Documentary in a day excursion | Stage 2 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	Recommended maximum 4 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	See location tile below.
Bring	Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag.
View	Preparing for your excursion Nature documentary learning resource Documentary in a day social story
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.

Workshop

Students explore what makes an effective documentary as an informative text. Through guided examples, students identify how narration, visuals and sound work together to engage an audience and communicate ideas.

Working in pairs, students collect a documentary toolkit and learn the step-by-step workflow for the day. Students are introduced to the planning guide, success criteria and checklists that will support them to plan, film and edit efficiently.

Mobile filmmaking

Students plan their documentary structure and draft short, informative scripts using descriptive language and subject vocabulary. Students match each part of their script to planned footage so visuals clearly complement and strengthen the narration.

In bushland, students practise a range of camera techniques (angles and movements) and apply them to capture engaging nature footage. Students film sequences that show habitat features and living things, making purposeful choices to support their script.

Editing

Students build their documentary in iMovie by sequencing clips, refining timing and recording voice-over narration. Students learn key editing steps such as adjusting clip length to sync with narration, removing unwanted audio, adding titles and finalising a cohesive multimodal text.

Students add a soundtrack and create a closing credits scene, then export a final version of their documentary. Students share their work with peers and reflect on how effectively their visuals, narration and sound communicated key ideas about the natural environment.

All completed videos will be returned to your school via Google Drive.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.45 - 10.15	Cinematography workshop
10.15 - 10.30	Toilets, crunch and sip or recess
10.30 - 12.30	Mobile filmmaking
12.30 - 1.00	Lunch and toilets
1.00 - 2.00	Post production
2.15	Depart

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

plan, collaborate, communicate, sequence, review, revise, justify, documentary, storyboard, cinematography, voiceover, caption, footage, timeline, editing

Syllabus outcomes and content

English K-10 Syllabus (2022)

Creating written texts

Outcomes

• Plans, creates and revises written texts for informative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience EN2-CWT-02

Content

Informative purposes

• Create informative written texts that include headings, paragraphs beginning with topic sentences, and may conclude information in a final paragraph
• Create written texts that describe experiences and observations to connect with and inform an audience

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Physical and living systems depend on energy

Outcomes

• Uses information to investigate the solar system and the effects of energy on living, physical and geological systems ST2-SCI-01

Content

Living things depend on energy and materials to survive

• Describe how the needs of living things are provided by the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere
• Describe the relationship between habitat, ecosystem and environment
• Observe and describe living and non-living things in a habitat
• Describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other for survival

English K–10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2022.

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024