HASS · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Sustainability in Action: A Case Study

Dive into one of the world's greatest natural wonders and one of its most pressing environmental challenges. This topic uses the Great Barrier Reef as a real-world case study to explore sustainability in action.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC: Geography (Year 10) - Application of geographical concepts and methods to the management of an environmental change

• 45–90 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 90 min · Small Groups

Stakeholder Role-Play Debate

Assign students or small groups to a specific stakeholder (e.g., tourism operator, sugarcane farmer, Traditional Owner, climate scientist, government minister). Students research their stakeholder's perspective on reef management and then participate in a structured debate or 'town hall' meeting to negotiate a path forward.

Analyse the various human and natural threats facing the Great Barrier Reef.

Facilitation Tip

Provide role cards with key perspectives and objectives to help students focus their research and arguments.

What to look for

A formal research essay or multimedia presentation evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Reef 2050 Plan, requiring students to use evidence from a range of sources to support their judgement.

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

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Pairs

Reef Management Report Card

Students investigate a specific management strategy, such as the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan or crown-of-thorns starfish culling programs. They then create a 'report card', grading the strategy on its effectiveness, cost, and equity, providing evidence to justify their assessment.

Evaluate the management strategies implemented to protect the reef's ecosystem.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to use a clear set of criteria for their evaluation to ensure consistent and well-supported judgements.

What to look for

Students create a concept map or flowchart that visually represents the links between a specific threat (e.g., agricultural runoff), its impacts on the reef, and the management strategies designed to address it.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Individual

GIS Threat Mapping

Using online Geographic Information System (GIS) tools like the GBRMPA's Reef Explorer or Google Earth, students map different data layers. They can overlay maps of coral bleaching events, river catchment areas, and shipping lanes to analyse the spatial relationships between threats and their impacts.

Justify a plan for future action that balances economic use and environmental protection.

Facilitation Tip

Begin with a guided whole-class demonstration of the GIS tool before allowing students to explore the data independently.

What to look for

A reflective journal entry where students consider the different stakeholder perspectives and articulate where their own views align, explaining their reasoning.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by establishing the significance of the reef, both ecologically and culturally. Use compelling visual media to engage students with its beauty and its plight. Scaffold the analysis of management strategies by first identifying the key stakeholders and their diverse perspectives before evaluating the actions they have taken.

Your students will be able to critically analyse the threats facing the reef and evaluate the complex web of management strategies designed to protect it for future generations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• The Great Barrier Reef is already dead and can't be saved.

  While the reef has suffered severe damage from multiple mass bleaching events, it is not dead. It is a vast and complex ecosystem with areas of significant damage alongside areas that show remarkable resilience and potential for recovery if threats are mitigated.

• Climate change is the only serious threat to the reef.

  Global warming is the single greatest threat to the reef's long-term survival. However, improving water quality by reducing land-based runoff, managing crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and preventing damage from anchors and shipping are critical local actions that build the reef's resilience to withstand the impacts of climate change.

• Protecting the reef means stopping all farming and tourism nearby.

  Sustainable management aims to balance environmental protection with economic and social needs. The goal is not to eliminate industries but to work with them to adopt more sustainable practices, such as regenerative farming techniques and responsible tourism operations, that minimise their impact on the reef ecosystem.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis