Save Our Rainforests

SECONDARY THREE SYLLABUS

I.Save our rainforests

This topic aims at helping students to understand concepts such as ecological balance, people-environment relationship, sustainability, conservation, etc. and to examine the conflict between the need for economic development and environmental protection. Southeast Asian and South American countries (e.g. Indonesia and Brazil), which own a rich rainforest resources and have recently undergone rapid economic development, are good examples for studying this theme. Teachers should focus on the rationale of various groups of interest (e.g. the local government, the natives, the land developers, etc.) in the exploitation of the rainforest regions and assist students to develop decision-making skills. Moreover, it is important for students to realise why they should care about deforestation of rainforests though they are not living in such regions. It is also highly recommended that teachers should organise field trip for student to establish a visual perception of a tropical natural vegetation cover as the country parks and natural trails in Hong Kong are good and suitable sites. It is believed that field trip is more effective than classroom lecturing to help students identify the general characteristics of tropical vegetation and develop concern for a better natural environment.

Total 9 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
What are rainforests and where do we find them?
• What are rainforests?
• Where are they?
• Why are they there? / • Main features and distribution of
tropical rainforests
• Distribution in relation to
climate / • Natural vegetation
• Climate-vegetation
relationship / • Identifying from photos or pictures the characteristics of tropical rainforests
• Reading and interpreting climatic graphs of tropical rainforests
• Using simplified maps, locate and describe the world distribution of tropical rainforests
• Establishing a visual perception of the main features of a dense woodland in Hong
Kong or a forest in neighbouring regions through field study
What is happening to the rainforests?
• What is deforestation?
• How fast are the rain-forests being deforested?
• Why are rainforests being deforested? / • Rate of deforestation in various
rainforest regions
• Causes of deforestation / • Deforestation / • Identifying from graphs/statistics the rate of deforestation in tropical rainforests
• Extracting information from various sources on deforestation of tropical rainforests in a
S.E. Asian or S. American country
Why do we have to save our rainforests?
• What are the importance of rainforest?
• What will be the consequences of deforestation?
• How would deforestation affect us? / • Importance of rainforests
• Consequences of deforestation / • People-environment
relationship
• Sustainability / • Carrying out library research of the importance of rainforests in providing a habitat for
people, plant and animal species; supply of raw materials for industry, agriculture and
medicine; protecting soil
• Collecting pictures and trade labels of products from tropical rainforests
• Designing a board display to show the impact of deforestation on the local people living
in rainforest regions and people living in other parts of the world
What is the best use of our rainforests?
• How should we use rainforests?
• How can we solve the conflict in using rainforests?
• What can an individual do? / • Conservation and management of
rainforest resources
• Land use conflicts in the rainforest
regions and possible solutions
• Role of individuals to help
conserve rainforests / • Conservation
• Decision-making
• Land use conflict / • Identifying the issue of land use conflict in the tropical rainforest region of the selected
country
• Recognising the viewpoints of the government, the land developers, the natives and the
environmentalists on the exploitation of rainforests through role-play
Values/Attitudes Show concern for a better natural environment
Be aware of the effects of indiscriminate use of forest resources
Develop sense of responsibility for conservation and maintenance of forest resources

II.Ocean in trouble

Oceans cover about 70°/ of the surface of the Earth and have enormous impact on our weather and climate, landform, food and resources supply as well as transport, trade and economic development. In regard of the importance of oceans and seas and their close connection to our life on Earth, it deems necessary for our students to know a little bit more about these water bodies. The purpose of this topic is to enable our students to have a very fundamental understanding of our oceans, their importance and how we should use them in a proper way. The prime consideration of teachers should be helping students to appreciate the natural beauty of oceans and be aware of the need to conserve and maintain our marine resources through individual effort and international co-operation.

Total: 9 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
Why are oceans important to us?
• Where are the major oceans and seas?
• What is the importance of oceans? / • Importance of oceans
• Distribution of major oceans / • Marine resources
• Marine ecosystem
• Ocean-atmosphere interaction / • Asking questions about the importance of oceans
• Using an atlas to obtain information about the distribution, shape and resources of
oceans
Why and how do people cause troubles in the oceans?
• What are ocean resources?
• How do human make use of ocean resources?
• What are the negative effects of human use of ocean
resources? / • Human use of ocean
resources
• Negative effects of human
use of oceans / • Over-exploitation
• Marine/coastal pollution / • Recording and observing in the field the impact of human activities on the marine
environment of Hong Kong's surrounding waters
• Conducting a project on one of the following themes:
a) hunting of whales
b) natural beauty of oceans
c) conflict over fishing territories
d) ocean resources of the South China Sea
e) EI-Nino phenomenon
What can be done to save our oceans?
• How can we as individuals help?
• Why and how can international co-operation help? / • Individual, national and
international effort to save
oceans / • Planning and management of
resources
• International co-operation / • Assessing the effectiveness of individual actions in saving the oceans
• Writing a short essay to present logically the reasons for the need of international
cooperation in saving the oceans
Values/Attitudes Appreciate the natural beauty
Develop a sense of responsibility towards conservation and maintenance of resources
Be aware of the need for international co-operation in tackling environmental issues
Deepen the understanding of the meaning of sustainable development

III. How clean is our atmosphere?

In recent years, air pollution attracts more and more attention both locally and internationally and one of the most popular topics is acid rain. Though many in Asia still regard the problem of acid rain typically a headache of the western industrialised countries, one should be aware of the fact that with the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in many Asian countries, we are likely to face this environmental problem in the near future. This is particularly true for China which is rapidly developing her manufacturing industries. It is high time for our students to learn more about air pollution so that they can be better equipped to face the problem in the 21st Century.

Total: 8 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
Why should we bother about air quality?
• How do we measure air quality in a simple way?
• How can air pollution affect us?
• What is acid rain?
• What is the impact of acid rain to people and the
environment? / • Simple measurement of air quality
• Effects of air pollution on our daily life
• Harmful effects of air pollution to
people and the environment at local
scale
• Harmful impact of air pollution to
people and the environment at
continental scale: acid rain / • Air quality
• Perception
• Environmental impact
and damage
• Acid rain / • Using all senses (e.g. taste, smell, feeling) to record evidence in the
field that reflect the quality of air
• Writing a scenario on what happens in Hong Kong when the Air
Pollution Index reaches critical level on a particular day
• Analysing an acid rain issue happened in N. America or Europe with
emphasis on the causes, spread and effects of acid rain
Who are responsible for polluting our air?
• What are the causes of air pollution?
• What are the sources of air pollutants?
• What is the relationship between the locational pattern
of air pollution and urban and industrial activities? / • Causes of air pollution
• Sources of air pollutants
• Locational pattern of air pollution and
its relationship with urban and
industrial activities / • Environmental pollution
• Spatial distribution and
association / • Developing and testing a hypothesis regarding the relationship
between the distribution of a selected human activity and the degree
of air pollution
What can and should be done?
• What can individual citizens do to combat air pollution?
• What are the possible measures to reduce air pollution?
• How effective are these measures? / • Remedies measures to reduce air
pollution
• Responsibility of individual citizen in
alleviating air pollution problem
• Effectiveness and suitability of various
methods of air pollution control / • Conservation
• Government policy
• Planning / • Suggesting possible ways individuals can do to alleviate air pollution
problems
• Evaluating the effectiveness and suitability of various methods of air
pollution control
• Debating on the theme "Is air pollution a necessary evil for economic
development?"
Values/Attitudes Be aware of and concern for the problems arising from the polluted atmosphere
Be aware of the importance of planning and co-operation in the maintenance of a clean atmosphere
Develop a sense of responsibility towards environmental conservation
Take individual action to alleviate air pollution problems

IV. Struggle for power resources

The problem of power resources has always been a thorny issue for the Chinese government to handle as the production and supply of power can seldom catch up with the pace of economic development. The situation is particularly critical in South China, with only limited hydroelectric generation potential. To many, nuclear power seems to be a possible solution, but there are arguments that the price may be too high for our next generation to pay. Are there any possible alternatives that are cheap, easily available and environmentally friendly? If not, what should we do?

Total: 8 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
Does China have enough power resources?
• What are power resources?
• Where are the power resources in our country? / • Pattern of power production and
consumption in China
• Distribution of major coalfields, oilfields,
HEP plants and nuclear plants in China / • Power resources
• Distribution and pattern / • Drawing bar/line graph to show the annual production and consumption of
power resources in China
• Comparing the distribution of the major power resources and the distribution
of the major industrial centres using map overlays and commenting on the
implications of the resulting pattern
What are China's "power" problems?
• What are the problems associated with the
distribution and consumption of power resources?
• What are the problems caused by the use of power
resources? / • Uneven distribution of power resources in
China
• Mismatch of the location of power
production and power consumption
centres
• Environmental pollution and uncontrolled
exploitation of power resources / • Movement
• Linkage
• Pollution
• Exploitation of resources / • Analysing the problems associated with power production and power
consumption using a region in China as a case study
• Discussing the difficulties in collecting data for the above project and sharing
ways of tackling the difficulties
What can be done?
• What are the solutions to the "power" problems of
China?
• What are renewable and non-renewable power
resources?
• Can the development of alternate power re-sources
help our country face the problems? / • Solutions to uneven distribution and
mismatch
• Anti-pollution measures
• Alternate power resources / • Resource management
• Technology
• Renewable and non-
renewable resources / • Formulating solutions to the uneven distribution of power resources in China
• Differentiating between renewable and non-renewable power resources
• Analysing the possibility of using alternate power resources other than fossil
fuel in China
Is nuclear power a possible way out?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using
nuclear power?
• Should our country develop nuclear power? / • Pros and cons of developing nuclear power
• Conflict between development and
environmental conservation / • Development and
conservation conflict / • Listing the main arguments for and against nuclear power
• Conducting interviews to assess people's attitudes, perception and responses
towards the construction of nuclear power plants in Guangdong
Values/Attitudes Show concern for the conservation of the environment
Show concern for the careful use of limited energy resources
Develop an understanding of the reasons behind the development of nuclear power plants in China

V.Industrial Miracle

Industrial location has always been a core topic in the study of geography as it provides an opportunity for students to understand how various geographical factors interact in the formation of spatial patterns of industries. Japan is chosen as the case study because it has developed to be the largest industrial country in Asia though it has to rely heavily on imported raw materials and fuel. This socalled "industrial miracle" itself is already a very interesting geographical topic for investigation, needless to mention that the industrial development of Hong Kong and other places in South China are facing the same problem of raw material and power shortage .

Total: 8 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
Are Japan's local raw materials and fuel sufficient to supply the need of her heavy industries?
• What are the major types of heavy industries in Japan?
• What are the importance of heavy industries in Japan's
economy?
• How do raw materials and fuel affect the development
of Japan's heavy industries? / • Importance of heavy industries in Japan's
Economy
• Major types of heavy industries in Japan
• Major types of raw materials and fuel
required by Japan's heavy industries
• Importance of raw materials and fuel in
development of heavy industry / • Heavy industry
• Natural resources / • Acquiring information about Japan's heavy industries from computer-based
resources.
• Recording and organising information in note form.
• Drawing divided rectangles to represent the relative importance of heavy
industries in Japan's economy.
• Relating the production of local raw materials and fuel with the consumption
pattern of heavy industries in Japan
How is the distribution of heavy industries in Japan related to the distribution of raw materials and fuel?
• Where are the heavy industries in Japan?
• Where are the raw materials and fuel required by heavy
industries in Japan?
• What is the relationship between heavy industries and
raw materials and fuel? / • Distribution of heavy industries in Japan
• Distribution of raw materials and fuel
required by heavy industries in Japan
• Relationship between the location of
Japan's heavy industries and the
distribution of raw materials and fuel / • Spatial pattern
• Areal association / • Drawing sketch maps to show the distribution of major raw materials and
fuel, and the location of heavy industrial belts in Japan, using the
information from an atlas
• Relating the distribution of heavy industries with that of raw materials and
fuel in Japan using map overlays
How can Japan develop heavy industries with limited local fuel and raw materials?
• How do imported raw materials and fuel affect the
development of Japan's heavy industries?
• What is the importance of technology and government
policy in the development of Japan's heavy industries?
• What are other factors that affect the development of
Japan's heavy industries? / • Japan's reliance on import of raw materials
and fuel
• Importance of technology and government
in development of heavy industry
• Importance of other factors in development
of heavy industry / • Factors of industrial
location
• Government policy
and action
• Significance of
technology
• Pattern of trade and
transportation / • Interpreting flow maps which show the links of Japan to suppliers of major
raw materials and fuel.
• Discussing in class the positive and negative aspects of reliance on import of
raw materials and fuel for industrial development.
• Comparing the situation of Hong Kong or other places in South China with
that of Japan in view of the fact that both lack local supply of raw materials
and fuel for industrial development
• Preparing an outline of the distribution pattern and factors affecting growth of
a particular type of heavy industries in Japan and briefly presenting the
findings in the class.
Values/Attitudes Appreciate man's effort in developing industries in response to limited natural resources
Be aware of the need for international co-operation

VI.The Rich and the Poor

The well-being and future development of the world depend very heavily on how to bridge the gap of the rich and the poor countries. As our world is becoming smaller and smaller, it is absolutely essential for our students not to limit themselves only to local and national problems but also to know and understand issues of global concern. The gap between the more developed and the less developed countries has frequently become one of the topics of discussion in international conferences and meetings. Though some efforts have been made to narrow the gap, the results are mostly unsatisfactory. Through the study of this topic, students will understand the importance of international co-operation in solving world problems.

Total: 8 periods

Guiding Questions / Explanatory Notes / Concepts / Skills
Who are the rich and who are the poor?
• What do we mean by rich and poor countries?
• What are the major characteristics of these
countries? / • Measuring wealth in a country
• Characteristics of the less
developed countries (LDCs) and
more developed countries
(MDCsi / • Poverty and wealth
• Level of development
• More developed countries
and less developed
countries / • Listing the indicators frequently used to classify countries into LDCs and MDCs
• Identifying the distribution of the LDCs and the MDCs from maps showing