Earth's natural systems excursion | Year 11 - Stage 6 Geography | Field of Mars EEC

Cost and details

Cost 2026	DoE school $27 per student – GST free Non-gov school $37 per student – GST free, minimum charge $750 per class
Classes	Maximum 2 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	See location tile below.
Activities	Activities may change to suit student needs, the selected site and weather conditions.
Bring	View Preparing for your excursion. Bring worksheet, writing equipment, clipboard, medications, low-waste food, water bottles, sunblock, hat and raincoat in a backpack. Sports uniform recommended. This program requires students to use a mobile device to record data. Inform the centre if devices are not permitted.
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking. Some sites not wheelchair accessible - contact centre. 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

Fieldwork activities

Introduction

Students are introduced to the day’s inquiry questions about how people connect with forests and how natural processes, cycles and circulations shape forest types at Field of Mars Reserve. Students collect worksheets and equipment bags and review ethical fieldwork practices to minimise human impact.

Meet a tree

Students complete a detailed field journal study of a single tree using observation and measurement tools. Using a model, students identify interactions across the atmospheric, hydrological, geomorphic and ecological systems that enable the productivity of trees.

Dry sclerophyll forest

At a ridgetop dry sclerophyll site, students conduct a short silent observation to tune in to forest characteristics and record initial descriptive data. Students locate the site on maps and connect observed features to landform position and local conditions.

Students collect quantitative and qualitative abiotic and biotic data using systematic sampling along a line transect. Working in groups, students use fieldwork equipment to measure factors such as vegetation structure, light, temperature, humidity, soil moisture and soil texture, and record results in an organised table.

Analysing

Students synthesise their results using a graphic organiser to describe system characteristics and identify connecting processes, cycles and circulations, for example water movement, biomass accumulation and soil–plant interactions. Students evaluate forest productivity and justify conclusions using evidence from their field measurements.

Wet sclerophyll forest

Students move to a valley wet sclerophyll site and plan a comparative investigation by selecting testable abiotic factors that may explain differences in productivity between forest types. Students repeat sampling using their chosen method and conclude by comparing patterns, explaining causes and reflecting on why people value and connect with forests in different ways.

Worksheet and supporting resources

Worksheet	Worksheet Schools are responsible for printing student worksheets.
Supporting student resource	Earth's natural systems Google site
Additional learning resources	Fieldwork techniques Fact sheets - animal, plant and environment fact sheets Eucalypt forest - Digital Book for iPads and Macs

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.30 - 9.45	Arrival and introduction at Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre (toilets)
9.45 - 10.15	Field journaling
10.15 - 10.45	Food break and toilets
10.45 - 12.30	Investigating the eucalypt forest (guided inquiry) Data analysis and interpretation
12.30 - 1.00	Food break and toilets
1.00 - 2.00	Comparing forest types (self-directed inquiry)
2.00 - 2.15	Conclusion and depart

Syllabus outcomes and content

Geography 11–12 Syllabus (2022)

Outcomes

• examines places, environments and natural and human phenomena, for their characteristics, spatial patterns, interactions and changes over time GE-11-01
• explains geographical processes and influences, at a range of scales, that form and transform places and environments GE-11-02
• analyses and synthesises relevant geographical information from a variety of sources GE-11-05
• identifies geographical methods used in geographical inquiry and their relevance in the contemporary world GE-11-06
• applies geographical inquiry skills and tools, including spatial technologies, fieldwork, and ethical practices, to investigate places and environments GE-11-07
• applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse geographical data GE-11-08
• communicates and applies geographical understanding, using geographical knowledge, concepts, terms and tools, in appropriate forms GE-11-09

Content

Overview of the uniqueness and diversity of the Earth

• Nature as a source of wonder
• People’s connection to the natural world and why it can vary

Natural systems and land cover change

• The natural processes, cycles and circulations that have shaped the land and/or water cover of ONE place

Geography 11–12 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2022