102091 Secondary Curriculum 2B

Geography
Assignment Two – Jarod Leis

INDIVIDUAL PORTFOLIO – SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT TASK – TOPIC: ECOSYSTEMS AT RISK

STAGE SIX

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Table of contents:

School-based assessment task………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Discussion and reflection………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Reference list…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

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 Formal Assessment Task Notification

Geography – Year 12

Topic: Ecosystems at Risk

Context
In class, students have investigated Ecosystems at risk with a focus on their functioning,
management and protection. This task presents an opportunity for students to deeply
analyse a vulnerable ecosystem at risk and apply empathy and critical thinking to compete
for a monetary grant from the government.
Task number: 1 Weighting: 30% Date Due: Term 4, Week 7

Outcomes assessed
A student:
H1 Explains the changing nature, spatial patterns and interaction of ecosystems, urban places and
economic activity
H2 Explains the factors which place ecosystems at risk and the reasons for their protection
H5 Evaluates environmental management strategies in terms of ecological sustainability
H9 Evaluates geographical information and sources for usefulness, validity and reliability
H13 Communicates complex geographical information, ideas and issues effectively, using appropriate
written and/or oral, cartographic and graphic forms
Nature of the task
Students are to imagine they are a member of an environmental group that is building a proposal for a
monetary grant from the Government. Students are to submit a five-minute digital presentation that
focusses on ONE ecosystem at risk. This will be submitted as a MP4 file OR a .doc file which contains a
URL of the multimedia presentation that uses another program. Students must also submit a transcript
of the speech which includes a reference list at the end of the document.

EXAMPLES OF ECOSYSTEMS AT RISK. CHOOSE ONE OR PICK YOUR OWN.

- The Mediterranean Basin - Tapia Forest

- Ningaloo Reef - Meso-American Reef
- Badu Intertidal Wetlands - The Tropical Andes
- Towra Point Nature Reserve - Sky Islands

DO NOT PICK
- Great Barrier Reef
- Borneo Lowland Rainforest
These two case studies will be done in class.

In your presentation you should:

 Ensure that you speak to the time allocated
 Explain and Identify key features and issues related to the question that you have chosen
 Clearly and confidently communicate your understanding of your research
 Use visuals to assist illustrating your research (may include: maps, photographs, video clips,
timelines)

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Task number: 1 Weighting: 30% Date Due: Term 4, Week 7

Marking criteria
You will be assessed on how well you:
 Explain the changing nature, spatial patterns and interaction of ecosystems, urban places and
economic activity
 Justify the factors which place ecosystems at risk and the reasoning behind their protection
 Make a judgement on the significance of current environmental strategies in terms of
ecological sustainability and justify implementing new environmental strategies
 Examine geographical information and sources for usefulness, validity and reliability
 Use geographical terms and concepts appropriately
Feedback provided
 Both written feedback that outlines strengths and what went well within the presentation and
areas for improvement regarding the presentation and the oral component of the task will be provided
by the teacher

Instructions for recording a voiceover in a PowerPoint Presentation and saving as MP4 file
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxhxvg__zUQ
2. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/record-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings-
0b9502c6-5f6c-40ae-b1e7-e47d8741161c?redirectSourcePath=%252fen-
us%252farticle%252frecord-your-slide-show-in-powerpoint-for-mac-93e8b4a1-5efb-4f78-903b-
62897b8bb14b&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

IF you wish to use another program other than PowerPoint, please see your teacher first. Furthermore, if you
are still having trouble recording audio onto your presentation, see your teacher for assistance well before the
due date.

Alternatives instead of PowerPoint

 Prezi
 Powtoon
 iMovie
 Google Slides

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 Oral Presentation Marking Summary

Marking criterial – Oral Highly Well Substantial Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

Presentation developed developed 3 2 0-1
5 4
Communicate a knowledge
and understanding of
geographical features and
issues, using appropriate
and well-structured oral and
written forms

Total: /5

Comments:

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 Marking Criteria – Geography Assessment Task One
Criteria 5 4 3 2 0-1

Explain the changing Comprehensively Explains the changing Attempts to explain Explains the changing Little to no explanations of
nature, spatial explains the changing nature, spatial patters the changing nature, nature, spatial patters the changing nature, spatial
patterns and nature, spatial patters and interaction of spatial patters and and interaction of patters and interaction of
interaction of and interaction of ecosystems, urban interaction of ecosystems, urban ecosystems, urban places to
ecosystems, urban ecosystems, urban places and assesses ecosystems, urban places to a limited assesses significance
places and economic places and economic their significance in a places and assesses degree and makes little
activity activity and assesses well-structured their significance in a attempt to assess their
their significance in a manner sound manner significance
sophisticated and well-
structured manner
Justify the factors Clear and concise Explains the factors Attempts to explain Explains the factors Little to no explanation of
which place explanation of the which place the factors which place which place the factors which place
ecosystems at risk factors which place ecosystems at risk and ecosystems at risk and ecosystems at risk and ecosystems at risk and the
and the reasoning ecosystems at risk and the reasoning behind the reasoning behind the reasoning behind reasoning behind their
behind their the reasoning behind their protection their protection their protection to a protection
protection their protection limited degree
Make a judgement Clear and concise Judgement is made on Some judgement is Limited judgement is Little to no judgement is
on the significance of judgement is made on the significance of made on the made on the made on the significance
current the significance of current environmental significance, adds significance which which impacts answer quality
environmental current environmental strategies in terms of substance to the impacts answer quality
strategies in terms of strategies in terms of ecological response somewhat
ecological ecological sustainability sustainability and
sustainability and and appropriately effectively validate
justify implementing validate implementing implementing new
new environmental new environmental environmental
strategies strategies strategies
Examine geographical Clearly examines Examines geographical Somewhat examines Limited examination of Little to no examination of
information and geographical information and geographical geographical geographical information and
sources for information and sources sources for usefulness, information and information and

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usefulness, validity for usefulness, validity validity and reliability sources for usefulness, sources for usefulness, sources for usefulness,
and reliability and reliability in a deep in a sound manner validity and reliability validity and reliability validity and reliability
and extensive manner
Use geographical Uses geographical terms Uses historical terms Some geographical Limited geographical Little to no geographical
terms and concepts and concepts and concepts to terms and concepts terms and concepts terms and concepts used,
appropriately appropriately to answer answer the question used, most are used used, or some may be very poor understanding of
the question in a critical appropriately and appropriately but may used incorrectly which the issues and a general
and sophisticated effectively not help to answer the impacts answer quality response
manner question completely
TOTAL: /30

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 Sample Scaffold – Geography Assessment Task One

Section A: Ecosystem 2-3 minutes

Suggested discussion points

 Name of the ecosystem

 Characteristics of the ecosystem (location, map)
 Functioning of the ecosystem (what is found within the ecosystem)
 Why it needs protection?
 Existing management strategies
 Assess the effectiveness of these management strategies

Section B: Environmental Group 2-3 minutes

Suggested discussion points

 What is the name of your environmental group? (can be realistic or made up)
 What is the environmental groups goals and objectives as a group? (purpose)
 What is your role within the environmental group? (chairperson, activist)
 What are the benefits of providing funding towards the ecosystem? (tourism,
flora/fauna)
 Examples of how the money will be used within the ecosystem
 Final pitch to the government

NOTE: Above is a scaffold that you MAY or MAY NOT want to use. Whether it be incorporating
more key questions or allocating more/less time on sections is up to you. Following this scaffold
however, provides you with enough scope to achieve a strong result and produce a
comprehensive presentation. Below is an example of what to DO and what NOT TO DO on a
PowerPoint slide.

DO DO NOT

Ø Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia

Ø Composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and stretches over 2,300 kilometres
Ø Can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.
Ø Selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981
Ø Long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Ø Divided into 70 bioregions
Ø Supports many vulnerable or endangered species
Ø More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef
Ø Climate change, pollution, crown-of-thorns starfish and fishing are primary threats
Ø Other threats include shipping accidents, oil spills and tropical cyclones
Ø Composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and stretches Ø Since 1985, the Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its corals with two-thirds of loss
over 2,300 kilometres occurring from 1998 due to factors listed above

Ø Can be seen from outer space and is the world’s WHY WE NEED TO ACT NOW
biggest single structure made by living organisms.

 Images/Sources  Cluttered information

 Easy to read  No images/sources
 Short summarised  Hard on the eyes to read
information

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Discussion and reflection:

“NSW schools are taking more responsibility for their own performance, are subject to closer

public scrutiny and are finding new ways of improving student outcomes in a world of ever-

more demanding standards” (Smith 2005, p.42)

Evaluate the importance of assessment and approaches to feedback and assessment

design that will inform your practice in your teaching area.

The importance of designing assessment tasks that evaluate student learning and also

provide students with appropriate feedback that can allow them to grow is crucial to their

development as learners. Both the higher school certificate and the National Assessment

Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) are examples of high-stakes testing that have

garnered concerns for increasing distress levels (Rogers, Barblett and Robinson, 2016) and

creating an “avalanche of stress” (Sussking, 2017). With the potential impact that stress can

have on teachers, parents and most importantly the students, it is crucial that teachers

develop assessment tasks that appropriately assess all of the required outcomes yet is in the

best interest of students. Designing assessment tasks especially within the geography

learning area that give students the ability to express their understanding of geographical

concepts and skills and allow them to understand the importance of learning the content is

highly significant as it prepares them for life after school.

Assessment is a crucial part of education as it establishes whether or not the content has

been understood by the student and whether the student has demonstrated understanding

of syllabus dot points. Assessment also allows students the freedom to express themselves

and if designed appropriately, can allow students to increase engagement and motivation.

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One form of assessment is referred to as “high-stakes testing” and encompasses

consequences that are tied to the performance undertaking the task. Examples of these

include the higher school certificate which is focusses on individual achievement whilst the

NAPLAN exams focus on a student’s ability to demonstrate reading, writing, spelling,

grammar and numeracy skills. Klenowski and Wyatt-Smith (2012) outline the push for high-

stakes testing is driven by the desire for schools to meet public accountability and to

maintain confidence in the standards of education through the Australian and State

governments.

A result that came from continuous pressure to meet public accountability was the

Australian governments launch of the MySchool website. The purpose of the MySchool

website allows the general public to have access to a range of facts and statistics of schools

around Australia. Statistics such as school profile, attendance, finances and NAPLAN results

are all shown throughout the website. Gorur (2015) highlights that the MySchool website is

a new form of surveillance that has allowed the intimate space of school to enter into living

rooms and kitchens through discussions with parents. Thompson (2013) counters this

argument stating that the logic behind the MySchools website is that if both students and

teachers are held accountable that they will each work harder to achieve better results and

to strive for awards and to avoid punishment. Evidently, this can increase pressure on all

levels within the school from the executive, teachers and students. From an academic

perspective, the MySchools website shows the average band score of NAPLAN and

compares it to other schools within the area. Executives have to ensure that adequate time

is allowed for preparation, teachers have to prepare students for these exams on top of

continuing to deliver syllabus content. However, the ones that are impacted the most are

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the students. This stress increased in 2016 when the NSW state government introduced

measures that required year nine students to achieve a benchmark in order to sit the HSC

which would be more than three years away. This lasted only two years following backlash

from parents and teachers (Kontominas, 2018). However, what this demonstrates relates

significantly to the quote accompanying the question regarding “public scrutiny” and

whether or not an increase in public knowledge always permits in making the right decision

for the future of education.

Due to the numerous public scrutiny and pressure from external sources, it is vital that

teachers find a way to improve student outcomes in a way that is fair yet challenging.

Combining both high-stakes testing of NAPLAN and setting a benchmark of a minimum

standard resulted in the best results nationally within the first year in both literacy and

numeracy since testing began (Smith, 2017). However, due to backlash and public scrutiny

from concerned parents and teachers regarding the increased stress that was placed on

students, the minimum benchmark was scrapped after two years. Therefore, the

responsibility shifts back onto teachers, who must create assessment tasks that adequately

assess students learning. Having an understanding of the Australian Professional Standards

for Teachers (2011) is fundamental for a teacher in developing and growing the minds of

students within the classroom. Both standard one and standard five are significant when it

comes to assessing students learning as the core focus revolves around knowing students

and how they learn and assessing to provide feedback on student learning.

Teachers that have an understanding of the class they are teaching and the various

strengths and weaknesses of individual students will allow them to implement individual

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educational plans for students that are both gifted and talented and those with various

learning needs. This process can be defined as differentiation in which a teacher

differentiates teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range

of abilities. Rabah (2015) supports the notion of differentiation within the classroom as it

enriches the learning of all students through creating content that is challenging yet

achievable. Differentiation can be implemented in four different areas which are; content,

learning process, product and learning environment. Within the attached assignment,

differentiation is shown through both the extensive scaffolding and final product.

Scaffolding assists all students as it ensures that they are on track and discussing relevant

content. Scaffolding for some students will be beneficial as they may need explicit

instruction in order to understand how the assignment is to be completed. Rupley, Blair and

Nichols (2009) acknowledge the importance of explicit instruction to student learning as it

has an efficacious impact on reading, vocabulary and comprehension. Following the

provided scaffolding is optional however, and this is to ensure that students who are gifted

and talented are not given boundaries in what they can include within their assignment. The

assignment has been designed so that there are numerous choices of a topic and then

numerous avenues in which students can express their opinions especially in section B. Yen

and Halili (2015) support this format as it allows for higher order thinking within research

which can yield multiple perspectives and allow for additional problem solving.

There are two types of assessment and they are formal and informal. The attached

assignment is an example of a formal assessment task as it is pre-planned and endeavours

to determine students’ proficiency of content. Informal assessment can be seen as

spontaneous and are easily incorporated into day-to-day classroom activities that measure

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students’ performance and ability in a less stressing situation. This form of assessment is

just as important as formal assessment as the data collected through informal assessment

can be used to supplement formal assessment results. Licorish, Owen, Daniel and George

(2018) provide examples such as Kahoot and Socrative activities which assess performance

collaboratively, provide feedback in a timely manner and is a low level of stress.

A challenge that teachers face continuously is making content and skills relevant to all

students to avoid them asking “Why do we need to learn this stuff?”. This statement reflects

the importance that teachers have when it comes to designing assessment tasks and

providing feedback to students. Within the content area of Geography, it is particularly

important in justifying to students just how crucial it is to have an understanding on

concepts and skills. The aim of learning geography is to allow students to increase their

engagement with the world through their understanding of people, places and

environments on a multitude of scales. The attached assessment targets gaining an

understanding on ecosystems and creating management and sustainable strategies and

justifying it in a professional manner. It is also relatable to what is occurring right now with

the Great Barrier Reef which will be a case study that is completed before the assessment is

handed out. The attached assignment can be referred to as an authentic assessment. Susilo

and Wardarita (2017) outline that an authentic assessment focusses more on developing an

informed argument towards real-world issues or a task that allows students to demonstrate

meaning. In comparison, a traditional form of assessment focusses on evaluating whether or

not students have understood content or concepts and this could come in the form of

writing an essay. The attached assignment can be used an example of authentic assessment

as it allows students a choice of topic and they can create a multimedia-presentation that is

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creative and has scope to be engaging. However, teachers have a responsibility to ensure

that incorporating technology in both a classroom and an assignment is done professionally

and correctly. Gü nü ç & Kuzu (2014) support this claim by stating that teachers need to be

familiar with the technology that is available and skilful enough to teach students the

benefits to ensure all students have the same amount of opportunity.

With NSW schools under increased public scrutiny to increase student outcomes, it is crucial

as teachers that both assessment and feedback is appropriate and beneficial to students.

High-stakes testing includes NAPLAN, higher school certificate and formal assessment tasks

and is one way to measure student knowledge. However, informal assessment is another

crucial method in measuring engagement and understanding in a day to day setting. The

attached assignment is an example of an authentic assessment which allows for a deeper

understanding through incorporating meaningful application of skills.

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Reference List:

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited. (2011). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-

resources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf

Gorur, R. (2015). The performance politics of NAPLAN and MySchool. In B.Lingard, G.

Thompson & S.Sellar (Ed.), National Testing in Schools – An Australian Assessment

(pp.30-43). Florence, Taylor and Francis.

Gü nü ç, S & Kuzu, A. (2014). Factors influencing student engagement and the role of

technology in student engagement in higher education: campus-class technology

theory, Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 5 (4), 86-113.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=

9&sid=47f5cd06-de2e-4a4b-921c-cdd6daa540ad%40sessionmgr102

Klenowski, V & Wyatt-Smith, C. (2012). The impact of high stakes testing: the

Australian story, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 19 (1), 65-

79, DOI: 10.1080/0969594X.2011.592972

Kontominas, B. (2018, February 22). NAPLAN no longer linked to HSC after backlash from

parents. ABC NEWS, Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-

22/naplan-no-longer-linked-to-hsc/9473238

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Licorish, SA., Owen, HE., Daniel, B & George, JL. (2018). Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s

influence on teaching and learning, Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced

Learning, 13 (9), 1-23, https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-018-0078-8

Rabah, J. (2015). Benefits and Challenges of Information and Communication Technologies

(ICT) Integration in Québec English Schools, The Turkish Online Journal of

Educational Technology, 14 (2), 24-31. Doi: 1303-6521

Rogers, SL., Barblett, L & Robinson, K. (2016). Investigating the impact of NAPLAN on

student, parent and teacher emotional distress in independent schools, The

Australian Educational Researcher, 43 (3), 327-343. Doi: 10.1007/s13384-016-0203-

Rupley, WH., Blair, TR & Nichols, WD. (2009). Effective reading instruction for struggling

readers: the role of direct/explicit teaching, Reading & Writing Quarterly, 25 (2-3),

125-138. Doi: 10.1080/10573560802683523

Smith, A. (2017, 2 August). NAPLAN 2017: Year 9 results improve, but 68 per cent will have

to re-sit exam. Sydney Morning Herald.

https://www.smh.com.au/education/naplan-2017-year-9-results-improve-but-68-

per-cent-will-still-have-to-resit-an-exam-20170801-gxmru9.html

Susilo, P & Wardarita, R. (2017). Developing authentic assessment instrument on hort tory

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 appreciation and production for senior high school students, Journal of Education

Teaching and Learning, 2 (2), 186-191, https://doaj-

org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/article/a9d7fc75797c4ec793aac7b58f561bd0

Susskind, A. (2017, 4 September). The NAPLAN literacy link has created a ‘four-year HSC’ for

stressed-out teenagers. ABC News. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-

04/naplan-link-has-created-a-four-year-hsc/8863602

Thompson, G. (2013). NAPLAN, MySchool and Accountability: Teacher perceptions of the

effects of testing, The International Educational Journal: Comparative Perspectives,

12 (2), 62-84, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017709.pdf

Yen, TS & Halili, SH. (2015). Effective teaching of higher-order thinking (hot) in education,

The Online Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning, 3 (2), 41-47. Retrieved

from http://www.tojdel.net/journals/tojdel/articles/v03i02/v03i02-04.pdf

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