education

3-6 Rocky Shores

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Second Nature Education offers an amazing variety of educational and experiential programs to a variety of rocky shore locations in: Queensland and New South Wales; throughout Australia; and overseas.

All our programs are either tailored to support relevant units within the Australian curriculum, or as specifically requested by our clients.

What We Provide 

  • Award-winning educators/ facilitators
  • Itineraries and flyers
  • Curriculum-based work-booklets
  • All relevant equipment (supplying up to 150x students per session)
  • Example assessment tasks
  • Transportation options (we provide quotes to utilise our own buses for every excursion and can purchase all relevant flights relating to your program where applicable)
  • Pre/Post excursion activities (usually a PPP)
  • Risk Assessment (location specific)
  • Variety of field-work locations (where available)
  • Accommodation options (we provide quotes to utilise the most affordable and most appropriate accommodation to suit your needs)
  • Catering options (we provide quotes to utilise our own in-house catering service for every excursion (where available) and/or catering through a third-party provider

Primary School (3-6) Programs

Our “Rocky Shores” programs for years 3-6 have been specifically developed for this age group, and for a variety of learning abilities. Through participation in this program, students gain a basic understanding and awareness of the importance of rocky shore ecosystems through direct interaction with the natural environment (excursions) or through an interactive PPP with a variety of items scavenged from the beach to pass around (incursions). This experience can be delivered to complement the following units or modules:

Geography

  • Year 4 The Earth’s Environment Sustains all Life (QLD) or The Earth’s Environment (NSW)
  • Year 5 Factors that Shape the Human and Environmental Characteristics of Places (QLD) or Factors that Shape Places (NSW)
  • Year 5 Factors that Shape Places and Influence Interconnections (VIC)

Science

  • Year 3 Biological Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Living World (NSW)
  • Year 5 Biological Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Living World (NSW)
  • Year 3 Earth and Space Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Earth and Space (NSW)
  • Year 4 Earth and Space Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Earth and Space (NSW)
  • Year 5 Earth and Space Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Earth and Space (NSW)
  • Year 6 Earth and Space Sciences (QLD/VIC) or Earth and Space (NSW)

Trip Overview

The Rocky Shore is a uniquely fascinating place for children! Primary teachers choosing to undertake one of our field-based “Rocky Shores” excursions have the option of an ‘Experiential’ field trip (usually Grades K/P-4) or a ‘Work-booklet’ based field trip (usually grades 5-6/7). Experiential field trips are less structured than work-booklet-based field trips and allow flexibility to follow the specific interests of a group. Work-booklet-based field trips allow for a methodical and structured investigation of rocky shore environments. Virtual rockpool investigations allow students who are unable to participate in a field trip (e.g. due to finances, proximity to habitat, behaviour issues, etc.) to gain a basic understanding of rocky shore environments through a well-designed in-class presentation.

Highlights

  • Climbing along the rocks at the beach
  • Peeking into rock pools
  • “Magic spot” experiences
  • Identification using age-appropriate keys
  • Learning about zonation on the Rocky Shore
  • Identifying adaptations of rocky shores (salinity/exposure/predation etc.)

More Information

Inclusions

Excursions

  • Guided walk along the rocky shore looking at zonation
  • Crab and shellfish identification activity
  • “Magic spot” quiet reflection and field sketch
  • Discussion of adaptations for living in such a harsh environment
  • Field work (simple quadrat or transect studies)

Incursions

  • An age-appropriate interactive PowerPoint presentation
  • Investigation of rocky shore adaptations using samples taken from a living ecosystem
  • Virtual rockpool exploration and biodiversity quadrat (optional)
  • Crab and shellfish identification activity
  • Active “Food Chains and Food Webs” game
  • Quiz (with prizes!) to assess comprehension
Educational Outcomes
  • Awareness and knowledge of rocky shores
  • Appreciation for the diversity of rocky shore organisms
  • A basic understanding of how rocky shore systems work including knowledge of food chains/webs and habitats
  • Awareness of the impacts of human activities on rocky shores both locally and globally
  • Knowledge of local and largescale environmental issues affecting rocky shores including global warming, invasive species and pollution
  • Learning of sustainable behaviours that minimise these issues
  • A sense of connection to and feeling of stewardship towards Australia’s rocky shores
  • An understanding of the complex processes involved in managing our rocky shores in a sustainable manner.
Itinerary

Below is an example itinerary for a 1-day “Rocky Shores” excursion. All excursion packages include the necessary work booklets and equipment.

08:30 Tour group pick- Second Nature have a fleet of vehicles available to cater for any number of passengers (within reason). We can provide transport to and from schools and airports
09:30 Arrive at destination.  Walk to study site
09:45 Activity Session 1 Rocky shores have distinctive zonation patterns. That is to say, different colonies of shellfish and crustaceans can be found at varying distances from the shoreline depending on their tolerance for physical factors such as salinity, light intensity, temperature, etc. During this activity, your guides will walk you through the three distinct zones on the rocky shore and assist you to identify animals at each stop.
10:45 Activity Session 2 Rocky shores provide critical habitat for highly specialized animals. They are also an important food source for migrating shore birds. During this activity, you will learn about the importance of the rocky shore ecosystem and will take note of any human impacts directly visible (or not) in the immediate environment. During this time, you will also complete a field sketch of the rocky shore and beach beyond.
11:45 Lunch at destination Great areas to take a break and enjoy the view!
12:15 Activity Session 3 Students will conduct a line transect and quadrat investigation at the one of the zones identified in Activity Session 1. They will later compare the data collected with similar measurements taken at the two other zones by their classmates.
14:30 Walk back to bus from study site
14:45 Depart destination, back to school or airport
15:30 Arrive back at school or airport when required
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