education

Senior Heathland

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

All our programs are either tailored to support relevant units within the new 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

Senior School (Yr 11-12) Programs

Our “Heathland” programs for years 11-12 have been specifically developed for units of study in Geography, Biology, and Earth and Environmental Science. Each can however be tailored to a school’s needs. The programs are great fun and involve the exploration of a natural environment (excursions), or an exciting interactive PPP with classroom activities (incursions). A detailed understanding and awareness of the importance of heathland ecosystems and a new-found appreciation for this amazing habitat are key outcomes. These programs are delivered by passionate facilitators with specialist knowledge on coastal geography. The experiences can be delivered to complement the following units or modules:

Geography

  • Year 11 Living on Earth (QLD)
  • Year 11 Hazards and Disasters (VIC)
  • Year 11 Biophysical Interactions (NSW)
  • Year 12 Ecosystems at Risk (NSW)
  • Year 12 Responding to Land Cover Transformations (QLD) or Changing the Land (VIC)

Biology

  • Year 11 Biodiversity and the Interconnectedness of Life (QLD) or Biological Diversity (NSW)
  • Year 11 Ecosystem Dynamics (NSW)
  • Year 11 How do Living Things Stay Alive? (VIC)

Earth and Environmental Science

  • Year 11 Earth’s Resources and Human Impacts on the Environment (QLD)
  • Year 11 Human Impacts (NSW)
  • Year 12 How can Biodiversity and Development be Sustained? (VIC)

Trip Overview

Heathland is not a commonly considered destination for studies in biology or ecosystem dynamics. However, this habitat presents a number of unique plant and animal adaptations that support life in a highly dynamic environment. There are also opportunities to investigate hazards such as invasive species. On this adventure, you will learn about the importance of heathlands and the unique community of organisms that live there. You will also use a variety of fieldwork techniques to investigate a heathland and coastal/desert ecosystem. If you are seeking a different approach to your heathland study, we can design a program that is suitable for you.

Highlights

  • Exploring an exciting new ecosystem!
  • Sketching
  • Map-reading/comprehension
  • Biodiversity surveys
  • Identifying adaptations of xerophytic plants (heat/light/water/reproduction etc.)
  • Identification of plants and animals suited to the desert using age-appropriate keys
  • Scientific equipment use (anemometers/barometers/thermometers etc.)
  • Looking for additional evidence of wildlife (bird nests etc.)
  • Use of binoculars (e.g. bird watching)
  • Quadrat and line transect activities

More Information

Inclusions

Excursions

  • Exploration of 1-2 heathland or coastal environments
  • Xerophytic plant identification activity
  • Bird identification activity
  • Field sketch of environment/s
  • Presentation on human impacts and management (observable in the natural environment)
  • Field work (quadrat or transect studies)

Incursions

  • An age-appropriate interactive PowerPoint presentation
  • Investigation of xerophytic plant adaptations using samples taken from a living ecosystem
  • Bird and plant identification activities
  • Passing around of items found in heathland
  • Active “Food Chains and Food Webs” game
  • Quiz (with prizes!) to assess comprehension
Educational Outcomes
  • Awareness and knowledge of heathland and coastal/desert environments
  • Appreciation for the diversity of heathland organisms
  • A basic understanding of how heathland systems work including knowledge of food chains/webs, habitats and propagules.
  • Awareness of the impacts of human activities on heathland and coastal/desert environments both locally and globally
  • Knowledge of local and largescale environmental issues affecting heathland and coastal/desert environments including invasive species and pollution, as well as habitat destruction and fragmentation
  • Learning of sustainable behaviours that minimise these issues
  • A sense of connection to and feeling of stewardship towards Australia’s heathland and coastal/desert environments
  • An understanding of the complex processes involved in managing our heathland and coastal/desert environments in a sustainable manner.
Itinerary

Below is an example itinerary for a 1-day heathland excursion. All excursions packages include the necessary work booklets and equipment.

09:00 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
09:45 Arrive at destination for Activity session 1 Australia’s heathlands are home to a unique community of plants and animals that have pioneered some bizarre and impressive adaptations to cope with a dynamic semi-arid environment. During this activity, you will identify plants and animals of the heathland and nearby beach (or desert). You will take note of the adaptations they use to survive in their environment and draw a lateral view of the visible plant communities as an initial field sketch.
10:45 Morning tea
11:15 Field Work Session 1 Line transects and quadrat surveys are frequently utilised by field scientists to monitor how an area changes over time. During this activity, students will be divided into groups to assess an undisturbed area of heathland using techniques explained by our guides. The activity will involve taking measurements of physical factors using supplied equipment and recording results in a data collection table. This is excellent hands on experience in the field!
12:15 Lunch at destination Great areas to take a break and enjoy the scenery
13:15 Field Work Session 2 Students will conduct a contrasting line transect and or quadrat survey at a second study site. This site will have been disturbed by natural processes (e.g. wind erosion) or human activity (e.g. invasive species). The comparison of undisturbed and disturbed sites will later form the basis of the students’ summative field reports.
14:15 Depart destination, back to school or airport
15:00 Arrive back at school or airport when required
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