Poetic adventures excursion | Stage 2 English | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	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 5 cost = DoE cost – GST free, min charge $750 Program costs may change. Bookings are charged at the cost confirmed when you book.
Classes	Maximum 4 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	Field of Mars Reserve risk assessment - main location
Bring	Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag.
View	Preparing for your excursion
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, not wheelchair accessible. 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 and rescheduling	Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 30 school days’ notice before the booking date – $650 Cancellation with less than 14 school days’ notice before the booking date – full program cost Cancellation due to unsafe weather or fire danger – $0

Activities

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

Poetic adventure

Working in pairs, students collect their poetry toolkit and iPad and learn how to manage equipment and work efficiently in the field. Students are introduced to the planning template and the step-by-step workflow for writing, photographing and producing their final piece.

Students tune in to the bushland at Field of Mars Reserve through a guided sensory sit spot that focuses on sight, sound, touch and smell. Students build a bank of vivid adjectives and descriptive language to capture the natural features of Field of Mars Reserve.

Students compose lines of poetry from the perspective of a miniature character using a five senses structure and selected poetic devices. Students draft, refine and self-assess their work to ensure each line communicates a clear viewpoint and strong imagery.

Students learn how to take high-quality macro photographs that communicate small-scale perspective by positioning the camera at minifigure eye level. Students apply visual literacy strategies such as framing, focus and shot choices to create images that complement their poetry.

iMovie studio

Back in the classroom, students sequence images, record narration and add titles and audio to create a cohesive digital poem. Students finalise credits, export their work and share their completed multimodal poem with peers for reflection.

Completed products will be sent back to your school via Google Drive.

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Poetic adventures excursion to support descriptive language, sensory writing, imagery and nature-based multimodal texts.

• ⁠Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Explore the local bushland students use for sensory writing, photography and poetic inspiration.
• ⁠Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet – Learn about trees, shrubs, leaf litter, rocks, animals and food webs in eucalypt forest.
• ⁠Plant fact sheets – Explore native plants that can inspire descriptive language, imagery, similes and metaphors.
• ⁠Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Discover small forest-floor details that support close observation and sensory description.
• ⁠Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Learn about cool, damp and sheltered places that can inspire miniature perspectives and imaginative writing.
• ⁠Habitat fact sheet – Learn how living and non-living features create places where organisms can survive.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.45 - 10.30	Introduction Toilets, crunch and sip or recess
10.30 - 12.45	Poetic adventures - location scouting - poem development - macro photography
12.45 - 12.15	Lunch and toilets
1.15 - 2.00	iMovie studio - visuals and audio
2.00 - 2.15	Pack up, toilets and depart

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

perspective, rhythm, repetition, describe, compose, sequence, effect, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, imagery, personification, alliteration, stanza, hyperbole

Syllabus outcomes and content

English K-10 Syllabus (2022)

Vocabulary

Outcome

• Builds knowledge and use of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary through interacting, wide reading and writing, and by defining and analysing words EN2-VOCAB-01

Content

Learning and using words

• Build personal Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary through social and learning interactions, reading and writing

Creating written texts

Outcome

• Plans, creates and revises written texts for imaginative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience EN2-CWT-01

Content

Imaginative purposes

• Experiment with different poetic forms using stanzas
• Experiment with poetry to include innovative use of punctuation to suit purpose and for effect

Text features for multiple purposes

• Select and use multimodal features to add meaning

English textual concept

Perspective

Students understand that perspectives may differ and that these differences need to be considered

They learn that:

• perspective may be expressed in different ways including the values expressed and the form of expression

Other syllabus links

Learning experiences will also support but not explicitly teach the following outcomes and content:

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Living things depend on energy and materials to survive

Human Society and its Environment K-6 Syllabus (2024)

People have responsibility to care for Australia's environments

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

English textual concepts © NSW Department of Education, 2016

Human Society and its Environment 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

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