Understanding Australian Geography

Spend some time making sure you understand key geographic features in Australia. Use the games on the following websites to help you:

• Australia's states and territories
• Australia's physical geography
• Travel back in time
• The Torres Strait Islands
• Australia's Neighbours - Pacific
• Australia's Neighbours - South East Asia

Once you have finished, work on the Just for Fun exercises below. Including:

• Timeline
• Mapping the cross country course
• Creating your own cross country course

The Geography of Canberra

This week we are looking at Canberra's geography. We will be asking questions such as:

1. What is our weather like in Canberra?
2. When was Canberra settled?
3. Why was Canberra settled?
4. Who are the Indigenous peoples of the Canberra region?
5. What is the urban geography of Canberra? Does our urban geography work well? Or not so well?
6. Where do people live in Canberra? Why do they live in these areas?

Individually or in groups choose one or more of the topics above to research (or discuss an alternative topic with Ms Humphries). Throughout the lesson create a document/ poster/ information sheet/ blog about one of these topics. Next lesson you will presenting  what you have found to the rest of the class.

And, just for fun..

Imagine that out-of-town friends or family members who have never been to Canberra are coming to visit for a day and a half (36 hours). What would you want to make sure you showed them? Make a list of destinations – interesting sites, fun activities, good restaurants and shops, etc. Use this 36 Hour in Sydney to guide you (and also look at other 36 hour suggestions in other cities). 

Extra suggestions: 

- Use Google maps to map this journey

- Create a timeline of this 36 hours. Use Dipity or Timetoast to make a timeline. In each event, use hyperlinks to link to the  place/event you suggest  (Tell Ms. Humphries the URL of your timeline and it can be linked to this blog!)

ENJOY!

Just for fun #2

A Canberra cross country club would like to create a cross country course at Telopea Park. They are suggesting a 2.5km route (to be done multiple times). Using Gmaps Pedometer your mission is to:

• Create a 2.5km route around Telopea Park, try to avoid crossing car parks or places that might be dangerous for runners.
• Try to start the route somewhere near toilets and/or an under cover area in case it rains.
• Write a comment (you need to be an Anonymous User) under this post with your name, and route URL.

This course might be used as the actual route for a cross country race - good luck!

Just for fun

Yesterday we took part in the school cross country. The course allegedly was 3.4 km long, however, some people thought it was longer, others thought it was shorter. Can you find out what the real distance of the cross country course was?
Use google pedometer to mark the course and discover the distance. Post a comment under this post which contains your name, answer and URL with the course route you have created. Have Fun!

Weather Maps

This lesson we will discuss the following points:
1. Interpreting weather maps (we will go over the homework questions). Click here to see questions.
2. Hand back previous assignment (we will go over some of the common acheivements and mistakes)
3. Discuss the new assignment

Thinking about the Weather

Start researching the weather...

1. Define weather using a book from the library:
(a) "quote information from the book", and then
(b) write this in your own words.

2. Research the tornado in America.

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/apr/28/us-tornadoes-alabama-tuscaloosa-inateractive-map 
• http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/tornadoes/index.html

OR if that doesn't interest you choose one of the following topics do some web research:

• What is the role of a meteorologist?  What are the different parts to the job of a meteorologist and what skills do they need to have.
• Define the term `climate’.  Research some causes of climate change and the potential impact on Australia.
• Research the El Nino and La Nina or Greenhouse effect and its potential impact on Australia. Present your information on a poster or brochure.
• Come up with another weather topic (ask Ms. Humphries first)

Working on your assignment!

In class today

Read through the worksheet on how to create a photo sketch.

1.       PRACTICE! In your books, create a photo sketch of the image below

2.       Start Researching. Use books, internet and other sources to work through your assignment. By the end of the lesson you must have filled in one box. You must show this to Ms. Humphries before you will be able to go to recess.

Useful websites:

1.       Weathering and erosion

·         Weathering: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/environment_earth_universe/rock_cycle/revise6.shtml

·         Erosion: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/environment_earth_universe/rock_cycle/revise9.shtml

 ·         SpaceJam - Weathering and Erosion:

2.       Landforms: arid, coastal, glacial

·         Landforms – general: http://www.geographer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/landform.htm

·         Landforms - pictures: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Archives/Geol10L/landforms.htm

·         Glacial - all about glaciers: http://nsidc.org/glaciers/ , http://nsidc.org/glaciers/questions/

·         Arid – what is a desert: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/contents/

·         Coastal landforms – features and formation: http://geobytesgcse.blogspot.com/2007/08/coastal-erosion-landforms-features-and.html

3.       Landforms

·         Find the latitude and longitude and picture on google maps:http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=18539

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.771008,+-122.41175+(You+can+insert+your+text+here)&iwloc=A&hl=en