white rock
secondary resource guide
Welcome to the White Rock lesson series. This online course provides an engaging and immersive learning experience for students in Years 7-12, introducing them to a hidden ecological crisis affecting Australia’s Great Southern Reef.
What’s in the Teacher Notes
The White Rock teacher notes support your delivery of the White Rock resources by giving you a clear, structured way to run each lesson and link it back to real marine science.
The guide covers five thematic units and fifteen lessons, with suggested answers, extension tasks, and curriculum links built in. You can run the program as a full sequence or pick individual lessons, with options for self-paced, whole-class, or online delivery.
Each activity is grounded in current scientific research and includes tools like data sheets, games, and discussion prompts to help you bring complex topics like ecosystem change, resource management, and Sea Country into the classroom in a practical way.
Curriculum Links
This PDF outlines the learning intentions, success criteria and Australian Curriculum links for the White Rock resources, helping teachers quickly see how each lesson connects to classroom outcomes. It maps the course across a range of year levels and learning areas, with strong links to Science, Geography, English, Digital Technologies and The Arts.
The framework is designed to support planning, assessment and reporting, while showing how students build skills in scientific inquiry, data analysis, communication, critical thinking and environmental decision-making through the White Rock unit.
access the full documentary
don’t have access to ClickView? Contact us for a private screener link info@greatsouthernreef.com
online student course
In this course, students will investigate how the overpopulation and southward expansion of the longspined sea urchin are threatening kelp forest ecosystems across southern Australia.
They will also explore the innovative efforts underway to restore these habitats, and the pathways being developed toward long-term ecological sustainability and the recovery of Australian kelp forests.
student workbook
The White Rock resources student worksheet is a printable companion that helps students work through key ideas from the film in a clear, structured way. It includes guided questions, diagrams, data activities, and short research tasks that link directly to real examples from the documentary. Students record their responses as they go, building understanding of topics like ecosystem change, sea urchin overgrazing, and reef recovery. The format is flexible, so you can use it in class, as a self-paced task, or as part of a broader inquiry project.
urchin board game
The White Rock resources include both a printable board game and the option to register interest in a full-sized classroom version. The printable version is a simple way to bring the game straight into your lessons, while the larger 1.8 m gameboard with custom dice is designed for a trestle table or similar setup and can be played by up to 8 students at a time. Schools can register their interest using this form, with the first 50 schools to sign up receiving a copy by mail. Please note the form will not automatically collect your name or email unless you add those details yourself.
The White Rock card deck helps enhance the hands-on learning experience of White Rock, helping students understand that there’s no single solution and that managing reefs means balancing ecology, community, culture, and long-term thinking.
Included in the deck are impact cards (exploring ecological, economic, social, and management considerations), scenario cards (real-world challenges to apply learning), category cards (to help sort and compare ideas) and wild cards that encourage creativity and problem-solving.
white rock card deck
primary resources
If you’re working with younger students, the White Rock resources also include a full primary program designed for Foundation to Year 6. Explore the primary resources for age-appropriate lessons, activities, and materials that introduce key ideas in a simple, engaging way.
support?
Need help? Get in touch with us info@greatsouthernreef.com
Join the ‘Teachers of the Great Southern Reef online community here.
feedback
We would greatly value your feedback after your students have completed the online course. The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete, and your insights help us continue improving the course content, ensure it remains relevant and effective in the classroom, and inspire new ideas for future development.