Wild words excursion | Stage 1 English | Field of Mars EEC

Cost and details

Cost 2026	DoE $27 per student – GST free Non-gov $37 per student – GST free, min charge $750 per class Term 1 – Non-gov weeks 3 to 6 cost = DoE cost – GST free, min charge $750
Classes	Maximum 6 classes at Field of Mars Reserve with up to 30 students per class. More than 6 classes will run across two sites – Field of Mars Reserve and Buffalo Creek Reserve. Please contact us.
Risk assessment	See location tiles below.
Bring	Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag.
View	Preparing for your excursion Ranger for a day learning resource
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, limited wheelchair accessibility. May not suit recently unwell participants. For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program.
Extreme or wet weather	Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.
Booking policy	Confirm student numbers and classes 7 days in advance.
Cancellation fee	Less than 30 working school days – $600 Less than 7 working school days notice – full cost Weather or fire danger cancellation – $0

Activities

Activities may vary depending on student needs, timing and weather.

This is a brand new excursion that has been built for EAL/D students. We are still finalising activities and they may change.

Ranger HQ

Students learn the day’s ranger words using picture cards, gestures and quick call-and-response games.

Wild words

Students explore Field of Mars Reserve as park rangers, stopping at investigation points to observe, interact with nature and learn new vocabulary. Students will record words in their Ranger dictionary. Students also learn how the Wallumedegal Peoples cared for Country and place.

Our park

Working in small groups, students design a mini national park that includes habitat features (food, water, shelter), visitor features (paths, bins, signs) and ranger rules that protect the environment. Each group delivers a short spoken ranger report using their Ranger dictionary and simple cause-and-effect explanations.

Suggested timetable

Time
9.45 - 10.30	Introduction Recess and toilets
10.30 - 11.00	Ranger HQ
11.00 - 12.00	Wild words
12.00 - 12.30	Lunch and toilets
12.30 - 1.30	Wild words
1.30 - 2.00	Our park
2.00 - 2.15	Pack up, toilets and depart

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

ranger, responsibility, protect, respect, cooperate, participate, decision-making, observe, record, evidence, habitat, shelter, track, leaf litter, visitor, rule, national park, recreation

Syllabus outcomes and content

English K-6 Syllabus (2022)

Outcome

• Understands and effectively uses Tier 1, taught Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary to extend and elaborate ideas EN1-VOCAB-01
• Communicates effectively by using interpersonal conventions and language to extend and elaborate ideas for social and learning interactions EN1-OLC-01
• Plans, creates and revises texts written for different purposes, including paragraphs, using knowledge of vocabulary, text features and sentence structure EN1-CWT-01

Content focus (Vocabulary)

Students will be supported to:

• use taught morphemic knowledge to build word families
• understand and use words with different meanings in different contexts
• use vocabulary to express cause and effect
• intentionally choose subject-specific vocabulary to enhance precision and effect

Other syllabus links

Learning experiences will also support (but not explicitly teach) Stage 1 HSIE Geography content about caring for places and active citizenship.

English K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2022