ESH360: Advanced HASS - AT1.3 Blog Post Draft
ESH360: Advanced HASS - Using Blogs to communicate with HASS parent/carers AT1
Liam Ryan - 452002
Welcome to Class R5’s blog! In the next 3-4 weeks our class will be
looking at Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) through Geography/Sustainability. As many of our parents and students are
aware, our beautiful Tasmanian landscape and forests suffered greatly at the
hands of bushfires across the summer.
Bushfires are problematic because Tasmania is one of the driest and most
fire-hazardous continents in the world (McNeice, 2016). Traditionally, fires are a natural component
of the Australian eco-system (A history of
vulnerability: putting Tasmania's bushfires into perspective, 2013). Consequently, the Tahune Airwalk, a popular
eco-friendly tourist attraction in the Huon Valley, fell threat to fires,
caused by lightning strikes. In class, R5
will investigate the geographical damage of bushfires and discuss strategies to
respond as citizens to protect and mitigate bushfires in the future.
Students will investigate key geographical concepts of
eco-systems, characteristics of places, environmental management and
sustainability. Students will also examine citizenship topics of interconnectedness
(cause-and-effect of environment/human influence), community and economical
awareness, and how people work to prevent, mitigate, prepare and respond to
natural disasters (ACARA, 2019).
We
want students to understand and build awareness of natural disasters, environment/community
sustainability and community response. To
create emotional engagement and motivation, the class will read the book ‘The
House on the Mountain’, then watch videos on the impact of bushfires in Tasmania. Questions like, “How does the geographical characteristics
of the Tahune Airwalk influence bushfire risks?” and “What kind of future do we
want?”, will stimulate discussions. The Tasmanian
Fire Service (TFS) will talk to us about bushfires. Here, students will collect large sources of information
regarding preventing, preparing and responding to a bushfire.
Liam Ryan - 452002
ESH360: TEMPLATE FOR BLOG POSTS
Blog Post # 1.3
|
Your name: Liam Ryan
|
Year: Grade 5
|
AC/HASS Topic: Education for sustainability linking to both Geography
and Civics and Citizenship Education
(Week 5)
|
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to Class R5’s blog! In the next 3-4 weeks our class will be
looking at Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) through Geography/Sustainability. As many of our parents and students are
aware, our beautiful Tasmanian landscape and forests suffered greatly at the
hands of bushfires across the summer.
Bushfires are problematic because Tasmania is one of the driest and most
fire-hazardous continents in the world (McNeice, 2016). Traditionally, fires are a natural component
of the Australian eco-system (A history of
vulnerability: putting Tasmania's bushfires into perspective, 2013). Consequently, the Tahune Airwalk, a popular
eco-friendly tourist attraction in the Huon Valley, fell threat to fires,
caused by lightning strikes. In class, R5
will investigate the geographical damage of bushfires and discuss strategies to
respond as citizens to protect and mitigate bushfires in the future.
Students will investigate key geographical concepts of
eco-systems, characteristics of places, environmental management and
sustainability. Students will also examine citizenship topics of interconnectedness
(cause-and-effect of environment/human influence), community and economical
awareness, and how people work to prevent, mitigate, prepare and respond to
natural disasters (ACARA, 2019). 
We
want students to understand and build awareness of natural disasters, environment/community
sustainability and community response. To
create emotional engagement and motivation, the class will read the book ‘The
House on the Mountain’, then watch videos on the impact of bushfires in Tasmania. Questions like, “How does the geographical characteristics
of the Tahune Airwalk influence bushfire risks?” and “What kind of future do we
want?”, will stimulate discussions. The Tasmanian
Fire Service (TFS) will talk to us about bushfires. Here, students will collect large sources of information
regarding preventing, preparing and responding to a bushfire.
The class’ major project for the unit will be to
create an environmental activism campaign to prepare, protect, prevent and respond
to bushfires in Tasmania. The class will
formally write a letter to the state government promoting their concerns and ideas
to educate and create awareness. Using
their knowledge from discussions with the TFS, the class will rally the school
community by creating/presenting a school bush/fire survival plan. In the following weeks, R5 will publish videos,
posters and inserts in school newsletters about - prevention: promoting
awareness campaigns; fire survival plans; knowledge of local topography; and clearing
dead/dry bushlands near townships. Preparation/protecting
people/environment: routine fuel reduction burns; promoting aboriginal
fire/land management practices; increasing minor sediment and erosion
preventative works/repairs; clearing of defendable space around
homes/infrastructure; and routine maintenance checks of roads/fence
lines/tracks. Responding: knowledge of
emergency services; the role of media/communication; firefighter volunteer
services; safe behaviours; and defending your home (Bushfire management and national environment law,
2010).
To
support their campaign in writing to the state government, class R5 will raise
funds to create a website to strengthen their push to create bushfire awareness
across Tasmania. Parents, friends, local
businesses and councils are urged to support, donate or invest in the project
to help boost educational awareness.
Parents can also support their child’s learning by creating or reviewing
their home fire survival plan.
Word Count: 499
References
A history of
vulnerability: putting Tasmania's bushfires into perspective. (2013). Retrieved
from http://theconversation.com/a-history-of-vulnerability-putting-tasmanias-bushfires-in-perspective-11530
Bushfire management and
national environment law. (2010). Retrieved from https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/factsheet-bushfire-management-and-national-environment-law
Chapman, K. (2019).
TASMANIA FIRES 01,2019, EMERGENCY WARNING IN PLACE 4 TAHUNE. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzwtsEPMv0s
McNeice, R. (2006).
Bushfires. Retrieved from http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/B/Bushfires.htm
Readings. (2019). The
House on the Mountain [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.readings.com.au/products/26470494/the-house-on-the-mountain
SBS News. (2019). Tourist
attraction among properties destroyed in Tasmania bushfire [Image].
Retrieved from https://www.sbs.com.au/news/tourist-attraction-among-properties-destroyed-in-tasmania-bushfire
SoulPancake. (2015). Kid
President's Pep Talk for the World. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1zNHoYmhUI
Tasmanian Fire Service.
(2018). TFS Education [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.tfseducation.com.au/
Vito Babb. (2019). New
Tasmanian bushfires could push crews to limit. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTmyg1fa1So
Reading engaging books, watching pertinent videos and having real fire fighters come in to talk about bushfires in regards to sustainability can really ignite a passion for students to take a stand in helping prevent bushfires. Really good how you linked it back to community and tasked students with making a bush fire escape plan – imagine this in a rural bush school, that would be an awesome thing to do.
ReplyDeleteYou did a nice job of tying in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cross Priority Curriculum into the lessons by saying ‘traditionally, fires were a natural component to Australian eco system’. This alludes to how Aboriginal people once maintained fires. Could maybe make this section of learning very explicit.
Good blog!
Jack Harvey