climate | OpenSTEM Pty Ltd

At Mercy of the Weather

Black Thursday, 1851 — 1864 Painting by William Strutt of the 1851 Black Thursday fires

It is the time of year when Australia often experiences extreme weather events. February is renowned as the hottest month and, in some parts of the country, also the wettest month. It often brings cyclones to our coasts and storms, which conversely enough, may trigger fires as lightening strikes the hot, dry bush. Aboriginal people carefully managed the Australian environment in the period before contact with Europeans. They used strict fire-management regimes on small and large scales to manage the timing and occurrence of fires, the impact on vegetation (including for those native plant species that need fire to germinate), as well as the impact on people (who had inhabited every corner of the continent for many thousands of years) and animals.

Black Friday bushfire Matlock — 1939 fires in Victoria (house in Matlock)

Disruptions of traditional Aboriginal ways of life in the 18th and 19th centuries had many severe impacts – on Aboriginal people, on the Australian environment, and on the European settlers in turn. One of these impacts was the breaking down of the country-wide fire management schemes which has been in place before the colonial period. European settlers did not recognise the necessity for regulated burning in the Australian landscape. The build-up of dry timber fuel meant that when storms brought lightening, as in Victoria in February, 1851, large swaths of bush burnt with unstoppable fury. Similarly ferocious fires in Victoria in 1939 (the Black Friday fires) led governments to start to re-introduce fire management schemes. Today these fire management schemes protect us from the worst fury of bushfires, just as they did back in pre-colonial Australia.

At the other end of the scale the storms and cyclones of February often bring flooding rains, especially to Queensland, NSW and Western Australia. In 1852 in Gundagai, NSW, in February 1893 in Brisbane and in many other times and places, most recently 2011 in Brisbane, devastation and loss of property and life have accompanied these events. Seven of the worst 10 floods in Australia have occurred in summer, with several in February. Aboriginal people avoided living in low-lying areas, especially during times of potential flooding, during the pre-colonial period. In fact, Aboriginal people warned the people of Gundagai, NSW, that their settlement was too close to the river before the floods, and were instrumental in saving one fifth of the town’s population from drowning during the floods themselves.

Fortunately this year we have not had any dramatic extreme weather events, but, these topics can still be built into HASS studies (as they are in the OpenSTEM® Understanding Our World® program). Students in Year 5 study natural disasters and the environment as part of the HASS curriculum, however, discussions about climate (Year 3) and Aboriginal Australia (Year 4) can also be incorporated into these topics. OpenSTEM® resources (some of which are linked above) also include quotes of primary sources, as well as contemporary paintings and photographs, addressing necessary skills across a range of year levels.

Australia at the Olympics

The modern Olympic games were started by Frenchman Henri de Baillot-Latour to promote international understanding. The first games of the modern era were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Australia has competed in all the Olympic games of the modern era, although our participation in the first one was almost by chance. Of course, the Olympics predated Federation by 5 years, so there was officially no “Australia” as a unified country – rather a collection of separate colonies of Britain. In fact, OpenSTEM®‘s Understanding Our World® program offers National Sport as a optional topic for students in Year 6, for studying Federation and the development of a national identity.

Edwin Flack, first Olympian — Edwin Flack

An Australian, Edwin Flack, born in London and moved to Victoria at the age of 5, later attending Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, was a keen runner, taking part in amateur athletics with the Melburnian Hare and Hounds Athletics Club. Flack went overseas to work in London and New York as an accountant, at the age of 21, and decided to attend the inaugural Olympic games as a spectator. He spent 6 days travelling by rail and sea, and was dreadfully sea-sick, before arriving in Athens. However, once there, he decided to take part in the games and won his first race on the opening day – an 800m heat, which he completed in 2 min 10 sec. On the second day he beat the American favourite in the 1500m race and then won the 800m final on the fourth day. Flack competed in the colours of his high school in Melbourne, there being no official national colours or uniform for Australia yet. He is credited with 2 gold medals and a bronze medal for doubles tennis, although it was not until 1904 that medals were actually awarded at the games. Flack later joined the Australian Olympic Committee and represented Australia at the International Olympic Committee Congress. Flack’s medals have been credited to Australia by the international Olympic committee, which means that Australia is ranked as a country that has taken part in every modern Olympics.

1936 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony (Bundesarchiv)

Winter Olympics did not begin until 1924 and Australia did not compete in the Winter Olympics until 1936, although they have participated in every one since, with the exception of the games of 1948. In 1936 the games were held in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. A picture taken at the opening ceremony shows a rather concerned looking Henri de Baillot-Latour standing between Rudolf Hess and Adolf Hitler. History may have justified Baillot-Latour’s expression… Australia was represented by Kenneth Kennedy, who took part in the speed skating event, coming 33rd in both the 1500 and 5000m events and 29th in the 500m event. Not being a country renowned for its winter sports, and having a climate not particularly conducive to supporting the training of local athletes, it was many years before Australia was a serious contender in any of the winter sports. It was not until 1994 that Australia won its first medal at the Winter Olympics – a bronze in the short track relay.

However, modern technology which increased access to training options for athletes and increased support for the winter sports by the Australian Olympic Committee have seen Australia forge ahead in recent decades. In 2002 Australia won its first 2 gold medals (the first time any country from the southern hemisphere had won a winter Olympics event) for short track speed skating (which Steven Bradbury won after all the other competitors crashed out) and aerials.

Torah Bright, 2010 — Torah Bright, gold medal 2010 (Allie from Vancity)

2010 was Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics. The games were held in Vancouver, Canada and Australia won 2 gold and 1 silver, with a further 7 athletes finishing in the top 10 in their events. Torah Bright, who was the Australian flagbearer, won a gold medal for the snowboard half-pipe. Lydia Lassila took gold in the aerial skiing. Dale Begg-Smith took silver in the men’s mogul skiing.

This year Australia has 51 athletes competing in 10 sports in PyeongChang in South Korea. Matt Graham has already taken a silver medal in men’s moguls and Scott James has taken a bronze in men’s snowboard half-pipe, with many events still to be completed. Go Aussies!

Current events such as the Winter Olympics can be a great vehicle for teachers to achieve student engagement. There are heaps of ways that these events can be incorporated into students’ learning – from looking at how they can hold the Winter Olympics while we’re sweltering through the tail-end of summer (our Torch and Ball activity demonstrates global seasons as well as day and night, specifically aimed at Science for Years 1 to 3 , it can be a great thing to revise in higher years too); to the Geography and climate of the different venues around the world; from the historical events surrounding many Olympics to the development of an Australian national identity, and national sport, around Federation. The broad range of OpenSTEM® resources are aimed at helping teachers to guide the interests of the students towards the outcomes of the curriculum, whilst keeping the process interesting and engaging.

This Week in HASS – term 4, week 3

This week our youngest students are looking at special places locally and around Australia, slightly older students are considering plants and animals around the world, while our older students are studying aspects of diversity in Australia.

Foundation/Prep/Kindy to Year 3

Students in standalone Foundation/Prep/Kindy (Unit F.4) and combined classes with Year 1 (F-1.4) are thinking about special places this week – what places are special to them and their families? What places are special in Australia? This focus gives the teacher a chance to guide the students through the process of considering natural beauty and how we and other agencies, such as the government, can look after special places and places of natural beauty. Students in Years 1 (Unit 1.4), 2 (Unit 2.4) and 3 (Unit 3.4) are continuing their focus on the stories of families from around the world from week 1. This week Year 1 and 2 students are focusing on plants and animals from the places described in the stories in week 1. Students in Year 3 also consider the role of climate in the diversity of plants and animals.

Years 3 to 6

Students in Years 3 (Unit 3.8), 4 (Unit 4.4), 5 (Unit 5.4) and 6 (Unit 6.4) are studying different aspects of diversity this week. Students in year 3 are looking at Aboriginal people and the environment, in the context of climate. Students in Year 4 consider both Aboriginal people and technology with respect to the Australian environment. Students in year 5 are starting to consider how Aboriginal people’s interactions with the environment over millennia have set the stage for the recognition of Native Title in Australia; while students in year 6 examine the history of Aboriginal suffrage and Native Title in Australia. These studies of diversity in Australia provide information for the students to start planning a celebration of identity and diversity in the last week. Students in Years 3 to 6 also continue with their scientific experiment of growing a plant.

This Week in HASS – term 2, week 4

It’s NAPLAN week and that means time is short! Fortunately, the Understanding Our World™ program is based on 9 week units, which means that if you run out of time in any particular week, it’s not a disaster. Furthermore, we have made sure that there is plenty of catch-up time within the lessons, so that there is no need to feel rushed. This week students are getting into the nitty gritty of their term projects. Our youngest students are studying their surroundings at school and in the local area. Older students are getting to the core of their research projects.

Foundation to Year 3

Students in our standalone Foundation/Kindy/Prep class (unit F.2) are starting to build a model of their Favourite Place. It is the teacher’s choice whether they build a diorama, make a poster or collage, or how this is done in class. This week students start by drawing or cutting out pictures to show aspects of their favourite place. Students in an integrated Foundation/Kindy/Prep (unit F.6) and Year 1 class are using their senses to investigate their class and school – what can we see, hear, smell, feel and taste? Some ideas can be found in resources such as My Favourite Sounds and the Teacher Handbook also contains lots of ideas for these investigations. Students in Years 1 (unit 1.2), 2 (unit 2.2) and 3 (unit 3.2) are also discussing how the school and local area has changed through time. The teacher can use old maps, photos or newspaper reports to guide students through these discussions. What information is available in the school? What do local families remember?

Years 3 to 6

Students in Year 3 (unit 3.6), 4 (unit 4.2), 5 (unit 5.2) and 6 (unit 6.2) are continuing to research their explorer. This week year 3 students are focusing on the climates encountered by their explorer. Resources such as Climate Zones of Australia and Climate Zones of the World can help the class to identify these climate areas. Year 4 students examine Environments in Africa and South America, in order to discuss the environments encountered by their explorer. Students in Year 5 can read up about the environment encountered by their explorer in North America, and Year 6 students examine the Environments of Asia. In each case, the student workbook guides the student through this investigation and helps them to isolate pertinent information to include in their presentation. This helps students to gain an understanding of how to research a topic and derive an understanding of what information they need to consider. Teachers can use the workbook to check in and see how students are travelling in their progress towards completing the project, as well as their understanding of the content covered.

This Week in HASS – term 2, week 2

It is hoped that by now all the school routine is shaking back down into place. No doubt you’ve all got ANZAC Day marked on your class calendars, and this may be a good time to revisit some of the celebrations with the younger students. This week our younger students are looking at types of homes and local Aboriginal groups. Students in Year 3 are investigating climate zones and biomes of Australia, while students in Years 4 to 6 are looking at Europe in the ‘Age of Discovery’ (the 15th to 18th centuries).

Foundation/Prep to Year 3

Students in our stand-alone Foundation/Prep class (Unit F.2), in line with the name of the unit “Where We Live”, are examining different types of homes and talking about how people get the things they need (such as shelter, warmth etc) from their homes. Students examine a wide range of different types of homes including freestanding houses, apartments, townhouses, as well as boats, caravans and other less conventional homes.

Students in integrated Foundation/Prep classes (Unit F.6) and in years 1 (Unit 1.2), 2 (Unit 2.2) and 3 (Unit 3.2) are finding out about their local Aboriginal groups, in the area of their school. Students will be considering how the groups are connected to the land and what changes they have seen since they first arrived in that area, thousands of years before. Remember, if you need information about your local Aboriginal group, feel free to contact us and ask.

Years 3 to 6

Students in Year 3, doing the Unit “Exploring Climates” (Unit 3.6) are consolidating work done last week on climate zones and the biomes of Australia. This week they are focusing on matching the climate zone to the region of Australia. Students in Years 4 (Unit 4.2), 5 (Unit 5.2) and 6 (Unit 6.2) are shifting focus across to Europe in the 15th to 18th centuries – the ‘Age of Discovery’.

This sets the scene for further examinations of explorers and the research project students will undertake this term, as well as introducing students to the conditions in Europe which later led to colonisation, thereby providing some important background information for Australian history in Term 3. Students can examine Spain, Portugal and England and the role that they played in exploring the world at this time.

Science!

Did you know: the Understanding Our World™ program also fully covers the Science component of the Australian Curriculum at each year level, integrated with the HASS materials!

In line with the Age of Discovery explorer theme, student start their Science activity: “Ancient Sailing Ships“. A perennial favourite with students, this activity involves making a simple model sailing ship and then examining the forces acting on the ship, the properties of different parts of the ships and the materials from which they were made, examining different types of sails (square-rigged versus lateen-rigged), as well as considering the phases of matter associated with sailing ships.

Some schools set up water troughs and fans and race the ships against each other, which causes much excitement! This activity also helps students understand some of the challenges faced by explorers who travelled the world in similar vessels.

This Week in HASS – term 2, week 1

Welcome to the new school term, and we hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Many of our students are writing NAPLAN this term, so the HASS program provides a refreshing focus on something different, whilst practising skills that will help students prepare for NAPLAN without even realising it! Both literacy and numeracy are foundation skills of much of the broader curriculum and are reinforced within our HASS program as well. Meantime our younger students are focusing on local landscapes this term, while our older students are studying explorers of different continents.

Foundation to Year 3

Our youngest students (Foundation/Prep Unit F.2) start the term by looking at different types of homes. A wide selection of places can be homes for people around the world, so students can compare where they live to other types of homes. Students in integrated Foundation/Prep and Years 1 to 3 (Units F.6; 1.2; 2.2 and 3.2) start their examination of the local landscape by examining how Aboriginal people arrived in Australia 60,000 years ago. They learn how modern humans expanded across the world during the last Ice Age, reaching Australia via South-East Asia. Starting with this broad focus allows them to narrow down in later weeks, finally focusing on their local community.

Year 3 to Year 6

Students in Years 3 to 6 (Units 3.6; 4.2; 5.2 and 6.2) are looking at explorers this term. Each year level focuses on explorers of a different part of the world. Year 3 students investigate different climate zones and explorers of extreme climate areas (such as the Poles, or the Central Deserts of Australia). Year 4 students examine Africa and South America and investigate how European explorers during the ‘Age of Discovery‘ encountered different environments, animals and people on these continents. The students start with prehistory and this week they are looking at how Ancient Egyptians and Bantu-speaking groups explored Africa thousands of years ago. They also examine Great Zimbabwe. Year 5 students are studying North America, and this week are starting with the Viking voyages to Greenland and Newfoundland, in the 10th century. Year 6 students focus on Asia, and start with a study in Economics by examining the Dutch East India Company of the 17th and 18th centuries. (Remember HASS for years 5 and 6 includes History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business – we cover it all, plus Science!)

You might be wondering how on earth we integrate such apparently disparate topics for multi-year classes! Well, our Teacher Handbooks are full of tricks to make teaching these integrated classes a breeze. The Teacher Handbooks with lesson plans and hints for how to integrate across year levels are included, along with the Student Workbooks, Model Answers and Assessment Guides, within our bundles for each unit. Teachers using these units have been thrilled at how easy it is to use our material in multi-year level classes, whilst knowing that each student is covering curriculum-appropriate material for their own year level.