1. WET & DRY
ENVIRONMENT
Stage 1
Term 3
Assessment and Evaluation
Children will be asked to carry out self-evaluation tasks related to their group work and individual
efforts during the activities.
Assessment will be carried out by peers for group presentations.
Teacher observations / anecdotal notes will be ongoing throughout the unit. These will concentrate on
research skills, group participation, effort, contribution to discussion, problem solving skills,
communication skills and achievement of unit outcomes.
During all activities emphasis will be placed on explicit and systematic teaching of literacy components
related to activities covered. e.g. report writing, public speaking, journals, recounts etc.

2. WET & DRY ENVIRONMENTS
The following pages contain a unit of work for Stage 1. The unit content has been developed from the
Board of Studies HSIE K-6 Units of Work titled “Wet and Dry Environments” (pp71-74).
The unit provides opportunities for students to explore life in a wet or dry environment. It allows
students to focus on people’s interactions with, responsibilities towards, these environments.
Outcomes
 ENS1.5: Compares and contrasts natural and built features in their local area and the way in
which people interact with these features.
 ENS1.6: Demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between environments and people.
Literacy Links
 This unit provides opportunities for students to explore observations, descriptions, information
reports, procedures and recounts (personal and literary)
Links with other KLAs
 Activities related to : Creative and Practical Arts, Science and Technology, Media Studies
Values & Attitudes
* Ecological Sustainability * Intercultural Understanding * Beliefs and Moral Codes
Resources
The following resources are recommended:
 Board of Studies website (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au) list current available resources
such as some background information sheets, websites, texts and other material to support this unit.
 Lester & Clyde - James Reece
 Where the Forest Meets the Sea- Jeannie Baker
 Travel brochures
 Aboriginal Dreaming stories - (collection of)
 Local Aboriginal Community
 Community Organisations - WIRES
 Up Down Around - Story of a River

3. WET AND DRY
ENVIRONMENTS
AREAS OF INQUIRY:
 What are natural and built features?
 What natural and built features can we find in the local area?
 What geographical terms can we use to describe location and features?
 How have Aboriginal people interacted with their environment?
 How have places in the immediate environment changed?
 How can we care for the environment?
 What natural and built features are there in Australia?

4. LEARNING OVERVIEW
KNOWLEDGE / UNDERSTANDING
Children are able to:
 identify natural and built features in the local area
 associate geographical terms with places and features in the local area
 examine the difference between built and natural features and sites
 identify similarities and differences between natural features and sites in their local area and those in
other areas
 examines the values that people place on natural and built features and places
 use a range of geographical terms to describe location and features.
 evaluate the results of human change on environments that are relevant to them
 identify wise and unwise use of resources and suggest ways of caring for sites.
SKILLS
Children have developed skills in:
 acquiring information from a variety of sources through locating, accessing, selecting and critically
evaluating information.
 using an inquiry process when participating in meaningful research related to important social and
environmental issues. This involves initiating an investigation, gathering, analysing, synthesising,
applying information and reflecting on their learning.
 social and civic participation that will allow them to accept and fulfil their social responsibilities.
VALUES
Children have developed:
 recognition of the interdependence of people and the environment
 a commitment to ecologically sustainable development and lifestyle.
 an appreciation of the environment, one’s personal relationship with it and one’s responsibility for
its future
 a commitment to ecologically sustainable development and lifestyle

5. CONCEPTS
 wet/dry environments
 interdependence
 responsibilities of people in society
 geographical terms
GENERALISATIONS
 all environments contain natural features
 development often comes at a cost to the environment
 people are responsible for preserving the quality of the environment.

6. Title of Unit: WET & DRY ENVIRONMENTS EN
Outcomes:
 ENS1.5: Compares and contrasts natural and built features in their local area and the way in
which people interact with these features.
 ENS1.6: Demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between environments and
people
Indicators of Achievement Teaching / Learning Activities
 uses geographical tools to locate and Take a walk around the local community environment and
investigate places, eg maps, globes, compare natural and built features. Brainstorm information
atlases gathered from the excursion. Use simple maps of the local
area to locate natural and built features
 recognises that aboriginal peoples Invite Aboriginal elders or community members to the
have interacted positively with the school to discuss the local area; or have an Aboriginal
environment for a long time culture group perform. Share Dreaming stories. Discuss
and have students recount and illustrate one of these. Role
play / perform an Aboriginal Dreaming story / dance
 associates geographical terms for Use photographs, digital images from the excursion and
places and features with visual collate a pictorial record of the local environment.
images. Jointly/individually create features from the local area
using 3D models, collage, pictures, paintings representing
wet and dry environments and natural and built features
 uses a range of geographical terms to Gather/collect travel brochures advertising wet/dry
describe location and features eg. environments. Cut, paste and label natural and built
east, west, mountain, valley, hill, city features using geographical terms. Compare pictorial
and terms for geographical tools eg. representations of local area features with other areas of
map globe, atlas. Australia - using various media ie. videos, CD-ROMs,
internet, magazines, brochures etc.
 identifies ways in which places in Choose an area within the local environment and list
their immediate environment have changes that have or may occur. Read/view “Where the
changed and are continuing to Forest Meets the Sea” as a shared text. Discuss with
change. students. Construct a consequence chart based on “What
would happen to _____(area) if____(factories, farming,
housing development) should occur.”
 evaluates results of human change on Students complete a personal evaluation sheet based on
environments that are relevant to changes that have or may happen in their area. eg. use
them. “happy, sad and OK” faces
 identifies similarities and differences Students construct a written recount of their excursion,
between natural features and sites in discussing the features they saw and their feelings about
their local area and those in other the local environment. Read and jointly view texts about
areas. Wet/Dry environments eg “Up Down Around - Story of a
River” (Big Book) “Long Necks Billabong” Make a
concept map of a wet and a dry environment compare the
two areas.

7.  identifies wise and unwise use of Students look at the water cycle. Brainstorm different uses
resources and suggests ways of caring of water over time.
for sites, features, places and Consider how people’s actions and choices have affected
environments. the water environment. Read and discuss “Lester and
Clyde”
Jointly investigate the wise and unwise use of water by
individuals, families and communities. What are the roles
and responsibilities of these groups in the use of water?
 examines the values that people place Use local community and service organisations as sources
on built and natural features and of information (National Parks and Wildlife, Aboriginal
places. elders, WIRES). Invite speakers to come and talk about the
care of these places.