Curriculum Based Field Studies

Programming:
All studies are designed and written to meet Board of Studies subject syllabus outcomes. Duration of the program can be between 2 hours and a full day’s program.

Students in Stage 1 will not be required to complete a student booklet but are encouraged to become actively involved in all sensory, initiative, environmental and curriculum activities. Land's Edge provides all necessary resource and safety equipment.

Content:
• Beach Art and Games
• Bushwalk and Insect Collection
• History and Built Environments

Subjects include:
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• Built Environment (BE S1.1)
• Living Things (LT S1.3)

HSIE - ENVIRONMENTS
• Patterns with Place & Location (ENS 1.5)
• Patterns with Place & Location (ENS 1.5)

Programming:
All studies are designed and written to meet Board of Studies subject syllabus outcomes. Duration of programs can vary between 2 hours up to a full day. Students in Stage 2 will have the opportunity to complete an age and ability-appropriate student booklet during the activity. They are also encouraged to become actively involved in all sensory, initiative, environmental and curriculum activities. Land's Edge provides all necessary equipment for each activity including work booklets (as mentioned), appendices, resource equipment and safety equipment.

Aims:
• To investigate current and past uses of the coastal environment at Chowder Bay and Sydney Harbour and consider future uses
      and issues
• To identify and observe the interactions between plants and animals within the coastal environment at Chowder Bay
• To identify the impact of present and potential environmental problems within Sydney Harbour and its foreshores
• To examine the current management plans and discuss possible strategies for alternate plans in the future
• To encourage participation in activities where students have the opportunity to:
- View the coastal environment from a different perspective
- Observe and record invertebrate data
- Examine a coastal ecosystem and look at the interaction of plants and animals within this environment
- Increase environmental awareness and care

Content:
• Past, Present, Future
• A Coastal Environment
• Sydney Institute of Marine of Science (S.I.M.S)
• Stormwater

Subjects Include:
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• Living Things (LT S1.3)
• Investigating (INV S2.7)

HSIE
• Environments (ENS 2.5 and ENS 2.6)

Programming:
All studies are designed and written to meet Board of Studies subject syllabus outcomes. Duration of programs vary between 2 hours and a full day. Students in Stage 3 will have the opportunity to complete an age and ability-appropriate student booklet during the activity. They are also encouraged to become actively involved in all sensory, initiative, environmental and curriculum activities. Land's Edge provides all necessary equipment for each activity including work booklets (as mentioned), appendices, resource equipment and safety equipment.

Aims:
• To identify the impact of present and potential environmental problems within Sydney Harbour and its foreshores
• To encourage participation in activities where students have the opportunity to:
- View the coastal environment from a different perspective
- Investigate water pollution in a local waterway and use water testing equipment
- Collect data to contribute to the community program 'Streamwatch'
- Increase environmental awareness and care
- Participate in activities that contribute to environmental sustainability

Content:
• Chowder Bay Case Study

Subjects Include:
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• Living Things (LT S1.3)
• Using Technology (UT S3.9)
• Earth & its Surrounds

HSIE
• Environments (ENS 3.5 and ENS 3.6)
• Patterns with Place & Location (ENS 3.6)

Programming:
The study is designed and written to meet Board of Studies Science syllabus outcomes and involves students’ participation in hands-on scientific research methodology. Duration of this program can vary between 1 and 3 days, though a minimum of two days is ideal to satisfy the aims of the excursion. Students in Stage 5 will have the opportunity to collect data in the water, complete an age and ability-appropriate student booklet during the activity and contribute to a database of information. They are also encouraged to become actively involved in all sensory, initiative, environmental and curriculum activities. Land's Edge provides all necessary equipment for this study, including booklets, appendices, resource equipment and safety equipment. Highly qualified Land’s Edge staff (including marine biologists) are employed to facilitate this program.

Aims:
for students to

• participate in a longitudinal study based on sea urchin abundance in Sydney Harbour
• develop a skill set and knowledge base of collecting data for research purposes
• participate in problem-solving activities that involve taking initiative, developing leadership skills, lateral thinking, team-building and delegation
• form an opinion on sea urchin abundance in Sydney Harbour and its relationship to the harbour’s ‘health’
• investigate current and past uses of the coastal environment at Chowder Bay and Balmoral and consider future uses and issues
• develop basic skills and safety awareness knowledge in relation to Snorkelling
• see a local environment from a different perspective
• fulfil the requirements of a section of their Science syllabus in an unusual and interesting manner

Specific Curriculum Aims:
For students to cover the following Science Stage 5 Syllabus 'Ecology' outcomes:

Students will:

• Be exposed to the following knowledge and understanding:
  - relate the structure and function of living things to models, theories and laws (5.8)
  - assess human impacts on the interaction of biotic and abiotic features of the environment (5.10)
  - analyse the impact of human resource use on the biosphere to evaluate methods of conserving, protecting and maintaining Earth’s resources (5.11)

• Have an opportunity to emphasise the following skills:
  - planning investigations
  - conducting investigations
  - communicating information and understanding
  - developing scientific thinking and problem-solving techniques
  - working individually and in teams.

• Develop the following Values & Attitudes:
  - recognise the role of science in providing information about issues being considered and an increasing understanding of the world around them (4/5.26)
  - acknowledge their responsibility to conserve, protect and maintain the environment for the future (4/5.27)

Information to come