The Murray-Darling Basin
Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
Teacher guide and lesson plans – Lower secondary
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, 2012
How do we ensure that Australia's water use is sustainable?
In a dry arid country such as Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin is a precious resource. In a time of projected reduced annual rainfall and frequent drought what do we need to do to ensure this water resource is secured for future generations and the diversity of our communities and ecosystems are sustained?
Teaching unit
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- The Murray-Darling Basin: Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment (PDF - 7.2 MB)| The Murray-Darling Basin: Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment (Word - 4.1 MB)
Resources
- Powerpoint presentation: Water in a river drainage system (PPT - 153 KB) | Presentation: Water in a river drainage system(PDF - 152 KB)
Teacher guide
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- Implementing the water education resource (PDF - 2.2 MB) | Implementing the water education resource(Word - 1.4 MB)
About the guide
This resource provides schools with curriculum lesson plans that focus on sustainable water use in a significant region of Australia.
The Murray-Darling Basin: Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment is one of four packages that provide teachers with lesson plans shaped around a series of investigations that enable students to examine the natural environment and contemporary issues relevant to that region.
These resources are based around the curriculum areas of science and geography and may be implemented by classroom teachers using an interdisciplinary approach or as a science or geography focus.
The other packages include:
- Northern Australia and the Wet Tropics: Water extremes and sustainability - Teacher guide and lesson plans; lower secondary
- The Lake Eyre Basin: A unique river system worth maintaining - Teacher guide and lesson plans; lower secondary
- The Great Artesian Basin: Water in the dry interior - Teacher guide and lesson plans; lower secondary
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