School Certificate Practice

Today we are going to be working by yourself or in pairs if you don't have access to a laptop. You will be working on two timed tests created by the BOS from old school certificate exams. You need to go to this link: http://www4.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/course/school-certificate/australian-geography-civics-and-citizenship/

At this link you will choose to do a 5 question test.

When everyone is ready you will start.

Once you have finished you need to keep your results screen up so that it may be viewed by others.

Year 9: The Science of Big Waves

Pre-viewing:

1. Where do ocean waves come from? What gets them started?
2. What do you think a surfer should know about waves before they try and ride a wave while surfing?

Question for the Video:

1. Observe all the waves that you see and describe how they form and break. Use as many words found in the segment for you descriptions.
2. Describe how waves are formed, how they originate, and how they are measured?
3. What is a maverick wave and what is special about the way it is formed?
4. How is energy stored and transferred during wave?
5. List any kind of advice given by the surfers about how to survive these “big waves.”

Homework:

1. Design a blog post on your blog of a big wave site from different parts of the world. Be sure to describe the geography and the topography of the ocean floor in these areas and how this helps create these massive waves. check out http://www.extremehorizon.com/surf-shop/big_waves.html for big waves around the world.

View NN in a larger map

Year 10: Revision

Answer these three long response questions from last years Yearly Exam:

Question 24 (15 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________

In your answer you will be assessed on your ability to:

*organise and communicate your knowledge and understanding effectively

* support your ideas with relevant examples

*use geographic terms appropriately

___________________________________________________________________________

A)    Explain Australia’s regional and global links with ONE nation from two of the following areas:  aid, defence, migration, trade.

B)    Examine the future challenges and responses for Australia to EITHER Human rights OR Reconciliation OR Future population. 

C)    Outline Australia’s changing regional role and/or global role in relation to the role of non-government organisations.

Y10: Defense Set to Give US More Military Access

read this: http://goo.gl/0jlvq

What are the US and Australian military forces agreeing to currently? What the specific implications of this agreement?

What is the name of the summit where Australia's Defense Minister and the US's Secretary of Defense will meet?

Which country is the US specifically reacting to?

What are the US planners looking to achieve with this agreement regarding troop movement?

What are other key areas of discussion at the summit?

What does this agreement mean for Australia's future in the Regional and Global context?

Year 10: Assessment Task 4: Australia's Regional and Global Links

So you guys have the latest assessment (see below) due Friday 19 August. And, as I promised, you guys are more than ready to go on this one. Most of the work that you did on your website will be directly applicable to this assignment. (If only you put a bit more effort and completed the work.)

What do you need to do today?

1. Read the assessment (including the marking criteria).
2. Ask questions about the assessment.
3. Listen to Mr. Cav talk to you about the assessment (and hope he doesn't get too long-winded or whack me in the head with his crazy hand gestures). 
4. Choose two countries.
5. Get started.

Cav's Initial Points:

• Don't just transfer the work you did on the website task to this assessment. You certainly will used a bunch of the info but you'll need to upgrade the detail level and dig a bit deeper in your research.

• CITE YOUR SOURCES!!! This assignment is notorious for plagiarism. As a result every Geo teacher is on red alert looking for a suspicious sentence. DON'T DO IT! You will have all the time necessary to put this work into your own words. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use other people's work. It means you have to give them credit when you do. Anytime you include something that you didn't think of yourself give credit to where the idea came from.

• Make it look good. Using visual elements in your presentation. Maps, graphs, images, ect. are highly encouraged and can really take you work to the next level. But, just having images isn't effective. If you don't use them well and/or they are poorly presented, it can detract from the quality of your work, not enhance it.

• Write well. There is always a tendency to put something together that is a missmash of factual information that together makes little sense and is painful to read. This should read well and my suggestion is that you write it similar to an opinion piece like the one we read on Australian Aid. Take a position regarding Australia's relationship to the country that you choose. You will certainly need to included factual information to make your point and include information that may be against your position, but come to conclusions about how Australia relates to this country in the present, past and future.

• RESEARCH! The tendency is to dive in and go 'control c' 'control v' crazy on Wikipedia and other informative websites. These are useful websites but they won't help you with my previous point. You need to get on Google news and do some searching. Read the articles that come up and start to formulate an opinion while gathering important information (and keeping a record of sources for your bibliography). There is a good aphorism for this task and for most in our lives. If you only have so much time to chop down a tree, spend most of it sharpening the blade. Do your research and the writing part (chopping the tree) will come so much easier. (And what you produce will be of infinitely greater quality.)

Year 10: Trade: ASEAN members start moves to harmonize policies | BusinessWorld Online Edition

ASEAN members start moves to harmonize policies | BusinessWorld Online Edition

1. What is the goal of this ASEAN meeting?
2. What is ERIA? What do they intend to do?
3. What is AEC? What do they intend to do?
4. What are the three key areas of focus?
5. How often does this group plan to meet?
6. What do they intend to keep in their "knowledge bank"?
7. Who was the chairman of the meeting? What is his title? What is the population and GDP of his country? How does it compare to Australia?
8. What do you think that economic integration means? 
9. Do you think that this is good or bad for Australia?

Year 10: Military - China

READ: http://goo.gl/Omvid

1. What does the authour mean when he says that there is a 'strategic shadow' that looms over everything? How does this relate to the US?
2. What does the author propose regarding uranium sales to India?
3. What mistakes does the author say that Gillard has made in the region?
4. How has China save us from these mistakes?
5. What does the quote 'cleaving close to the US and close to us' mean?
6. What has China forced regarding coordination btw Australia and the US?
7. Who will be conducting the Australia Defense Force Posture review? What were their former posts in the government?
8. What five areas will they focus on?
9. What does the author suggest is the most important part of the review? Why?
10. What does having a stronger military presence in the north of Australia do for the future? More or less conflict? Why?
11. How is China leading an arms race in the Asia Pacific?
12. In 2008, what did Rudd predict for military spending in the region?
13. How did Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull get it wrong regarding China and Rudd get it right?
14. What does Australia seek to do with China?

Year 10: Military - US/Australia Alliance

READ: http://goo.gl/z6REc

1. Who is Steven Smith and what important role does he play for the Australian Government?
2. What is the Brookings Institution where Mr. Smith delivered his speech?
3. What role does the Australia/US Alliance play in Australia's 'strategic and security arrangements'?
4. What is important about Australia's global location for this alliance?
5. What contributions has Australia made to this alliance for the last 50 years?
6. What did the minister say about the Australian companies who do business with the US?
7. Why does the minister point out this information about this company? What does it highlight about the relationship between Australia and the US?
8. What is the country central to Australia's relationships in the region?
9. What is Australia trying to foster with this country?
10. Why do you think that this is important to Australia?

READ: http://goo.gl/6uKoG

1. What is the US planning on locating in Australia? Where? Why?
2. What implications does this have on the coordination between Australian and American forces?

Year 10: Immigration

1. What is an asylum seeker?
2. What reasons would they leave their country and come to Australia?
3. What reasons will allow them to be approved for asylum?
4. From what countries are most asylum seekers coming?

Questions:

1. What is the deal between Australia and Malaysia? (What are the numbers of people being 'swapped'?)
2. What rights will they have in Malaysia which will allow them to support themselves?
3. How does Malaysia normally treat illegal immigrants?
4. Are children being sent to Malaysia?
5. What is going to happen to the processing of the 500+ people currently in Australia who have arrived from the 7th of May?
6. What do refugee advocates worry about for the 800 asylum seekers?
7. What is the goal of this 'swap' program?
8. Do you think that it will work? Why/why not?

For help answering these questions read this article: http://goo.gl/0L3wr

Year 10: Monday 25/7 Period 4

Have a read of this article: http://goo.gl/nMM8W

Answer the following questions:

1. What title does Kevin Rudd have in the Australian Government? Explain what this role entails.
2. What is Kevin Rudd's concern?
3. What forum was he at to express his concerns?
4. What actions have North Korea performed recently which have Rudd alarmed and the region lacking stability?
5. What is a 'direct threat' to Australia according to Rudd?
6. What do you think that Rudd is trying to accomplish diplomatically by calling out his North Korean counterpart publicly? How does this relate to Australia's relationship and role in the region? 
7. How does this relate to Australia's relationship to major allies?

Year 10: Australian Aid

1. Read this article: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/were-not-really-helping-20110718-1hlhr.html
2. Summarize the article in dot points on your blog and then write a paragraph stating your view on what the author is presenting.
3. Why do you think Australia is giving more Aid? What would be the benefits of such a policy? What would be the negatives?
4. Discuss Article as Class

Year 10: Tuesday 19/7

1. Review and Discussion of the Oz in the Region Project
2. CLASSWORK: Blog Post w/ reflection of project, how they worked and how group worked.
3. Discuss general findings.
4. On board: list major concerns for Oz for Aid, Diplomatic Communication, Culture, Defense, Migration, Tourism, Trade, Sport.
5. HW: improve/complete your projects

Year 10: Review of Task #1

The first task is done...So, how did it go?

I want you to take 5 minutes to write a post on your blog detailing about 'What went well' and 'What needs to improve.'

Also, looking at your graphs talk very generally about how Australia compares to the other countries you are comparing it to. Were there any surprises that you discovered about other countries?

Year 10 Geography Exam

https://spreadsheets1.google.com/viewform?hl=en&hl=en&formkey=dFZUeElRWFFEREdBelJlb2x0b0xJLUE6MQ#gid=0

Year 10+ 9 Thursday 5/5: Mapping

Using the Synoptic Maps and the Sydney weather report below answer the following questions: (more questions under the synoptic charts). Copy the images from this page and put them in your blog.

1. What is it about the pressure system stalled over Australia that relates to the weather over the next 4 days?
2. What is the air pressure in each of the next 4 days for each of the capital cities? How does this correspond with the predicted weather for these cities?

1. What is the contour interval (sometimes abbreviated CI)? Convert to metric.
2. What is the scale of the map? Convert it into the metric system
3. What is the gradient of the line? Calculate in metric system.

Year 10: Monday 29/4 Work

I'm away today getting the final check up on my surgically repaired knee. So you guys have some School Certificate (especially mapping) work.

Do all the questions on the worksheets provided and the questions below. Post all your answers on your blog.

Monday 2/5

All work due next class.

Additional Questions for 2002 School Certificate

In addition to the questions that are included already complete the following questions regarding Source H on pg 22 and Source I on pg 24.

pg 22 Source H

What is the distance and local relief between the centre of the pine plantation and the factory?

Give the Grid Reference for the Coal Mines as well as the local relief and distance between them.

Give the Grid Reference for the intersection of the walking track and sealed road.

pg 24 Source I

What is the air pressure at Sydney and Perth?

What is the wind speed  and direction at Rockhampton?

What is the Latitude and Longitude at Melbourne?

What is the Latitude and Longitude where it is raining?

What is located in the SW just off the map?

Year 10 Thursday 27/4 - Venice a City in Five Images

Today we are going to have some fun as we transition into our next unit. I have a video on 'how Venice works'. Venice is a city of immense historical importance and also one that is truly unique in how it works.

What are we doing?
1. Watch the film.
       a. While we watch we are going to take notes and decide on 5 aspects of Venice which we think are most important to what makes the city unique.

2. For the remainder of the class and for homework over the weekend you are going to choose a city in the world (let me know before you leave class what you are planning on doing) and make a post on your blog with five images which captures what makes this city unique with an explanation for each image as to why you choose it.



Venice Backstage. How does Venice work? from Insula spa on Vimeo.

Year 10: Tuesday 29/3 Final Prep for Tomorrow

Fingers crossed you did your work yesterday and have half you assessment ready to roll...

Today you need to take care of the second half:

1. Two Responses to Urban Sprawl and/or Urban Consolidation

2. Evaluate the effectiveness of one response: Choose either sprawl of consolidation and have your say whether you think it is effective or not.

Make sure you use the structure from yesterday for each paragraph:

1. Topic Sentence
2. Explain topic sentence.
3. Examples/Statistics
4. Explain relevance of Examples/Stats
5. What effect does this have on Sydney?

Year 10 Monday 28/3: 9.2 Population Growth in Sydney

Using section 9.2 describe the issue of population growth in Sydney in a 5+ sentence paragraph. Use the following format.

1. Topic Sentence
2. Explain topic sentence.
3. Examples/Statistics
4. Explain relevance of Examples/Stats
5. What effect does this have on Sydney?

Then, in a paragraph for each, explain the two responses to population growth in Sydney using the paragraph format above.

Year 10: Urban Sprawl or Consolidation: Green Square

Have a look at this development: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/development/urbanrenewalprojects/greensquare/

What is this an example of?

What are the benefits of this development?

What could be a negative result of this development?