Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre logo

Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

Experience Engage Enable

Telephone02 9816 1298

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

Poetic adventures program

Teacher checklist

Location

Field of Mars Reserve, Pittwater Road, East Ryde

Wallumedegal Country

Google maps - Apple maps

Bus access Supply bus driver with Field of Mars Reserve bus information

No bus entry into Field of Mars Reserve.
Cost

2023 DoE $24 per student - GST free

2023 Non-gov school cost $34 per student - GST free, minimum charge $600

Risk assessment Risk management plan 

COVID-19 safety plan
Tracks View the YouTube track overview videos.

Buffalo Creek Track

Doyle and Warada loop track
Welfare Participants will be bushwalking during the day in rugged terrain.

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, mask.

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

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.

Check COVID-19 restrictions.
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 three school weeks' notice will incur a $500 administration fee. This does not apply to cancellations due to weather,  fire danger or COVID-19 restrictions.


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


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.

 



Syllabus outcomes and content

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.

English K-10 Syllabus (2012)

Outcomes

A student:

  • communicates in a range of informal and formal contexts by adopting a range of roles in group, classroom, school and community contexts EN2-1A 
  • plans, composes and reviews a range of texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and language EN2-2A 
  • uses effective handwriting and publishes texts using digital technologies EN2-3A 

Content

Speaking and listening 1

Students:

  • interact effectively in groups or pairs, adopting a range of roles 

  • use interaction skills, including active listening behaviours and communicate in a clear, coherent manner using a variety of everyday and learned vocabulary and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume (ACELY1688, ACELY1792) 

Writing and representing 1

Students:

  • plan, compose and review imaginative and persuasive texts

  • plan and organise ideas using headings, graphic organisers, questions and mind maps

Handwriting and using digital technologies

Students:

  • use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685, ACELY1697) 

Other syllabus links

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

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2018)

Living World 

Geography K-10 Syllabus (2015)

Places are similar and different

The Earth’s environment

English K-10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2012

Geography K-10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2015

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, 2017

English textual concepts © NSW Department of Education, 2016