Year 5 Geography Unit 1: Learning to prepare for a bushfire
Geographical Knowledge and
Understanding
Students examine the way spaces within
places are organised and managed (space,
place), and how people work to prevent,
mitigate and prepare for natural hazards
(environment, place).
Geographical Knowledge and
understanding
The impact of bushfires or floods on
environments and communities, and how
people can respond (ACHASSK114)
Geographical Inquiry and Skills
Questioning
Develop appropriate questions to guide an
inquiry about people, events, developments,
places, systems and challenges
(ACHASSI094)
Researching
Locate and collect relevant information and
data from primary sources and secondary
sources (ACHASSI095)
Sequence information about people’s lives,
events, developments and phenomena using
a variety of methods including timelines
(ACHASSI097)
Analysing
Geographical Inquiry Skills
Key inquiry question
 How can the impact of bushfires on
people and places be reduced?
Elaborations
mapping and explaining the location,
frequency and severity of bushfires or
flooding in Australia
explaining the impacts of fire on Australian
vegetation and the significance of fire
damage on communities
researching how the application of
principles of prevention, mitigation and
preparedness minimises the harmful effects
of bushfires or flooding
Elaborations
asking questions before, during and after an
investigation to frame and guide the stages
of an inquiry
developing different types of questions for
different purposes (for example, probing
questions to seek details, open-ended
questions to elicit more ideas, practical
questions to guide the application of
enterprising behaviours)
finding geographical information in primary
sources (such as fieldwork and photographs)
and secondary sources (such as maps, plans
and reports in digital and non-digital form)
creating flowcharts that show the stages of a
process (for example, steps in an electoral
process such as a class vote or a local
council election; the sequence of safety
procedures that can be used to mitigate the
effects of bushfire or flood, the sequence of
actions in a recycling system)
Examine primary sources and secondary identifying the purpose and usefulness of
sources to determine their origin and information gained from primary and
purpose (ACHASSI098) secondary sources (for example, checking
publication details)
Interpret data and information displayed in a interpreting data presented in a line, bar,
range of formats to identify, describe and column or pie graph (for example, data
compare distributions, patterns and trends, about bushfires or floods, election results,
and to infer relationships (ACHASSI100) common influences on the purchases of
class members) to identify the likelihood of
an outcome or the probability of an event
reoccurring
interpreting and creating maps such as flow
and choropleth maps, or plans for specific
purposes (for example, a bushfire
management plan)
Evaluating and reflecting
Work in groups to generate responses to undertaking a project that responds to an
issues and challenges (ACHASSI10) identified challenge or issue with strategies
to be used that will achieve desired
outcomes (for example, bush fire readiness
plan, a school fundraising activity, an
ecological preservation project, a school-
based opinion poll about a relevant issue)
Communicating
Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and selecting and applying appropriate media
conclusions in a range of texts and modes and strategies to suit their communication,
that incorporate source materials, digital and including the use of graphs, tables,
non-digital representations and discipline- timelines, photographs and pictures, in
specific terms and conventions digital and non-digital modes
(ACHASSI105)
General capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities
Literacy Sustainability
Numeracy
ICT capability
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Ethical understanding
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 5, students describe the location of selected countries in relative terms.
They explain the characteristics of places in different locations at local to national scales.
They identify and describe the interconnections between people and the human and
environmental characteristics of places, and between components of environments. They
identify the effects of these interconnections on the characteristics of places and
environments. They identify and describe different possible responses to a geographical
challenge.
Students develop appropriate geographical questions for an investigation. They locate,
collect and organise data and information from a range of sources to answer inquiry
questions. They represent data and the location of places and their characteristics in graphic
forms, including large-scale and small-scale maps that use the cartographic conventions of
border, scale, legend, title and north point. They describe the location of places and their
characteristics using compass direction and distance. Students interpret maps, geographical
data and other information to identify and describe spatial distributions, simple patterns and
trends, and suggest conclusions. They present findings and ideas using geographical
terminology in a range of communication forms. They propose action in response to a
geographical challenge and identify the possible effects of their proposed action.