Sydney’s new light rail project: Stage 3 Built Environments

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Our Stage 3 students are exploring the built environment in their current geography unit. Some of these students did work on the planning that went into Sydney’s current light rail projects when they were in Stage 2, so I will need to establish some baseline data as to their current field knowledge on the topic during the library sessions this term.

Here are some of our useful Youtube clips:


Sydney’s Light Rail future with audio commentary – Transport for New South Wales


Sydney Light Rail flythrough – May 2015 [Sydney CBD]


Western Sydney Light Rail concept flythrough [Parramatta CBD]

The students are probably also aware of the recent building projects (Thornton Estate) and our local railway station modifications at Penrith:


Future of Sydney – Penrith

How are mountains formed

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Stage 2 students are investigating mountains during their Term 2 library lessons. These Youtube clips will hopefully provide some field knowledge for class discussions.


Where do mountains come from?


GCSE science revision – formation of sedimentary rock layers


Blue Mountains formation


Ring of Fire: earthquakes and volcanic eruptions around the Pacific explained – TomoNews

The science behind natural disasters

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Stage 3 students are investigating natural disasters in science. In library lessons, we are particularly looking the properties of these disasters, and how they form.


How do tornadoes form? – James Spann [TED-Ed]


What are hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones?


On this day 24th of December | Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin [1974]


What is an earthquake? | The Dr Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids


On this day 28th of December | 1989 Newcastle earthquake


How tsunamis work – Alex Gendler [TED-Ed]


Tsunamis 101 | National Geographic

Islands of Australasia

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This week, Stage 2 students are investigating aspects of the islands that make up Australasia.


Family holidays | Best Fiji island resorts for family vacations | Jean Michel Cousteau


New Zealand top ten things to do, by Donna Salerno Travel


Samoa tourist attractions: 15 top places to visit


One News – Tokelau to be entirely solar powered

The International Space Station and beyond

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Stage 3 students are investigating the International Space Station (ISS) in information literacy and science lessons in the library:


Tour the International Space Station – Inside ISS – HD


James May rides the Vomit Comet – Astronaut training – James May: On the moon – Brit Lab

Averting exploration disasters:


What if Apollo had crashed on the moon?

Mars awaits:


Mars or the moon – Where do NASA manned missions go next?

Stage 3 and space technology

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Our Stage 3 students are continuing to investigate the physical attributes of space and, in library lessons, the technological aspects that supported – and continues to support – the exploration of the solar system.


What Galileo saw with his telescope


Galileo – mini biography


History of human spaceflight


Partners in space: CSIRO and NASA celebrates its 50th anniversary

Stage 2 investigates Australasia

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As part of the Stage 2 History unit, Places are similar and different, we are learning about Australia in relation to its nearest neighbours during Library lessons. Here are some Youtube clips we are be examining, concerning the Continental Drift theory, the Pacific Ring of Fire and Australia’s strategic position in the Pacific region.


Continental drift


‘Ring of fire’ threatens a larger earthquake


Australia’s geographic challenge

People exploring space

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Our Stage 3 students are investigating the physical attributes of space and, in library lessons, the technological aspects that supported – and continues to support – the exploration of the solar system. We are commencing with the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing and then looking both back and forth on the timeline.


(HD footage) Restored Apollo 11 moon landing video – via PRC media


In his own words: Buzz Aldrin 40 years later


Aryabhata | Father of Indian Astronomy | Pride Of India


Copernicus – mini biography