Poetic adventures excursion | Stage 3 English

Program activities

Activities may change to suit student needs, timing and weather conditions.

Poetic adventure

Working in pairs, students collect a poetry toolkit and iPad and learn the workflow for planning, writing, photographing and producing their poem. During a guided sensory sit spot, students notice sights, sounds, textures and smells, discuss newly encountered words, compare shades of meaning between related adjectives and verbs, and select precise vocabulary for their poem.

Students compose and refine a five-senses poem from the viewpoint of a miniature character, controlling the narrative voice and organising ideas into lines or stanzas. They experiment with imagery, metaphor, hyperbole and other poetic devices before using macro photography, framing, focus and low camera angles to create images that strengthen each line and communicate the character’s perspective.

iMovie studio

Back at the centre, students sequence their photographs in iMovie, record narration and add titles, audio and credits to publish a cohesive multimodal poem. They share and reflect on their work, and completed products are returned to the school through Google Drive.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.45–10.30	Introduction, toilets, crunch and sip or recess
10.30–12.30	Poetic adventure: location scouting, poem development and macro photography
12.30–1.00	Lunch and toilets
1.00–2.00	iMovie studio: visuals and audio
2.00–2.15	Pack up, toilets and depart

Syllabus outcomes and content

Students will learn to

• collect and use precise environmental and sensory vocabulary
• compose poetry for an imaginative purpose and a familiar audience
• use sensory language, simile and personification to create imagery
• represent a minifigure perspective through words and photographs
• draft, review and refine lines of poetry
• select photographs and other multimodal features that add meaning
• use camera position, framing and focus to represent a miniature viewpoint
• combine written, spoken, visual and audio elements in a digital text
• collaborate to create and review a completed multimodal poem

The excursion addresses the following Stage 3 content from the English K–10 Syllabus (2022).

English K–10 Syllabus (2022)

Vocabulary

Outcome

• EN3-VOCAB-01 – Extends Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary through interacting, wide reading and writing, morphological analysis and generating precise definitions for specific contexts

Content addressed

Learning and using words

• Identify newly encountered words from interactions and use them in writing and discussions
• Extend knowledge of literal and non-literal word meanings through idiom or metaphor

Defining and analysing words

• Compare nuances and subtleties between synonyms to discern the most appropriate word for a given context

Creating written texts

Outcome

• EN3-CWT-01 – Plans, creates and revises written texts for multiple purposes and audiences through selection of text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language

Content addressed

Imaginative purposes

• Choose and control narrative voice across a text
• Use poetic forms to descriptively express ideas

Text features for multiple purposes

• Experiment with figurative language for effect and to engage the reader, including metaphor and hyperbole
• Choose multimodal features suited to a target audience and purpose, to reinforce and extend ideas

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

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

adjective, alliteration, audience, compose, descriptive language, hyperbole, imagery, macro photography, metaphor, narration, onomatopoeia, perspective, personification, repetition, revise, sequence, simile, stanza

Cost, class numbers and booking

Cost

DoE $27 per student – GST free

Non-government school $37 per student – GST free, minimum charge $750 per class

Term 1 non-government weeks 3 to 5 – DoE cost, GST free, minimum charge $750

Classes

Recommended maximum 4 classes, with up to 30 students per class.

Program costs

Program costs may change. If program costs change after you book, you will be charged at the original cost.

Booking policy

Confirm final student numbers and classes 7 working school days before the program.

Book this Stage 3 English excursion

Risk assessment and accessibility

Field of Mars Reserve risk assessment and location information – main location⁠

The program includes bushwalking on uneven natural tracks. Some program areas at Field of Mars Reserve may be wheelchair accessible.

Students who are unwell should not attend.

Classroom teachers are expected to attend and actively supervise students throughout the excursion.

Notify Field of Mars EEC before the visit about medical, mobility, sensory, communication or other support needs so reasonable adjustments can be considered.

View location information

What students should bring

School sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunscreen, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes and a reusable name tag.

Weather, cancellations and rescheduling

The program may be modified, postponed or cancelled because of predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.

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