Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune in: Activating Prior Knowledge

20 minutes

Find out: Cool Burning Independent Investigation

20 minutes

Take action: Recommendations on cool burns

10 minutes

Reflection

Please make sure to read the About Cool Burning fact sheet.

Tune In: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin by asking students to think about the different types of landscapes or ecosystems that they know of. Keep a list on the board.

For example:

Rainforest
Desert
Grassland
Rocky shoreline
Forest

Step 2.

For some of the examples, discuss:

What are conditions like in this ecosystem?
Where is it (in Australia)?
What would we expect the rainfall to be like in this area?
What would impact rainfall amounts? Both the location of the site and the time of measurement (season, month of the year) would impact the rainfall recorded.

Step 3.

If students haven't already suggested it, put 'savannah' up on the board.

Discuss:

What are conditions like in this ecosystem?
Where is it (in Australia)?
What would we expect the rainfall to be like in this area?

Find Out: Cool Burning Independent Investigation

Step 1. Discuss:

What is the difference between climate and weather? Climate is the average annual weather for an area over a long period of time. Data about rainfall, daily temperature change, humidity and wind are recorded day by day - this is what we refer to as 'weather'. The climate is one of the main things that affect the ecology of the tropical savanna.

Step 2. Explain:

The tropical savannah of Australia is a region in the north of Australia defined by a tropical climate and a landscape made up of small trees and shrubs and grasses covering the ground.

Step 3. Watch:

Restoring Country with cool burns from Cool Australia

Take Action: Recommendations on cool burns

Step 1.

As a class, take a look at the following table. This shows the average monthly rainfall in Kununurra, Western Australia for the past 46 years (1971-2022) (Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology).

Month	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June
(mm)	212.5	215.2	141.6	30.1	6.7	2.9
Month	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
(mm)	1.4	0.1	5	22.7	60.2	143.2

Students then independently graph these results (further instructions included on the Student Worksheet.)

Step 2. Discuss:

Describe the climate in Kununurra. How is the climate different from where you live?
When we would we expect hot burns to most likely occur?
When woud you recommend John Daly conduct his cool burns?

Step 3.

Independently, students choose two other locations around Australia and use data from the BoM to graph the average rainfall.

Step 4.

Independently, students choose two other locations around Australia and use data from the BoM to graph the average rainfall, and answer the questions on the Student Worksheet.

Reflection

Discuss: How would this information help John Daly in planning and conducting cool burns?

Cool burns are a land management technique. Started soon after the wet season, before the grass completely dries out, cool burns do not damage plants, seeds or animals to any significant extent. During a cool burn, the grasses on the ground burn slowly, allowing most of the small animals to escape. Seedlings, green grass, tree trunks and fallen logs are not burnt or damaged. The rising heat from the burning grass usually won’t singe the eucalyptus leaves above. Overnight, the cool moisture in the air will put out any remaining fires before the morning.

The practice of cool burning has been used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for many thousands of years. However, in recent years, scientists from around the world have become more and more interested in these practices as one way of managing devastating bushfires.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

• What did you learn about your teaching?
• What worked well?
• What didn't work well?
• What would you share?
• Where to next?
• How are you going to get there?

Rainfall and Cool Burns in the Tropical Savanna

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Summary

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