In Year 9 Core Geography, students build a strong understanding of how people and environments shape each other. They learn that places are not just dots on a map, they constantly change as people interact with the world around them, and as natural processes shape our landscapes over time. Geography is the structured way of learning, analysing and understanding the characteristics of places that make up our world. Students undertake Core Geography (and can also elect to take an Elective Geography Biomes unit) based around the Victorian Curriculum 2 framework where they consider changes in the characteristics of places and the implications of these. They consider significant spatial distributions and patterns and evaluate implications. Students consider interconnections between and within places and changes resulting from these, over time and at different scales. This further develops their understanding of geographic concepts, including space, place, interconnection, change, environment, scale and sustainability.
Students first explore the concepts of Place and Perception. Place and Perception considers the multitude of experiences, ethnicities and religions that may exist in a place and how these experiences change the perceptions of that place. Students also attend a Fieldwork site. This key experience is used to write a Field Work Report that explores the interconnections that Geelong, Melbourne and Victoria has with both Australia and the World and the possible impacts this may bring.
Students explore how human activity affects the environment and how the environment, in turn, influences the way people live. They learn to explain how these interactions change the characteristics of places on local, national and global scales.
They also examine the distribution of different geographical patterns or phenomena (like population, climate issues or land use) and consider what these patterns mean for communities and the environment.
Students investigate how people, places and environments are linked. They analyse how these interconnections create change — sometimes positive, sometimes challenging — and explore the consequences for societies and ecosystems.
Sustainability is a major focus. Students learn how to look at environmental issues through environmental, social and economic lenses, helping them understand the bigger picture of long‑term wellbeing.
In the first topic, students:
read and describe maps
use geospatial technologies.
collect, sort, process and represent data and other information
interpret and analyse maps, data and other geographic information using appropriate methods
comparing peers’ perceptions and use of places and spaces
investigate how people in places in other countries perceive, use and are connected to their place and space
investigate the global growth of tourism and its likely effects on the future of places
discuss the effects of people's cultural and leisure choices on towns and cities
A second unit students investigate is the nature of Interconnections. During the Interconnections unit, students study various topics such as the production of chocolate, the global textiles industry, and international shipping which demonstrated the way people and places around the world are connected, and the positive and negative impacts of these processes.
read and describe maps
use geospatial technologies.
collect, sort, process and represent data and other information
interpret and analyse maps, data and other geographic information using appropriate methods
Explore the environmental impacts of a consumer product on the places that produce the raw materials, make the product, and receive the wastes at the end of its life
identify the effects of international trade in consumer products on Australian places
evaluate the effects of international demand for food products on biodiversity throughout the world
explain why Chocolate is a case study for interconnections
Throughout the year, students learn to:
ask thoughtful and relevant geographical questions,
collect and interpret reliable data,
use maps, graphs and geospatial technologies,
identify patterns and make predictions,
and justify their conclusions using sound evidence.
These skills help students think critically about real‑world issues such as climate change, urban growth, resource use and environmental management.
A range of assessment tasks will be used including:
mapping/ analysis tasks
fieldwork
fieldwork report
individual research
exam
For more detailed information, please click on the link/s below:
Please see booklist for stationery required. A physical and online Humanities textbook is primarily purchased for History use, but may also be used for this subject.