HASS · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Land and Water Degradation

How does the way we use our land affect the water we drink and the food we eat? This topic explores the fragile connection between our actions and the health of our environment.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC: Geography (Year 10) - Human-induced environmental changes that challenge sustainability

• 45–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Document Mystery
• 45 min · Small Groups

Salinity Soil Experiment

Students grow seedlings (e.g., radish or bean sprouts) in three different pots: one with fresh water, one with slightly salty water, and one with very salty water. They observe and record the effects on plant growth over two weeks to model the impact of soil salinity.

Identify the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Facilitation Tip

Ensure groups create a clear hypothesis before starting and consistently measure variables like plant height and leaf colour.

What to look for

Students produce a research report or documentary on a specific case of land or water degradation in Australia, analysing its causes, impacts, and the responses from different groups.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Document Mystery
• 60 min · Small Groups

Murray-Darling Basin Stakeholder Role-Play

Assign students roles such as a farmer from upstream, an environmental scientist, a tourism operator from South Australia, and a government water minister. They then debate a proposed water allocation plan for the basin, representing their stakeholder's perspective.

Explain how unsustainable farming practices can lead to desertification.

Facilitation Tip

Provide each group with a role card that clearly outlines their stakeholder's key interests and arguments.

What to look for

A '3-2-1' exit ticket where students write down three causes of deforestation, two consequences of soil erosion, and one question they still have about water pollution.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Document Mystery
• 50 min · Pairs

Plastic Pollution Pathway Mapping

Students choose a common plastic item, like a drink bottle or plastic bag, and create a visual flowchart or digital story mapping its potential journey from a local street drain to the ocean. They must identify the environmental impacts at each stage.

Analyse the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and water quality.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to use satellite maps and online resources to make the journey as geographically specific as possible.

What to look for

Students use a rubric to evaluate their own infographic on plastic pollution, assessing their use of data, clarity of message, and visual design before final submission.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by connecting to students' local environment, perhaps by examining a local creek or discussing land use in their area. Use compelling visual case studies, such as satellite images showing deforestation over time, to make the scale of the problem tangible. Scaffold the analysis of complex issues by using graphic organisers to separate causes, effects, and management strategies.

Students will be able to analyse the causes of land and water degradation and evaluate the strategies used to manage and protect these vital resources.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Pollution just disappears or gets diluted over time.

  Many pollutants, especially heavy metals and plastics, do not break down easily. They can persist in the environment for hundreds of years and accumulate in organisms through a process called biomagnification, becoming more concentrated higher up the food chain.

• Desertification only happens in actual deserts.

  Desertification is the process of land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, known as drylands. It's about fertile land becoming desert-like due to factors like deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable farming, not the expansion of existing deserts.

• Australia doesn't have a deforestation problem like the Amazon.

  While the Amazon is a critical global issue, Australia has one of the highest rates of land clearing in the developed world, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales. This clearing is primarily for cattle grazing and agriculture and has significant impacts on biodiversity and soil health.

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Methods used in this brief

• Document Mystery