Water & Landscapes Inquiry

Backward Plan – Year 8 Geography (Term 4) Theme: Water & Landscapes (Inquiry Process) Achievement Standard Focus By the end of Term 4, students should be able to: ● Explain interconnections between people, places, and environments (esp. water & landforms).

● Analyse human impacts and evaluate management strategies.

● Develop inquiry questions and work through the inquiry cycle (collect → analyse → conclude).

● Propose solutions considering sustainability, ethics, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Unit 6: Waterworld (Weeks 1–4) Main Role: Introduce and rehearse the inquiry process in a structured way. Content Priorities ● Water’s multiple values (environmental, cultural, spiritual, economic).

● Variability of Australia’s water resources & climate change impacts.

● Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on water.

Skill Priorities ● Framing inquiry questions.

● Reading and interpreting evidence (graphs, maps, case studies).

● Linking evidence to claims.

Assessment Case File (scaffolded, 1–2 pages): ● Common inquiry question (e.g., “How does variability in rainfall affect water management in Australia?”).

● Teacher-provided data & sources (rainfall graphs, water usage, Murray–Darling Basin extracts, Aboriginal perspectives).

● Guided prompts for analysis + conclusion.

Why this works: Students learn the process without being overwhelmed by length or independence. Skeleton Case File Structure

1. Inquiry Question – provided to students (e.g. “What does the evidence show about the challenges of managing water in the Murray–Darling Basin?”). a. “What does the evidence show about the challenges of managing water in the Murray–Darling Basin?” b. “How does rainfall variability affect water management in Australia?” c. “Why is water valued in different ways, and how does this influence how it is managed?”

2. Evidence Section – rainfall graphs, usage data, case study extracts (Aboriginal custodianship, farming, environment).

3. Analysis Prompts – What patterns do you notice? Who is impacted? Why does this matter?

4. Conclusion – 1 paragraph linking evidence to the question, mentioning sustainability/management.

Suggested Weekly Flow ● Week 1: Hook activity (water scarcity game); intro to inquiry cycle; water’s multiple values.

● Week 2: Climate/rainfall data work; Murray–Darling Basin case study.

● Week 3: Guided analysis practice; trialling short conclusions.

● Week 4: Finalise Case File; reflection on skills. Unit 7: Landforms & Landscapes (Weeks 5–11) Main Role: Apply inquiry process more independently, with student voice and choice. Content Priorities ● Geomorphological processes & landforms.

● Human impacts: urbanisation, tourism, mining, agriculture.

● Management strategies, including Aboriginal custodianship.

Skill Priorities ● Refining inquiry questions (greater independence).

● Using both primary & secondary data (fieldwork if feasible).

● Evaluating competing claims, strategies, perspectives.

● Presenting findings in creative, evidence-based ways.

Assessment Independent Inquiry Project (student choice of product): ● Inquiry Question: Student-developed/refined (teacher scaffolds).

● Evidence: Primary (fieldwork, photos/sketches) + secondary (articles, maps, teacher-provided case studies).

● Analysis: Processes, human impacts, management strategies.

● Conclusion: Strategy for sustainable management with perspectives (environmental, cultural, economic).

● Format: Student choice (report, podcast, short video, infographic, photo essay, narrated slideshow).

Why this works: Demonstrates independence and creativity; avoids “two reports in a row.” Suggested Weekly Flow ● Week 5: Hook with iconic landforms; explicit teaching of processes; brainstorm/refine inquiry questions.

● Week 6: Aboriginal custodianship; overview of human impacts; inquiry check-in.

● Week 7: Evidence collection (primary + secondary); evaluating sources.

● Week 8: Analysis workshop; peer feedback.

● Week 9: Begin project creation; conferencing.

● Week 10: Continue/finish projects; structured peer review.

● Week 11: Showcase projects (gallery walk, screenings); final reflection on inquiry growth. Threaded Priorities Across Both Units ● Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives woven throughout.

● Inquiry Skills: Unit 6 = training ground, Unit 7 = independent application.

● Fieldwork (if feasible): Provides authentic primary data for Unit 7.

Unit 7 Inquiry Project Rubric

Criterion Beginning (1) Developing (2) Proficient (3) Advanced (4) Inquiry Question Question does not name a landform or is unrelated to processes/impacts. Question names a landform but is too broad (e.g. “about Uluru”) or only descriptive. Question names a specific landform/landscape and asks about a process, impact, or management issue. Question names a landform/landscape, targets a process/impact/management issue, and shows depth (e.g. cause–effect, evaluation, or comparison). Evidence & Data Fewer than 2 sources used. Sources are copied or irrelevant. At least 2 sources used, mostly secondary. Limited explanation of how they link to the question. At least 4 sources (min. 1 primary, 2 secondary). Sources explained and linked directly to the question. At least 6 sources (min. 2 primary, 3 secondary). Sources explained, compared, and evaluated for reliability or perspective. Analysis Describes the landform without explaining processes or impacts. Mentions processes or human impacts, but explanations are basic or incomplete. Explains geomorphological processes and human impacts, supported with evidence. Includes at least one management strategy. Explains processes, impacts, and multiple management strategies in detail. Shows how they connect and evaluates their effectiveness. Perspectives No perspectives considered. Mentions 1 perspective (e.g. environmental or economic) but without detail. Explains at least 2 perspectives, including Aboriginal custodianship, cultural, environmental, or economic views. Explains 3 or more perspectives in depth, with clear evaluation of Aboriginal custodianship alongside other cultural, environmental, and economic views. Conclusion & Strategies for Action No conclusion or unsupported opinion. General conclusion, weakly linked to evidence. Suggests a vague or unrealistic strategy. Conclusion clearly answers the inquiry question and is supported by evidence. Suggests at least 1 realistic strategy for sustainable management. Conclusion is well-developed, strongly evidence-based, and suggests 2+ realistic strategies that balance multiple perspectives (environmental, cultural, economic). Communication Work is incomplete, unclear, or hard to follow. Work is mostly clear but has organisation issues or limited use of chosen format. Work is well-structured, clear, and communicates findings effectively in chosen format (e.g. report, podcast, poster). Work is engaging, highly organised, and makes excellent use of chosen format (e.g. visuals, audio, structure) to communicate persuasively.

Unit 6 Case File Rubric Total: /12 marks (4 criteria × 3 marks each) Criterion Beginning (1) Developing (2) Proficient (3) Response to the Question Does not answer the teacher’s question. Mentions the topic but only describes facts (e.g. “Australia has floods and droughts”). Directly answers the question by making a point (e.g. “Rainfall changes make water hard to manage fairly”) and links to at least one piece of evidence. Evidence & Data No evidence used, or evidence copied with no explanation. Uses 1 piece of evidence (graph, map, or case study) but gives little or no explanation. Uses 2 or more pieces of provided evidence and explains how they help to answer the question. Analysis of Patterns/Impacts Only describes data in simple terms (e.g. “rainfall goes up and down”). Identifies 1 pattern in the data and mentions 1 impact. Identifies 2 clear patterns in the data and explains how they affect people, environments, or management. Conclusion No conclusion, or just an unsupported opinion. Gives a conclusion but does not use evidence. Writes a short conclusion that answers the question, uses evidence, and mentions sustainability or management