Unit 6: Water
Flowing Around Us
Water
catchments
activity guide
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Unit 6: Water Flowing Around Us
Water catchments activity guide
Estimated duration: 20 minutes
Aim

To understand the concept of catchments as units of land management
Outcome
By the end of this session, students will be able to:
 Identify and name their own catchment management area as part of a series
of catchment management areas within the Victorian region
 Describe some of the factors that contribute to catchment and river health
Resources

Water catchments slideshow
Activity Description
This activity is a teacher-centred discussion about water catchments using the
slideshow provided. If you choose not to use the extension activity below, you will
need to delete the last few slides before presenting the slideshow.
Extension Activity
Students can research their own local river catchment in more detail using the
internet. Alternatively, teachers can guide class discussions using the resources
available on the internet.
The details you might wish to have researched include:
 The area of the catchment
 Where the water is stored and how much is stored
 The main uses of the water in the catchment
 How much water the average person or home in the area uses
 What the current level or capacity of the catchment is.
A few starting points to obtain information are provided below:
Melbourne
Melbourne and the surrounding region are part of the Port Phillip and Westernport
catchment management area. Melbourne Water has an interactive website where
the students can investigate the health of their own river system. The interactive
map of river condition can be found at:
http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/rivers_and_creeks/river_health/index
_of_river_condition.asp
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Regional Victoria
Each of the 10 regional Victorian catchment areas has a website where students can
begin to investigate some of the activities of their local catchment management
authorities (CMAs).
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Corangamite Catchment Management Authority website
East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority website
Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority website
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority website
Mallee Catchment Management Authority website
North Central Catchment Management Authority website
North East Catchment Management Authority website
Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment Management Authority website
West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority website
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority website
Student Roles and Responsibilities
Participate in agreed tasks
Contribute to class discussions
Work cooperatively with others
Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support
Facilitate discussion
Organise materials and equipment
Present slideshow
Provide encouragement
Introduce tasks and activities
Provide assistance when requested.
Assessment
To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as:
Teacher checklist and observation
Student research notes and report
Copies of student materials and worksheets
Student notes
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