Ecosystems excursion | Stage 4 Science | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	DoE school $27 per student – GST free Non-gov school $37 per student – GST free, minimum charge $750 per class
Classes	Maximum 8 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	Field of Mars Reserve risk assessment - main location
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 bottle, sunblock, hat and raincoat in a backpack. Sports uniform recommended.
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

Fieldwork activities

Habitat assessment

Students will utilise fieldwork instruments to sample a variety of critical abiotic and biotic factors in the Field of Mars Reserve. They will use their data to evaluate the reserve's suitability as a roosting and nesting site for owls.

Animal survey and food web construction

Students will analyse pellet samples to identify the food sources of the powerful owl. They will also survey the reserve for evidence of animal presence and use the collected data to construct a food web of the ecosystem. This will enable students to determine whether the habitat can support populations of powerful owls.

Worksheet and supporting resources

Worksheet	Worksheet Schools are responsible for printing student worksheets.
Teacher resources	Teacher programming folder
Supporting resources	Fieldwork techniques Animal and plant fact sheets Eucalypt forest - Digital Book for iPads and Macs

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Ecosystems excursion to support learning about food webs, habitat quality, biotic and abiotic factors and powerful owl conservation.

• ⁠Powerful owl fact sheet – Learn about the forest predator students use as a case study for ecosystem health and food webs.
• ⁠Common ringtail possum fact sheet – Explore a tree-dwelling mammal that forms part of powerful owl food webs.
• ⁠Common brushtail possum fact sheet – Learn about a nocturnal mammal that uses hollows, branches and urban bushland habitats.
• ⁠Grey-headed flying-fox fact sheet – Discover a flying mammal that feeds on flowers and fruit and supports forest ecosystems.
• ⁠Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet – Explore forest layers, habitats, food webs and living and non-living features.
• ⁠Tree habitats fact sheet – Learn how trees provide hollows, roosts, nesting places, flowers and prey habitat.

Suggested timetable

Time	Class A, B	Class C, D
9.30 - 10.00	Introduction and fieldwork preparation Food break and toilets
10.00 - 11.30	Habitat assessment	Food web survey
11.30 - 12.00	Food break and toilets
12.00 - 1.30	Food web survey	Habitat assessment
1.30 - 2.00	Food break and toilets
2.00 - 2.15	Conclusion and depart

Syllabus outcomes and content

Science 7-10 Syllabus (2023)

Outcomes

A student:

• SC4-LIV-01 describes the role, structure and function of a range of living systems and their components
• SC4-WS-02 identifies questions and makes predictions to guide scientific investigations
• SC4-WS-05 uses a variety of ways to process and represent data
• SC4-WS-08 communicates scientific concepts and ideas using a range of communication forms

Content

Living systems

Ecosystems

• Identify the components that make up an ecosystem
• Investigate the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
• Identify how matter and energy are cycled through an ecosystem
• Create a food web and ecological energy pyramid based on local area observations to describe how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
• Examine secondary-source data on the factors that change populations, including the introduction of a new species to an ecosystem, to identify trends, patterns and relationships, and draw conclusions

Science and Technology 7-10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023