Geography

In Geography we looked at how planning decisions taken when designing a new suburb can affect the natural environment. Prior to this we learnt about the benefits of retaining trees in our built environment, that they can not only beautify an area, but they offer shade and natural climate control, they provide a windbreak, prevent erosion and bring wildlife into a suburb. We brainstormed our learning direction, decided on our focus and dived right in. We used Google Maps to “drive” around some local suburbs and graded them on a number of issues. We then had a walk around our local area and took photos of the streets. We finally collaborated in groups using Google Drive to create presentations of our new learning. Take a look at the one below by Samantha, Lily, Indianna and Bianca. Click on the image to view fullscreen.

Geography Field Trip

Last week the students from LA19 enthusiastically embarked on our geography “field trip”. I suppose the title is a little misleading as, after all, it was simply a walk around our own suburb. Nevertheless, I can’t think of a better place to learn about geography than developing a greater understanding of the environment in which we actually live.

The curriculum asks us to study how human decisions and actions influence the way spaces within places are organised and managed. It also requires that students become more critical, analytical and evaluative in their thinking. Well, our field trip has addressed all these requirements and more.

Initially, we watched a video which told us, amongst other things, how trees can save electricity by keeping buildings cooler, acting as natural climate managers. They also provide habitats for wildlife and can increase the value of a suburb through adding attractiveness to the area. With these facts in mind we investigated several other suburbs in WA by “driving” along their streets in Google Maps and awarding ratings for different criteria. We then took this into our own suburb. Not only did we investigate how our suburb was planned, we developed our observational skills, linking hints such as the age of the trees to the age of the suburb. We also saw that a total lack of trees tells us that the land was cleared completely with no provisions made to retain old trees. On top of that we established that there has possibly been a change in the way planning a new suburb is carried out, with newer ones having their houses closer together than older ones. We asked the question, “Why is this the case?” Was the land cleared so completely because the houses, being so close together, would have no space for older trees? In fact, we had lots of new questions and are now attempting to see if we can answer these through our observations. The students are now collaborating in groups on Google Drive to create presentations on their work.

New Houses & Old Trees.

New Houses & Old Trees.

Savannah & Shantelle

Savannah & Shantelle

Mae and Jess

Mae and Jess

Joe and Tom

Joe and Tom

Geography Podcasts

One way we’ve been able to integrate speaking into our English work is by creating podcasts. We’ve created several informal ones this term already, but this new one was a more formal podcast to explain our recent investigations in Geography. The students went on a walk around the area (see previous post) and completed several surveys. They then used this information to judge the livability of three of the streets. They have already completed a complex project on the topic, but the podcast was another way of presenting the work to a wider audience.

   

Traffic Survey

As part of our Geography studies we’ve been looking into the features of an area that can make it a more or less desirable place to live. We conducted a traffic survey on several streets within our local area to see how different sections within the same suburb can have a very different appeal. We counted the number of vehicles and the types that passed within a set time-frame. We also conducted an environmental survey at the same time to measure the cleanliness, greenery and general attractiveness of the same streets. Below you can see a couple of photos of the students counting vehicles as they pass along.
Traffic Surver 1Traffic Survey 5