Wgu Assessment Task A Geography

All Saints College St Peter’s Campus
Assessment Task Notification 2012

Subject: Geography Year: 10
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Unit: Issues in Australian Environments Task Number: Three
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Task Type: Research Action Plan (RAP)
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Date Issued: Week 2, Term 3 2012 Date Due: Week 7, Term 3 2012: In-class task based on findings of RAP: Specific date to be advised.
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Outcomes being assessed:
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5.1 identifies, gathers and evaluates geographical information
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5.2 analyses and organises geographical information
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5.10 Applies geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to demonstrate active and informed citizenship.
Task Description
Research Action Plan
You are to investigate the contemporary geographical issue of Waste Management, in particular the effectiveness of waste management at St.
Peter’s Campus Maitland. As part of this investigation you will complete a RESEARCH ACTION PLAN and in-class task.
Questions for the in-class task will be based on the RAP. Students will NOT be able to take the RAP into class to complete the examination.
You MUST follow the instructions on the attached Research Action Plan scaffold to complete this assessment task.
Task Description
Research Action Plan
You are to investigate the contemporary geographical issue of Waste Management, in particular the effectiveness of waste management at St. Peter’s Campus Maitland. As part of this investigation you will complete a RESEARCH ACTION PLAN and in-class task.
Questions for the in-class task will be based on the RAP. Students will NOT be able to take the RAP into class to complete the examination.
You MUST follow the instructions on the attached Research Action Plan scaffold to complete this assessment task.

Marking criteria
You will be assessed on your ability to: * Gather information from a variety of sources * Complete all steps of a Research Action
Plan * Communicate research findings in a written format * Demonstrate active citizenship by making recommendations about waste management

Marking criteria
You will be assessed on your ability to: * Gather information from a variety of sources * Complete all steps of a Research Action Plan * Communicate research findings in a written format * Demonstrate active citizenship by making recommendations about waste management

YR 10 RESEARCH ACTION PLAN (RAP)
ASSESSMENT TASK 3
Task details:
As Part of the Stage 5 Geography course, you are to undertake a Research Action Plan on a geographical issue affecting Australian environments in a local context, namely the issue of Waste Management at All Saints College, St. Peter’s Campus Maitland. The attached scaffold must be used to complete this task
To develop a Research Action Plan (RAP) the following steps must be taken:
Step 1 Identify the aim/purpose of the investigation (this has been done for you)
Step 2 Generate a number of focus questions to be addressed by the investigation (some of this has been done for you).
Step 3 Decide which primary and secondary data are needed to answer the focus questions (some of this has been done for you).
Step 4 Identify the techniques that will be used to collect the data.
Step 5 Collect primary and secondary data
Step 6 Process and analyse data collected
Step 7 Select presentation methods to communicate the research findings effectively
Step 8 Propose individual or group action in response to the research findings and, where appropriate, take such action.

RESEARCH ACTION PLAN SCAFFOLD
The following pages provide you with a scaffold you MUST complete in order to fulfil the requirements of this task.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE AIM/ PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH ACTION PLAN.
This has been done for you. The aim of your research is to:
Investigate the effectiveness of waste management at All Saints College, St. Peter’s Campus, Maitland.

STEP 2: GENERATE A NUMBER OF FOCUS QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE INVESTIGATION.
Two focus questions (FQs) have been created for you. They are:
FQ1: How educated are students at St Peter’s about waste?
FQ2: What is currently placed in the bins at St Peter’s? You must choose 3 additional focus questions from the list below and write your selected 3 FQs in the space provided. * What is the current waste management program at St. Peter’s? * What measures has St Peter’s school taken to improve its waste management approach over the last few years? * What are the attitudes of students about waste management? * Where are bins located at St. Peter’s? * How many waste bins can be found at St. Peter’s? * Where do the students of St. Peter’s place their rubbish whilst they are at school?
FQ 3: where are bins located at St. Peter`s?
FQ 4: how many bins can be found at St. Peter`s
FQ 5: where do the students of St Peter`s place their rubbish whilst they are at school?

STEP 3: DECIDE WHICH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA SOURCES ARE NEEDED TO ANSWER THE FOCUS QUESTIONS
For each focus question you must use primary data sources &/or secondary data sources to help answer the question.
Primary data sources include: interviews, questionnaires, samples, written observations, photos, sketch maps, land use surveys.
Secondary data sources include: newspaper articles, local council websites, brochures, pamphlets, textbooks, fact sheets.

* FQ1 : Primary Source - Create a questionnaire. (You MUST create a questionnaire that will help you find out how educated students at St. Peter’s are about waste management in their school. You will attach a copy of this questionnaire to this scaffold). You may also undertake additional activities to address this FQ.

* FQ2: Primary Source – Rubbish count (This activity will be completed during class time). You may also undertake additional activities to address this FQ.

* FQ3: Primary Source-where are the bins located drew a map of the school then drew were all the bins are located at St Peters.

* FQ4: Primary Source- how many bins are there drew a map of the school then located the bins on the map then counted the amount of the bins.

* FQ5: primary source- where do students place there rubbish I will use my questionnaires to get information for the question.

STEPS 4 & 5 IDENTIFY THE TECHNIQUES THAT WILL BE USED TO COLLECT DATA & COLLECT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA
Describe, in detail, how you collected ALL of your data in order to address each of your focus questions, including the two questions already provided (i.e. FQ1 & FQ2).
On the 6th of august in Mr wall`s geography class we picked our focus questions and chose if to answer the focus questions we would use a primary or secondary source.
Also on the 6th I wrote out the questionnaire survey questions.
On the 16th of August I printed out my survey questions.
On the 20th of August our class did our rubbish count in the morning in period 2.
On the 21st of august I handed out my survey questions to various students from all different years.
Began getting the map of the school and locating the bins and counting the amount of rubbish Bins at SPM.

STEPS 6 & 7: PROCESS AND ANALYSE DATA COLLECTED & SELECT PRESENTATION METHODS TO COMMUNICATE THE RESEARCH FINDINGS EFFECTIVELY
Consider all the information you have gathered and how you are going to organise and analyse it. Write a report (max 5 pages) summarising the data you have collected and what you have found, linking your findings back to the aim of your investigation. Your report should incorporate only relevant graphs, tables, photos, maps and/or sketches into the body of the report. Your report should be set out as follows:
Report introduction: (This should briefly introduce your issue about waste management at St Peter’s and your focus questions)
Main findings: (1-2 paragraphs for each focus question)
In each paragraph you need to refer to a specific focus question, how you gathered information to answer the question and what you found out from analysing your findings. Include appropriate graphs and tables within these paragraphs to illustrate your findings.
Conclusion: Make 2-3 general statements about your investigation into waste management at St. Peter’s Campus.
This term our assessment task was to find out the geographical issues with waste management in particular the waste program at SPM. To complete my assessment we used different ways to collect data about waste management at SPM. The questions I chose to focus on for the task are.
How educated are students at St Peter’s about waste? What is currently placed in the bins at St Peter’s? where are bins located at St. Peter`s? how many bins can be found at St. Peter`s where do the students of St Peter`s place their rubbish whilst they are at school?

Where are bins located at St. Peter`s are to find out if the bins are strategically placed around the school. I investigated the situation around the school and where the bins are. I came up with the solution that the bins at St Peters are really well placed they are mostly located where the students sit and eat their food.

How many bins can be found at St Peter`s was where I was to count up the number of bins located around the school. To find out if there were enough school bins around the playground. I found that in the main yard of SMP there were 30 bins placed all around the yard for students to place rubbish in and in the manse area there were 16 bins strategically placed in the manse area where the most of the students sit and eat there recess and lunch. Altogether there are 46 bins in the playground of SPM and there should be no reason the students to not placing rubbish in the rubbish bins.

The rubbish count we took part in was where Mr Wall and the class emptied a school bin on the 20th of august period 2. When we emptied the bin but because it was early in the morning there was not enough evidence for the test to be a fair example of students at SPM waste. Refer to C to see the results of the rubbish count.

I made a survey to survey the students at SPM to see how well educated students are. In my survey I surveyed 5 year 10, 2 year 9, 1 year 8 and 2 year 7.
In the survey I asked if the students at SPM recycle. When the students answered the question all but one student recycled. This means that most students on average recycle and when SPM use to recycle it was the 10% of people not choosing to participate and help the waste management program. All of the students in year 7, 8 and 9 all didn’t know what SPM recycled but all the year 10 students knew and were educated with the waste program at SPM.

During my survey I asked the students if they knew what recycling meant. Most of the students didn’t really know the true meaning of recycling. I think this is a bad thing for students not to know what recycling means because this generation is the next generation for the future to help improve the state of the world that is has been left in. Another question I asked the studnets was ` how many times a month does the big silver bin get emptied`. Most studnets said once a week the bin got emptied but actutually gets it gets empited once a week this shows me that the students don’t pay enough attention to the waste program happening around SPM.

When I asked this question as you can see by the graph is that most students think that the playground is littered heavily but from all the other survey question the students don’t know how to recycle or where to place there waste.

STEP 8: PROPOSE INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE RESEARCH FINDINGS AND, WHERE APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION.
This section focuses on your recommendations. Therefore, in the space below, describe in detail what can be done to address the issue/s relating to waste management at St Peter’s (solutions) and who is responsible for doing this (i.e. which individuals, groups , organisations or government bodies).

From doing the research of my finding about the waste management program at SPM. I found out that students at SMP would benefit from having a school recycling program to educate and practical lessons to tell the students the importance of recycling and how it really does help everyone and the environment.
What I would do to put my idea in place at SMP. I would put together a presentation and tell and ask Mr Blake that SPM needs a recycling program to benefit the students. I tell him all the benefits of having the program in place and what it would do to the school and the environment. Some of the benefits of having the program would be having a cleaner school and the Students would learn hands on and learn recycling and the benefits of recycling in a scheduled class each week.
I would also take my idea to `The Department of Education` and ask for the program to be run nationwide. This would benefit all of Australia in this generation but especially in the generation to come. Australia would be a cleaner place if this program was in place in all school around Australia.

Year 10 Geography – Marking guidelines for Research Action Plan A | B | C | D | E | * All techniques used to collect data are clearly explained, thorough and appropriate.
* Details included in report are comprehensive and appropriate * Report is well written & clearly communicates the research process and findings * A number of suitable and detailed recommendations have been provided and well supported with evidence. * Recommendations are clearly expressed and well thought out in the context of being able to be implemented at St. Peter’s * The individuals, groups or other bodies responsible for action have been clearly described and linked back to the recommendations | * All techniques used to collect data are clearly explained and appropriate. * Report contains adequate and appropriate detail * Report is well written in most parts & communicates the research process and findings * A number of suitable and detailed recommendations have been provided and mostly supported with evidence. * Recommendations are mostly expressed in a clear manner and are generally well thought out in the context of being able to be implemented at St. Peter’s * The individuals, groups or other bodies responsible for action have been described and linked back to the recommendations | * Most techniques used to collect data are outlined in a satisfactory manner. * Report contains some detail & is mostly appropriate * Report is satisfactorily written with some errors & communicates some research
processes and findings * Some suitable recommendations have been provided and some supporting evidence is given. * Some recommendations are unclear at times & may not be entirely appropriate in the context of being able to be implemented at St. Peter’s * Some individuals, groups or other bodies responsible for action have been stated and attempts made to link back to the recommendations | * Some techniques used to collect data are outlined in a basic manner. * Report contains minimal detail &/or information is not always appropriate * Report is written in an unclear manner with numerous errors with attempts to communicate some research processes &/or findings * Few suitable recommendations have been provided and minimal supporting evidence is given. * Recommendations are unclear & may not be entirely appropriate in the context of being able to be implemented at St. Peter’s * Few individuals, groups or other bodies responsible for action have been stated and poor/no attempts made to link back to the recommendations | * Techniques used to collect data are poorly identified/ not identified. * Report contains few appropriate details * Report is written in a basic manner and fails to communicate research findings * Recommendations have not been provided or are difficult to follow. * Recommendations not supported with evidence. * Recommendations not clearly expressed nor thought out in the context of being able to be implemented at St. Peter’s * The individuals, groups or other bodies responsible for action have not been clearly stated nor linked backed to the recommendations |