Curriculum Geography
Topic Aboriginal People and the environment
Learning Intention:
Students will investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and
their influence on the environment
Success criteria:
Students will understand the correlations between Indigenous people and
the land as well as resources used
Time Teaching strategies
Intro We have talked about the
environment as a whole and
changes that occur within and
environment.
Discuss as a class the
influence of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples
on their environment in
contrast to the influence of
European settlers.
Read pages 13-16 of topic
book: People and their
Environments. As
introduction to aboriginal and
Torres strait islander peoples
Body Hand out Appendix 2, an
extract written by members
of the Kosciusko Aboriginal
Working group to assist in
understanding the
relationship between
Aboriginal Peoples and their
Class 5/6S
Learning strategies
Students listening and
engaging with discussion
around Aboriginals and
Torres Straight Islanders
Students are listening as I
read to them the passage
Students take turns reading
parts of the passage.
Students highlight words they
dont know.
Teachers signature
Date: 18/05/17 Time: Middle Session
Outcome(s) Prior knowledge
GE3-2 explains interactions and Students will have prior knowledge in
connections between people, aboriginal culture. Students will have an
places and environments. understanding of what the environment
means to different people.
Grouping Space Resources
Whole Class Front of the class People and their environments
handbook
Appendix 2 from the
Discovering Geography textbook
Picture card 15 as a part of the
Warrawee Public School
Geography pack.
Australian Curriculum
Geography Textbook.
 Country.

Following this, focus further

Go into more detail about
on the use of fire by
Aboriginals using fire as a
Aboriginal and Torres
resource.
Straight Islanders Peoples as
a vivid example of their
What ways did they use fire?
influence of their influence on
the environment.

Show the students picture Students discuss picture card

card 15 which provides a 15
visual example of Aboriginal
use of fire at present.

Have a discussion on different

reasons fire was used by
Aboriginals.

Hand out BLM 11: The use of Students individually Individually

fire before 1788. complete BLM 11

Read the passage on changing Students listen as I read the

the Murray River Region.
Ask the students the
questions that follow on the
following page.
passage about the Murray
River
Student participate in
answering questions.

Conclusion Have a recap about

Aboriginals and their
relationship with the
environment.
Differentiation: Summative Evaluation
Make lesson more interactive.

Teaching notes Follow up
If there is time at the end of the lesson, view on Google Earth a map of the
Murray River valley region. Look at the areas of darker and lighter
vegetation and discuss how the area might have looked before European
Settlement