Water - Learning and Living Let's Get Started

The Teacher Resource contains four Key Messages that form a framework through which educators can focus on this topic. These key messages can be promoted through the development of the five Sustainability Outcomes listed on the right hand side of the tables below. To achieve each of the outcomes, a series of five Themes are recommended. Each of these themes includes Resource, Activity and Who Can Help tables.

Selected resources are listed under topics and organized into levels of complexity to assist the educator in selecting material appropriate to the level of study. The Activity tables are organized in Bands (year levels) to complement developmental phases of the learner. The ‘Who Can Help’ tables are linked to the Contact Resource List which contains email addresses and web sites of organizations that are involved in the provision of information and assistance for school aged children.

Water Learning Start contains the following themes:
	• Understanding Catchments • Understanding Ecosystems • Human Impacts on Catchments • Taking Action to Manage Catchments (Water) • Sustainable Development

To build the skills, knowledge and values for a sustainable future, the SACSA Framework uses five Essential Learnings that represent developmental dispositions, knowledge and skills of our young.

Click here to see how the Essential Learnings can be developed through 'Water ~ Learning and Living' and ‘Catchment Care’.

Including topics such as:

Sustainability Outcomes

• What is a catchment?

          • Activities to help learn about catchments
          • Who Can Help?

• The Water Cycle

          • Activities to help learn about catchments

• Healthy catchments: What makes it healthy?

          • Water Quality
          • Water Quantity
          • Biodiversity
          • Activities to help learn about what makes catchments healthy
          • Who Can Help?

Encyclopaedia of Water Terms
http://www.tec.org/tec/tec/terms2.html

Students develop understandings of how a catchment functions and the critical role of water in its processes

Including topics such as:

Sustainability Outcomes

• What is an ecosystem?

          • Activities to help learn about ecosystems
          • Who Can Help?

• What are ecosystem services?

• Biodiversity: What is it and why do we value it?

          • Activities to help learn about biodiversity
          • Who Can Help?

• Vegetation: The value of native vegetation

• Inland fresh water ecosystems, including wetlands, creeks
and river habitats

          • Activities to help learn about inland freshwater ecosystems
          • Who Can Help?

• Groundwater

          • Activities to help learn about groundwater
          • Who Can Help?

• Coast and marine ecosystems

          • Activities to help learn about estuarine/coastal and marine             ecosystems
          • Who Can Help?

• Bioindicators: Macroinvertebrates, frogs and others

          • Activities to help learn about and monitor bioindicators
          • Who Can Help?

• Monitoring the environment

Students develop understandings of the function and complexity of natural ecosystems and the critical role of water in its processes

Including topics such as:

Sustainability Outcomes

• Indigenous management of catchments: An historical perspective

• Overview of post European development impacts in urban
and rural Australia

• Look at issues such as:
          • Changed land use
          • Land management impacts (degradation) including salinity,             sediment and nutrient pollution
          • Stormwater and sewage pollution
                    • Activities to help learn about human impacts in
                      catchments
                    • Who Can Help?

• Some big problems:
          • Salinity
          • Flows
          • Vegetation clearance
          • Algal Blooms
          • Pollution entering the ocean
          • The Murray River

• Water supply

• Activities to help learn about human impact on catchments
• Who Can Help?

• Water conservation

• Activities to help learn about human impacts catchments
• Who Can Help?

• Competing demands for water

Students develop an understanding of the impacts and consequences that human activity can have on catchment functioning

Including topics such as:

Sustainability Outcomes

• Monitoring and assessing the health of ecosystems

• What can we all do to protect and restore our Catchments?
          • In the Home
          • At our School
          • In the Community

• What actions are sectors of our society taking?
Look at domestic, industrial, commercial, agricultural, recreational and government sectors

Students become empowered to work towards preferred sustainable futures

Including topics such as:	Sustainability Outcomes
• Guiding principles of ecologically sustainable development • Local, State, National and International Organisations and policy	Students develop an understanding of the institutional frameworks and organisations working towards sustainable futures at local, state, national and global