HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 14.3

# Teacher Lesson Plan — The Black Summer Fires (2019–20)

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Contemporary hazard case study · ~80 min · completes the focus area
Teacher copy — includes model answers
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this resource may contain names, images or references to people who have died.

## At a glance

### Companion resources

- Student study page
- Revision slides
- Activity handout (student, no answers)

### Big idea

Black Summer is the focus area's capstone case study — it applies land, climate and hazard concepts (12–14) to one interconnected event, and demands precise, verified detail.

## Sensitivity & cultural-content note (read first)

- This lesson involves loss of life, trauma and displacement — some students may have direct experience. Frame it with care and offer opt-outs.
- It references First Nations cultural burning and Country: keep the advisory; use AIATSIS/NITV with attribution; avoid generic/AI depictions of people; seek local AECG for assessment.

## Syllabus mapping (NESA Geography 11–12, 2022)

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: a contemporary hazard (bushfires) — a detailed case study of a specific event: causes, impacts and management.

### Outcomes addressed

GE-11-01 characteristics & spatial patterns GE-11-02 processes across scales GE-11-03 challenges & perspectives GE-11-04 responses & management GE-11-05 analyses sources GE-11-09 communicates

Outcome codes: re-mapped/verified to current GE-11-x (Year 11 Preliminary).

### Key concepts

environment interconnection change scale sustainability

## Lesson sequence & timings

Time | Phase | Teacher / student activity
--- | --- | ---
0–10 | Frame | Deck title (red sky). Sensitivity note. Activity 1 (the scale — data snapshot).
10–24 | Causes | Slide 6 + Activity 2. Big three + climate link (bridge to Ch.13).
24–36 | The fires | Slide 8 + Activity 3. Gospers Mountain, Currowan, Mallacoota; megafire.
36–50 | Impacts | Slide 10 + Activity 4 (fire–climate feedback). 3bn animals, 900Mt CO₂, WH sites.
50–66 | Response | Slide 12 + Activity 5 (evaluate). Recovery Agency; Royal Commission.
66–80 | Consolidate | Lessons + cultural burning; Activity 6 extended response. Exit ticket: three figures + one named fire.

## Activities — model answers

### Activity 1 · Scale

Model
~19 million ha burnt; ~3 billion animals killed/displaced; at least 33 direct deaths (hundreds more from smoke); $10 billion+; ~900 million tonnes CO₂.

### Activity 2 · Causes

Model
Drought (2019 hottest/driest on record) dried fuel & soil; extreme heat (>40°C) primed ignition & spread; strong winds drove rapid spread & ember attack. Climate change raised the frequency/severity of these conditions — the bridge from Chapter 13.

### Activity 3 · The fires

Model
Gospers Mountain: a megafire from one lightning strike (~500,000 ha), hit the Blue Mountains WH area. Currowan: ~500,000 ha over ~74 days, 312 homes, 3 lives. Mallacoota: beach evacuation by the Royal Australian Navy.

### Activity 4 · Feedback loop

Model
Climate change (hotter/drier) → worse fires → ~900 Mt CO₂ released → more warming. One sentence: the fires both result from and worsen climate change — a self-reinforcing feedback loop.

### Activity 5 · Evaluate response

Model
During: state fire services + volunteers, ADF & international crews, evacuations. After: National Bushfire Recovery Agency; Royal Commission recommending better national coordination, more hazard reduction, improved aerial firefighting & warnings. Judgement: heroic but stretched; recovery was slow; the inquiry showed clear gaps to address — effective in parts, with lessons for future preparedness.

### Activity 6 · Essay

Model plan
Intro: Black Summer as a contemporary-hazard case study; thesis on interconnection. Causes (+ climate). Impacts (environment + people; feedback). Management/response (agencies, Recovery Agency, cultural burning). Conclusion: causes, impacts & management are deeply interconnected; better mitigation & the climate response matter most.

## Differentiation & assessment

### Support

- Provide the data snapshot part-filled.
- Fire-matching as cut-out cards.

### EAL/D

- Pre-teach: megafire, displaced, feedback loop, recovery, commission.

### Extension

- Compare Black Summer with the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
- Analyse a Royal Commission recommendation — has it been acted on?

### Assessment / homework

- Full extended response (Activity 6) with sourced figures.

## Useful resources & recent articles

- Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements
- WWF Australia — wildlife impact (~3 billion animals)
- BoM Climate — 2019 records; fire weather
- AIATSIS / NITV — cultural burning (endorsed)

Accuracy reminder: Black Summer figures vary by source (hectares, animals, deaths). Quote as approximate and cite reputable sources.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (14.3) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); First Nations content handled per cultural protocols (AIATSIS/NITV, advisory, AECG); figures redrawn (no textbook images reproduced).