HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 14.1

# Activity Materials — Bushfires

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Student worksheet · Contemporary hazard
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this resource may contain names, images or references to people who have died.
Name: Class: Date:

## Activity 1 · Define the hazard

Key terms · ~8 min
Write a definition, in your own words, for each term.

Term | Definition
--- | ---
Bushfire |
Natural hazard |
Natural disaster |
Fuel load |

## Activity 2 · The “big three”

Applying geographical understanding · ~12 min
For each control, explain how it makes a fire worse.

Control | How it worsens a fire
--- | ---
Fuel load |
Weather |
Topography (slope) |

Draw & label the fire triangle (heat, fuel, oxygen):

## Activity 3 · How fire moves

Reading a diagram · ~10 min
Answer using the study-page diagram.

1. What is an ember attack, and why does it let fire cross roads and rivers?
2. Difference between a surface fire and a crown fire?
3. Why is radiant heat so dangerous?

## Activity 4 · Slope & climate

Processing geographical information · ~10 min
Answer in full sentences.

1. Why does fire spread faster uphill?
2. How do El Niño and La Niña years differ for bushfire risk in eastern Australia?

## Activity 5 · Fire & the Australian landscape

Respectful inquiry · ~15 min (may be homework)
Using the endorsed sources below, answer respectfully. Cite your source.

1. Give one way a eucalypt is adapted to survive fire.
2. Explain what cultural burning is and one benefit it provides for Country.

Endorsed sources (use these): AIATSIS · NITV · ABC Education

## Activity 6 · Short-response practice

Communicating geographical understanding · ~15 min
Answer in full sentences, using correct terminology.

Q: “Explain the natural and human factors that affect the ignition and spread of bushfires.”

Concept: environment Concept: interconnection Concept: change

Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Activities (14.1) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); First Nations content handled per cultural protocols; model answers in the teacher lesson plan.