually (5 mins), then discuss with a partner (5 mins), then with the class.
4. Introduce core concepts: Intergenerational justice, carrying capacity, ecological footprint, and resilience.
5. Hand out "Mini Case Snapshots" — 5 Australian sustainability efforts (e.g. Murray-Darling Basin plan, Torres Strait sea-level rise strategies).

Key Question:
What ethical responsibility do we hold for future Australians?

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Part 1: Deepening Understanding (60 minutes)

Activity Title: 'Regenerating Country' 🔥🌱

Focus: Integration of Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science

Method: Rotating Workshop Stations

Station 1 – Fire and Life

• Learn about Indigenous firestick practices
• Compare to modern hazard reduction burning
• Mini task: Build a land management comparison chart

Station 2 – Food Web Futures

• Investigate bush tucker and sustainable harvesting
• Taste test component with discussion on low-impact agriculture
• Mini task: Design a mock bush tucker garden for a school ground

Station 3 – Caring for Sea Country

• Learn about Torres Strait Islander responses to climate impacts
• View photos and videos of community-led marine conservation
• Mini task: Write a journal entry in the voice of a young sea ranger

Station 4 – Systems Thinking Dome

• Students map interconnections between carbon emissions, land degradation, cultural identity, and youth action
• Mini task: Create a "systems loop" diagram using sticky notes on whiteboard

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BREAK (15 minutes)

Provide sustainably-sourced snacks or hold in an outdoor space with shade to keep the theme immersive.

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Part 2: Sustainability Challenge (70 minutes)

Activity Title: 'The 2040 Challenge' 🧩

Scenario:
It’s the year 2040. Your region of Australia is facing a major sustainability crisis (choose 1 of 3 options):

• 1: Drought and agricultural collapse in rural NSW
• 2: Coastal erosion in VIC affecting infrastructure
• 3: Urban waste overflow threatening natural parks in WA

Instructions:

1. Students form 4 groups
2. Each group draws a scenario card describing one sustainability crisis
3. Research moment — students explore relevant case studies (resource packs provided)
4. Groups must:
   • Identify key stakeholders (e.g. Traditional owners, local councils, youth)
   • Propose a community-based solution
   • Design an implementation roadmap
   • Create a visual model or diagram (physical or digital)
   • Prepare a pitch (5 minutes)

Extension:
Add variables such as political unrest, extreme weather or tech failure to test solution robustness.

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Part 3: Student Pitches & Reflection (20 minutes)

Each group presents their solution to the class in a "Sustainability Shark Tank" format.

Panel Rubric Focus:

• Plausibility and innovation
• Integration of Indigenous knowledge
• Community impact
• Long-term resilience

Reflection Prompts (written or video log):

• What is one mindset shift you had during this project?
• How could you influence sustainability at your school or in your community?

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Assessment Options

Component	Weight	Assessment Type
Group Pitch	30%	Assessment of Learning
Personal Reflection Task	30%	Assessment as Learning
Station Work Tasks	20%	Assessment for Learning
Peer Evaluation of Group	20%	Assessment as Learning

Teacher can provide indicative achievement levels related to the Senior Secondary Syllabus Outcomes relevant to their jurisdiction, e.g., SACE, VCE, HSC.

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Teacher Tips

• Tie in local council or regional sustainability initiatives — consider inviting a guest speaker virtually
• Take learning outdoors where possible
• Create a student-led sustainability action board for ongoing school projects
• Consider cross-faculty integration with Humanities/Science/Art

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Extension Ideas

• Citizen Science Link-Up: Partner with a CSIRO program or local Landcare group
• Indigenous Elders Visit: Organise a Yarning Circle on Campus
• Urban Design Challenge: Collaborate with Technologies/Design and Tech to develop eco-engineering prototypes

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Final Thought 🌍

Sustainability isn't a topic; it's a future every student deserves to shape. Through Indigenous wisdom, innovative thinking, and empowered youth leadership, we can prepare our learners not just for exams — but for a life that regenerates the world around them.