Water Shaping Places

Students will learn the value of water, how water interacts with its environment and the importance of sustainable management.

View of Sydney Harbour Opera House and Bridge from scenic Mrs Macquarie's Point
Stage

Stage 3

Subject

Geography

Duration

2 hours

Location

Rathborne Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

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Cost

Minimum charges apply. Discounts apply for full day programs!

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Students will learn the value of water, how water interacts with its environment and the importance of sustainable management.

Through using an interactive river model, students gain an understanding of how rivers work, different components of river systems and how natural and human actions affect them - particularly in an urban context - and how we can apply sustainable environmental management practices to our water systems.

Students will

  • Conduct water quality tests at significant catchment zones in the Garden and use their data to assess the health of the aquatic ecosystem.
  • Use topographic maps to describe the movement of water around the site and design water management strategies for the Garden.
  • Emulate active citizenship as they research and prepare arguments on behalf of community stakeholders in the allocation of water resources.

Key content

  • Investigate through fieldwork how natural and human processes influence the quality, distribution and availability of water as a resource.
  • Use an interactive river model to understand the physical processes that form waterways.
  • Understand the effect that uneven distribution of water resources has on people, places and environments.
  • Discuss approaches that can be used to sustainably manage water resources and reduce water scarcity.
  • Understand the significance of water to First Nations people, and learn about sustainable water management practices.

Links to New South Wales curriculum

Focus Syllabus Outcomes

Geography

  • Describes the diverse features and characteristics of places and environments (GE3-1)
  • Explains interactions and connections between people, places and environments (GE3-2)
  • Compares and contrasts influences on the management of places and environments (GE3-3)
  • Acquires, processes and communicates geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry (GE3-4)
water school tour 1024x676

Learn the value of water, how water interacts with its environment and the importance of sustainable management.