Inquiry Question: How did Indigenous People live Sustainably

before European settlement?

Related questions:
What did they eat?
What happened when they lost their most experienced hunter?
How long did they live for, and what did they die of?
Where did they seek shelter?
How did they cope with bushfires?
Did they stay in Victoria or travelled to warmer areas?
Before the invasion Aboriginal people created a complex system of land
management. There was no pristine wilderness, rather a patchwork of burnt and
re-grown areas. Fire was their biggest ally.
Outline of Unit:
This unit outline integrates outdoor education with science, including a 3-day
School camp to the Grampian National Park. The camp would consolidate what
they had learnt in class and allow students to identify the everyday challenges
Indigenous People faced in order to survive. Students need to understand how
Indigenous People were placed within this ecosystem and how this system
provided sustainability. Students will explore the surroundings including flora
and fauna and how rock formations provided shelter and protection of
Aboriginal art work dating back thousands of years. The region has one of the
largest number of rock arts site in Southern Australia. They will camp overnight
in surrounding bushland and listen to nature at its finest. Students will visit
sacred sites, caves and information centres situated around the National Park
and experience the ecosystem of the Grampians firsthand.
Students are to experience the great outdoors and remove themselves from
technology (unless taking photos) for a few days and just have FUN!!!

Inquiry Process:
This unit of work allows students the opportunity to actively engage in student
centered learning activities both individually and in groups. Students will
participate in identifying information, formulate questions to direct inquiry, plan
and research information to then answer the question How did Indigenous live
sustainably in Victoria?.

(AEG5138) Inclusion and Diversity

The inquiry process will assist students to develop critical thinking schools,
problem solving and communication skills through independent and
collaborative learning. Group work has been found to not only improve academic
achievement (Tsay & Brady 2010), but also to help develop social skills required
in life.
Outline of Unit: Eco-systems
Ecosystem includes all living organisms and the physical environment that
surrounds them. All things are dependent on each other for their survival. Matter
is recycled continually through the system. Marine life, deserts, rain forests,
oceans, and coral reefs all rely on the management of ecosystems to maintain
their survival. Plants, insect, animals and bacteria all play a role in a principle
called the circle of life. If just one of these becomes extinct, then the earths lifesupport system becomes compromised.

Lesson plans relating to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment

Authority
Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic
components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems
(ACSSU176)
Multi-cellular organisms rely on coordinated and interdependent internal
systems to respond to changes to their environment (ACSSU175)
Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed
by processes that occur within Earth over a variety of timescales (ACSSU153)
Human Endeavour
Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology
and technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries
(ACSHE158)
Making a Nation
The extension of settlement, including the effects of contact (intended and
unintended) between European settlers in Australia and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples (ACDSEH020)
The short and long-term impacts of the movement of peoples during this period
(ACDSEH085)
Literature
Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate
content and multimodal elements (ACELY1741)

Year 9 School camp at the Grampians combining Outdoor Education with Science
The majority of the science teaching will be day/ night lessons conducted at the school camp with many hands on activities. First couple of lesson at school will
introduce environmental science (Ecosystems) and recap on Year 8 Rocks in preparation for the 3-day camp.

Session
(50 min)
1

Main focus

Learning intention

Activities?

Assessment tasks

Environmental science
(Ecosystems)

Food web activity

Components of the ecosystem

The ecological relationships between
species who coexist in an ecosystem
How energy flows into and out of an
ecosystem via the pathways of food
webs, and how it must be replaced to
maintain the sustainability of the
system

Energy input and output

Why is it important for the ecosystem?

Identify producers and consumers of
an ecosystem
Explain energy flow through an
ecosystem using a trophic pyramid
10% energy from an organism is
transferred to a consumer

Have a range of pictures of different

ecosystems (e.g. Reef, Forest, Marine,
Desert or any other ecosystem that
stimulate discussions).
As a class, look at some of the different
ecosystems and ask students what they
think an ecosystem is, what an
ecosystem is made up of and what makes
different ecosystems unique?
Brainstorm with students on what an
ecosystem is the components of
ecosystems and how they all link
together to make the system work (draw
this on the board for students to see as
they come up with ideas).
Food web activity. African grasslands
and Antarctica.
Symbiosis Venn Diagram
Recap on food webs and ask students in
pairs to construct their own food web.
Identify the producers
Identify the consumers (primary,
secondary or tertiary) Are people
producer or consumers? Why? Can a
food web exist without a sun? Can a food
web exist without plants? Why? Walk

Asking questions and

roaming around room
checking worksheets.
Homework Task:
List 3 interesting facts about
the Grampians.
Students handed
Assessment to complete on
camp. (ICT Presentation)

Informative Questions
Quick game of Kahoot to
finish lesson and to assess
students understanding of
the topic.

(AEG5138) Inclusion and Diversity

Eco-system of Grampians

Indigenous History
(Grampians)

Putting up a tent

Packing for camp & Using

the go- pro.

Brief history of Grampians

Landscape of Grampians
Flora and Fauna
Endangered Species
Grampians known for their rock
formation. 5 Min discussion on types of
rocks.
Students will gain an understanding of
indigenous people in the Grampians
and appreciate how they perceived that
land by living sustainably.
Students will be prepared to put up a
tent independently and in groups.
Students will be ready to sleep
outdoors and understand how to stay
warm.
Students will also learn how the
Indigenous Australians slept at night
and how they used shelter in the
Grampians
Students will learn how to pack their
pack properly and know what to take
camping and what to leave behind.

around room perusing students food

webs.
Energy is never lost it is transferred so if
an organism dies then that energy is
transferred.
What if energy was not replaced would
the system be sustainable? Why?
Explain to students the tuna sandwich
10% energy rule on whiteboard.
Students divided into groups and create
their own indigenous food web.
Answer worksheet questions provided
showing understanding.
Each students explains one interesting
fact about the Grampians.
What role did aborigines play in the
ecosystem?
Answer prior knowledge sheet.
Research and answer worksheet.

Ascertain students prior

knowledge at the start of
class with questions related
to the homework task.
Ecology worksheet.
Informative questions.

Use Kahoot for prior knowledge.

Students put up a tent on the oval, while

working together in their group.
Use Kahoot to achieve the general goal.

Fill out how to pack work sheet.

Prepare a what to bring list, teacher
must sign off making sure that they arent

Informative questions.
Research sheet.
Ability to put up tent.
Use Kahoot to answer
questions in an
interactive way.

What to bring list.

(AEG5138) Inclusion and Diversity

(DAY ONE CAMP)

Days focus:

(DAY TWO CAMP)

Days focus:

Students show an understanding on

how to turn on the go pro.
Students will also learn about the
clothing Indigenous Australians wore to
keep warm in the cold climate of
Victoria.
Students will revisit what they learnt in
class.
Students should be able to identify
types of flora and fauna of the
Grampians.
Have a better understanding of the
ecosystem of the Grampians.
Determine rock structure of
Grampians.
Impact of climate in an ecosystem.
Were there signs of recent bushfires?
In using fire Aboriginal people could
plan and predict plant growth and with
it attract animals for hunting.

Students learn to use ICT

Creativity and cooperation
Team Building. Orienteering in
groups of four.
Landscape and Rock Formation

forgetting anything.

Students will be greeted by a park ranger

and given a brief history of the
Grampians and the rules and regulations.
Then students are given a guided tour of
the local surroundings
Bushwalking and climbing rocks. Noting
the different types of flora and fauna.
What type of rocks are they (Igneous,
sedimentary etc. Learnt in year 8)
Great Chase activity. Spin off from the
game show.
Food web string activity
Explore the Grampians at night via
torchlight. What animals do you see at
night that werent there in the day?

Discussions thru out the day

and night on different topics
relating to the environment.

Students visit Information centres and

historical sites
Orienteering course with science
questions.
Demonstration of aboriginal customs
(Dancing, how to make a fire and
cooking)
Food web activity. Student create own
food web using the flora and fauna in the
Grampians.
David Attenborough Moment:
Students will produce a 5min Video

David Attenborough Video

Assessment:
Students in pairs take a turn
in making a 5minute video.

Are rocks important in the

ecosystem?
What impact to the
environment did the bush
fires have at the Grampians?
David Attenborough Video
Assessment:
Students in pairs take a turn
in making a 5-minute video.
(Completed day 1,2 or 3)

Science discussions around

the camp fire (If no fire ban
in place)
Formative questions
What did they eat?
What happened when they

(AEG5138) Inclusion and Diversity

(DAY THREE CAMP)

Days focus: Indigenous
History

10

11 & 12

Reflection on camp.

Video Presentation.

Double lesson to allow

time for all
presentations.

Students revisit prior knowledge of

what they learnt in class and create
a discussion:
What was the tribe name of the
indigenous people in the
Grampians?
Appreciate how the indigenous
people perceived the land and how
they lived sustainably.
Recognise how the European
settlers perceived the Grampians.
Students gain an understanding on
how they feel about an
environment/ place.
Use of ICT skills in the classroom.
Understanding of the Grampians
eco-system.
Observe the different eco-systems
in the Grampians by watching each
students Video presentation.

presentation related to Environment

(Flora or Fauna or landscape. Rocks etc)

lost their most experienced

hunter?
How long did they live for,
and what did they die of?

Class discussion.

Students form groups to construct

concept maps on butchers paper
with the knowledge they have
acquired.
Students draw a picture of what the
land would look like 20 thousand
years ago and also draw what the
land would look like in 2 thousand
years.
Students visit aboriginal painting
site and water holes.
Form a class discussion on how they
went on camp.
Students finish off their camp
reflection poster.
Class discussion about camp
Students take notes on the different
eco-system videos that are
presented.
Students provide warm and cool
feedback on each others
presentations.

https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/grampians For Aboriginal sites and landmarks.

Informative questions
Were there any animals
hunted to extinction?
Any misconceptions? What
do you think of the
Grampians?
How would you of survived
300 years ago off the land?
Camp reflection poster using
ICT skills.

5 min Be a young David

Attenborough video
presentation.
Students write a short
reflection on their
presentation.