Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

Experience Engage Enable

Telephone02 9816 1298

Emailfieldofmar-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Poetic adventures excursion program

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Teacher checklist

Location

Field of Mars Reserve, Pittwater Road, East Ryde

Wallumedegal Country

Google maps - Apple maps
Supply bus driver with Field of Mars Reserve bus information

No bus entry into Field of Mars Reserve.
Field of Mars Reserve risk management plan
View the YouTube track overview videos.

Buffalo Creek Track

Doyle and Warada loop track
Cost

2025 DoE $25 per student - GST free

2025 Non-gov school cost $35 per student - GST free, minimum charge $750

Term 1 - Catholic school Weeks 3 to 7  cost = DoE cost - GST free, minimum charge $750

Schools are to confirm the number of students and classes at least 7 days prior to attending. Schools will be charged based on the number of students confirmed or number of students who attend on the day (whichever is greater). 
Welfare

Participants will be bushwalking during the day in rugged terrain.

Limited wheelchair accessibility.

This excursion may not be suitable for people who have recently been unwell.
Bring Backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes.

Students wear reusable name tag and sports uniform.
View Preparing for an excursion
Supporting resources

Eucalypt forest digital book - available free on Apple Books

English textual concepts website

NSW Department of Education English support site

Animal and plant fact sheets
Bin access All student waste to be taken home by students.
Parent/carer helpers Optional one parent per class, no siblings. Closed shoes essential.
Medical or special needs

Notify Field of Mars staff prior to excursion. 

Students, staff and visitors must not attend if unwell, even with mild symptoms. 
Extreme or wet weather Days predicted to be above 35ºC, high winds, extreme bush fire danger and dust storms may result in the excursion being modified, postponed or cancelled. 
Cancellations

Cancellations with less than 30 working school days notice will incur a $600 administration fee. 

Cancellations with less than 7 working school days notice will incur the full cost for the program based on the original booking. 

Cancellations due to weather or fire danger are exempt from fees. 

Suggested timetable for up to three classes

Time

Classes A, B, C
9.45 - 10.15 Introduction
10.15 - 10.30 Recess
10.30 - 10.45 Equipment distribution
10.45 - 12.45

Poetic adventures

- location scouting

- poem development

- macro photography
12.45 - 1.15 Lunch
1.15 - 2.00 iMovie studio - visuals and audio
2.00- 2.15 Pack up and depart

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Learning activities

During this program students will collaborate on the development of a digital communication product using a range of apps, poetic devices and visual literacy strategies.

Students will develop environmental vocabulary and use the English textual concept of perspective to create a five senses poem based on the experiences of a minifigure. They will learn how to take high quality macro photographs and create a digital story to bring their poem to life. 

Poetic adventures - composing

During this session the students will walk to a variety of locations in the Field of Mars Reserve.

At each location students will work in pairs to compose a sentence for their poem from the perspective of their minifigure. They will be exposed to a range of descriptive words that describe bushland locations and objects in nature. 

Students will be introduced to macro photography and how to compose shots using visual literacy skills to illustrate their poem. 

Publishing

During this session students will review and edit images taken in the field. Using iMovie or a similar app the students will develop a sequence of images to support their poem. They will narrate their poem, add titles and select a complementary soundtrack. Completed products will be sent back to school via Google Drive.

 

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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 recognise that their understanding of the worlds in texts are shaped by their own personal experience and their own culture.

They learn that views of the world in texts:

  • may differ from each other

  • are based on selections

  • may be represented in various ways in different modes and media.

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

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Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

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We’d like to acknowledge the Wallumedegal Peoples of the Darug Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we stand and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

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