SOSE


 * Online Submissions**media type="custom" key="22333660"


 * Equipment Requirements:**
 * 1) Netbook
 * 2) Exercise book
 * 3) Atlas
 * 4) Fully equipped pencil case

Standards are ordered on the basis of **//geographical knowledge and understanding//**, and **//geospatial//** skills. Students learn to make observations of physical features, climate and land use, focusing on the Australian region. Comparisons and contrasts become apparent in the interrelationship between topography, drainage patterns, rainfall patterns, natural vegetation, human land use and the issues of **//sustainability//** and fairness among competing options. Physical environments include: deserts, rainforests, grasslands, mountains and coastal, with the corresponding human land use found with them. Maps of rainfall distribution, human settlement and land use have been explored during Year 7. Year 8 students learn to interpret weather maps and climate graphs as a lead in to the concept of **//environments//**, noting the variation in climate, environment and land use across the continent and throughout the region Geomorphology, as it relates to soil formation, is noted. Volcanic action can be used as a link into natural disasters in the region and tied back to cyclones and hurricanes from the “weather” topic. The importance of Antarctica as a generator of weather and climate is noted. Sequence of topics: Physical Environments found across Australia: desert, mountain, tropical rainforest, Southern forest and grassland [agriculture/land use], coastal [tourism, Great Barrier Reef]
 * GEOGRAPHY**. **Semester 1**.
 * Year 8 Geography** continues the study of **//physical//** **//and human environments//** from a **//spatial//** perspective. Enquiry continues to be based on the: who, how, what, when, where, why model of investigation. It continues to examine the **//spatial variations//** between locations and across time. The fundamental tool of Geography is the map. Maps are used to enable discernment of **//patterns and process//**. The underlying questions are, “What do we see here?” and “Why is it so?”
 * Interpreting meteorological maps. Understanding air pressure systems and associated weather events.
 * The water cycle. Drought. Cyclones.
 * Climate graphs. Understanding the generalisation that leads from “weather” to “climate.” The characteristics of climatic regimes, leading into the range of:
 * Rainforest use and human attitudes. Evapotranspiration/oxygen/carbon dioxide. Clearing rainforests for agriculture. New Guinea. Indonesia
 * Settlement and land use in New Guinea and Indonesia. Mountains and swamps. Volcanoes and the Pacific “ring of fire.”
 * Sustainability and fairness. Conflicting needs and options. Fracking in the Hunter Valley. Logging in North East Victoria. Plantation farming in New Guinea.


 * Assessment.**
 * Written test. Weather map questions and climate graphs questions.
 * Overlay map construction task.
 * Research report. [conflicting land use options]
 * [Optional]A current issue ? [disaster? refugees?]
 * QUALITY WORK REFLECTION CHECKLIST:**



1. Continuation of Countries In Conflict project. //**Task must be ready for assessment by Friday 13th June**// 2. Desert Environments Revision/Test questions//**.**//
 * Term 1 Tasks:**
 * Interpretation of weather map.
 * __Countries in Conflict electronic folio__. Compiling information daily/weekly about events in the 20 countries identified as suffering internal conflict or conflict with a neighbouring country. Usually three to five countries per week but more entries will probably mean a higher final grade.
 * Term 2 Tasks**.

Characteristics. Distribution. Significance.
 * 3. Rainforests**. **research report and summarising exercise**

Research Report
 * explain what a rainforest might look like if you were standing in one.
 * list, and briefly explain, three different types of rainforest.
 * explain the climate conditions necessary for a rainforest to flourish.
 * on a global map, mark in the distribution of the world's rainforests.
 * explain why rainforests are so important in terms of diversity of plant, insect and animal life.
 * suggest why the Amazon River in South America has no bridges across it.
 * the Amazon rainforests have been called, "the lungs of the world." Explain the process of photosynthesis and the creation of oxygen for the planet's atmosphere.
 * list and describe the causes of the world's rainforest area shrinking.
 * explain the meaning of the term, "conflicting land-use claims."

Report due: end of week 7

=**SEMESTER 2**=

**History. From the Dark Ages to the Age of Exploration.**
The learning tasks are inquiry based, using student computers and class text books. Particular attention is given to the development of reading comprehension skills, note taking and construction of research reports.
 * Beginning with the fall of Rome to the Goths in 410 AD, we look at life in Europe during the Dark Ages, the rise of Islam, the period of Viking invasions, the Norman conquest of England, the Crusades, the High Middle Age and Renaissance, to the discovery of the New World by Columbus** in 1492.

1. **Scaled time line,** 20 mm:100years, beginning with death of Alexander in 323 BC to Columbus's discovery of New World in 1492.
Ten selected events. 1. Death of Alexander the Great. 2. Destruction of Carthage by Roman army. 3.Invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar. 4. Alaric the Goth sacks Rome. 5. Vikings attack Lindisfarne monastary. 6. Canute, The Dane becomes king of all England. 7.Battle of Hastings. 8. First Crusade. 9. Black Death kills one third of English population. 10. Columbus discovers the New World. //Learning Intentions: to construct a time line of some notable events in the Medieval period, to understand the value of seeing sequence and order in events.//

2. **Islam.**
Ten questions. 1. When was Muhamed born? 2. Where did he live and do most of his preaching? 3. What does the word ISLAM mean in English? 4. Explain the difference between monotheism and polytheism. 5. List and explain the six main beliefs of Islam. 6. List and explain the FIVE PILLARS of Islam. 7. What is a mosque? 8. Why are there no pictures of people or animals in a mosque? 9. How many wives may a moslem man be permitted to marry? 10. What are the two main groups in Islam? How did they originate? How well do they get on together in the world today? //Learning Intentions: to understand some of the key beliefs of Islam, to identify and select appropriate websites for information on Islam, to understand the meaning of the "five pillars" of Islam, and what each of these obligations mean for believers, to understand some of the history of Islam from Mohamud to ISIS : to be able to gain access to current world news sites sufficient to see what is happening daily in the Middle East//

3. The Dark Ages.
Background Task. The End of the Roman Empire. 1. The Romans wanted to be better than any other city, tribe or culture for about twenty generations. Using a lotus diagram to represent subheadings, draw up an annotated visual display that identifies six ways in which the Romans showed others how "the Roman way" was better than other ways. Each sub-set of your lotus should have a heading/key idea and several examples or pieces of evidence with it. AVD due Monday September 1st

2. The Romans had dominated the known world for nearly 600 years before the city was defeated by Alaric The Goth in AD 410. [a] List six reasons why the empire had become so weak that it was defeated. [b] Life for common people in the years after the Romans left Europe was extremely difficult. List ten ways in which life was quickly made worse for common people after AD 410

//Learning Intentions: to understand some of the reasons why the Roman Empire collapsed, to understand why the RE lasted so long, to understand the "four step" process of making summary notes, to understand Roman military success, to understand Roman building and construction innovations, to understand the significance of Roman hygiene customs, to understand the significance of Roman transport and communications systems, to see how strength could be maintained by tolerance of religious differences, to understand the strength and stability of the various models of government through Roman history, to be able to summarise the reasons behind Roman success by constructing a lotus summarising diagram.// //[Dark Ages] to understand the consequences of the collapse of the empire for everyday life in Europe.//

** Year 8. Romans and Dark Ages Test. **
 * Section 1. Islam. **
 * 1) ** Whose teaching and leadership began the religion of Islam during the Dark Ages? [1 mark] **
 * 2) ** When was this person born? [1 mark] **
 * 3) ** Where did he do most of his teaching? [1m +1m] **
 * 4) ** Suggest six major beliefs that were part of his teaching. [6 marks] **
 * 5) ** What are “ The Five Pillars of Islam?” [2m+2m+2m+2m+2m] **
 * 6) ** What is a mosque? [1 mark] **
 * 7) ** What is the name of the sacred book containing the Prophet’s teaching. [1 mark] **


 * Section 2. Rome Was The Greatest! **
 * Rome dominated the known world for 600 years because the Romans were very good at many things necessary to establish and maintain a huge empire. **
 * // List six ways in which “the Roman way” was superior and include at least three facts that illustrate each of the six things. [6x3 marks] //**


 * Section 3. The Dark Ages. **
 * The departure of the legions from the empire when they were recalled to defend Rome from invasion by the Goths had massive consequences for the life of ordinary people throughout Europe. **
 * 1) ** List ten ways in which common people’s lives were quickly made worse after AD 410. **
 * [10x1 marks] **
 * 1) ** Of these ten changes, which ones do you think were the most important? [Choose three and explain in some detail why they were so significant. 3m+3m+3m] **

=**4. The Viking Attacks and Invasions**.= Task. Prepare an //annotated visual display// that features the following aspects of the Viking Age: 1. a physical description of the Vikings' homelands 2. a map showing the origin of Viking journeys and where they travelled. 3. a picture and description of a typical Viking war boat. 4. an explanation of why they raided and why they then decided to settle in places they had previously raided. 5. an introduction to Odin, Thor, Freya and Loki. 6. a map of England showing the areas eventually settled by the Danes. 7. a list of ten English words that were introduced to our language by Viking invaders.

8. **[deeper thinking] On a separate printout, attached to your AVD, suggest some reasons why the Viking invaders eventually changed their religion to Christianity. {this will mean that you contrast the "world view" and values of the old Norse gods with the "world view" and values of the Christian monks.}** //**Learning Intentions: to understand everyday life during the Dark Ages, to understand the geography and climate of Scandinavia and the implications for the peoples who lived there, to understand the importance of boats for the S. people and some of the reasons why they moved from fishing to raiding, to understand something of Viking religious ideas and the gods they worshipped, to understand why the Vikings eventually settled in Britain, to appreciate the extent of the British Empire at the beginning of the 20th Century and the importance of boats/shipping in making the empire possible.**//

5. MEDIEVAL LIFE. RESEARCH REPORT.

 * Choose any four of the seven topics.**
 * Gather information from whatever sources you have available.**
 * Electronic information should be gathered in two steps: cut and paste paragraphs/blocks....then summarise from those paragraphs.[the same method we used for the Rome research]**
 * When writing up your research findings, place the question you are answering as a "sub-heading" before you write your answer to it.**
 * Attach a bibliography of each information source used in your research. [hyperlinks are acceptable]**
 * Due date Friday 5th December**

//Learning Intentions: to build a vocabulary list of common medieval terms as a means of facilitating student research.// //to be able to identify and retrieve relevant information from several different sources.//

//YEAR 8 END OF TERM RESEARCH TASK.//