Year 9/10
Geography / English
Suggested duration: Two lessons
Summary
In this task, students will construct a geography essay, utilising the structural elements of the evaluative essay form. The source material for the essay comes from The Little Red Yellow Black Book. Students will evaluate the importance of waterways in affecting the liveability of places in the experience of different groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Torres Strait Islanders’ ocean-going canoes allowed them to travel far afield, often in small fleets. In return for pearl shell, cone shell, turtle shell and stone, they obtained canoe hulls up to 20 metres long from Papua. To these they added double outriggers and their own distinctive form of rigging, which allowed them to become maritime explorers who could engage in long-distance trading. They navigated by the stars and used their intimate knowledge of the islands, reefs, weather, tides and currents (The Little Red Yellow Black Book, p. 31).
Today, you can still see some of the old stone tunnels, channels and ponds we used to modify waterways in various locations across the country, and stone fish traps around Mer, Erub and Ugar Islands in the Torres Strait. The Gunditjmara people of western Victoria conduct tours of the water-races (canals) made by their forebears and the stone dwellings they lived in during the fishing season (The Little Red Yellow Black Book, p. 33).
Learning outcomes
- Students will demonstrate their evaluative essay skills in an essay evaluating the importance of waterways in Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples’ connections with Country.
- Students will be able to present findings and arguments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ approaches to custodial responsibility and environmental management in an evaluative essay.
| General capabilities | Cross-curriculum priorities |
|---|---|
| Literacy | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures |
| Critical and creative thinking | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures organising ideas: 2, 3, 5, 6 |
| Intercultural understanding |
Australian Curriculum content descriptions
Year 9 Geography
- Apply geographical concepts to synthesise information from various sources and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data and information, taking into account alternative points of view (ACHGS068).
- Present findings, arguments and explanations in a range of appropriate communication forms, selected for their effectiveness and to suit audience and purpose; using relevant geographical terminology, and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS070).
- The effects of people’s travel, recreational, cultural or leisure choices on places, and the implications for the future of these places (ACHGK069).
Year 10 Geography
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ approaches to custodial responsibility and environmental management in different regions of Australia (ACHGK072).
- Apply geographical concepts to synthesise information from various sources and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data and information, taking into account alternative points of view (ACHGS077).
- Present findings, arguments and explanations in a range of appropriate communication forms, selected for their effectiveness and to suit audience and purpose; using relevant geographical terminology, and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS079).
Year 9 English
- Investigate how evaluation can be expressed directly and indirectly using devices, for example allusion, evocative vocabulary and metaphor (ACELA1552).
- Analyse how the construction and interpretation of texts, including media texts, can be influenced by cultural perspectives and other texts (ACELY1739).
- Analyse how the construction and interpretation of texts, including media texts, can be influenced by cultural perspectives and other texts (ACELY1739).
Year 10 English
- Understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication (ACELA1565).
Provisions for differentiation
Learning support
Students with special learning needs may complete an informative text rather than an evaluative essay.
Extension
Students could complete the essay task without using the scaffolding provided on the Student resource sheet.
Resources
- Copies of the Student resource sheet (PDF) and Assignment sheet (PDF)
- English Evaluative Essay Assignment sheet (PDF)
- Teacher resource sheet (PDF)
- Pens and paper
- The Little Red Yellow Black Book - An introduction to Indigenous Australia (4th edition), ` Who we are`, Aboriginal Studies Press, AIATSIS, Canberra, 2018.
For teachers
Ensure that the guidance notes included The Little Red Yellow Black Book teacher resource have been considered.
Vocabulary
- Evaluate
- Custodial responsibility
Preparation: Make copies of the Student resource sheet and Assignment sheet - one double-sided sheet per student. Work through the essay planning tool together.
Step 1.
Distribute copies of The Little Red Yellow Black Book and direct students to read pages 30-42. This content will form their evidence to be used in the evaluative essay.
Step 2.
Discuss the reading from The Little Red Yellow Black Book and draw students’ attention to some key points they might use in their essays such as: how waterways link places; provide food and water resources; affect a place’s aesthetics; influence rainfall and temperature; and impact upon activities and cultural practices. Set students to work independently to develop their essay plan by following the directions on the worksheets.
Step 3.
Before the end of the lesson, set a deadline for the essay to be completed and submitted for marking. Students should ideally be given a week to complete their work on this task.
Assessment ideas
- Rubric for essay based on the Student resource sheet components.