Sample work Geography Stage 5: Food security – Assessment for learning activity

This sample is linked to the Geography K–10 Sustainable Biomes sample unit (DOCX 60.8KB).

Description of activity

• Students prepare a feature article on food scarcity in one country or region for an online magazine. The article will report on:
  • the extent of food scarcity across the country or region
  • factors influencing agricultural yields eg water scarcity, natural hazards
  • two challenges to reducing food scarcity eg climate change, population
  • one strategy used to sustainably increase agricultural yields
  • a personal reflection on future food security for the chosen location.
• Students reflect on what they have learnt during the inquiry, the strengths of their inquiry process and the areas that may require improvement for their next geographical inquiry.

Outcomes

A student:

• analyses the effect of interactions and connections between people, places and environments GE5-3
• assesses management strategies for places and environments for their sustainability GE5-5
• acquires and processes geographical information by selecting and using appropriate and relevant geographical tools for inquiry GE5-7
• communicates geographical information to a range of audiences using a variety of strategies GE5-8.

Context

During this activity students will be developing their conceptual knowledge and understanding about the following content areas to apply to their research about food security:

• the capacity of the world’s biomes to achieve sustainable food security
• environmental, economic and technological factors that influence agricultural yields
• environmental challenges to food production.

Criteria for assessing learning

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

• prepare a feature article for an online magazine  
• undertake geographical inquiry
• review their work based on feedback received
• communicate information effectively to suit audience and purpose
• reflect on their own learning and inquiry processes.

Feedback

Throughout the activity students will receive ongoing teacher feedback in relation to the criteria for assessment. Students reflect on their own learning during the activity and on completion of the activity.

Recording evidence of learning

Teachers may gather a variety of evidence of learning, informal and/or formal, during the assessment for learning activity. This may include:

• anecdotal records
• comments or annotations
• conversations during the task
• a grade/mark for the completed feature article.

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