Geography - Features of Places
Supports the Geography teaching framework - Local places and spaces
Students visit the Royal National Park to observe features of places and how people are connected. They participate in hands-on activities around Bonnie Vale picnic area or Reids Flat. There is a short bushwalk to the mangroves at Cabbage Tree Basin or to a rainforest grove from Reids Flat.
Program feedback
"The program consolidated what we have been doing in class. Walking through the bush and experiencing the rainforest was really worthwhile."
Key syllabus outcomes
- Students describe features of places and the connections people have with places (GE1-1)
- Students identify ways in which people interact with and care for places (GE1-2)
- Students communicate geographical information and use geographical tools for inquiry (GE1-3)
Key inquiry questions
- What are the features of, and activities in, places?
- How can we care for places?
- How can spaces within a place be used for different purposes?
Inquiry questions
- What are some features of the Royal National Park?
- How can we care for the Royal National Park?
Learning experiences
Students:
- engage with place through sensory awareness activities, such as matching colours in nature, creating ephemeral art using natural materials, going on a mirror walk and using senses to observe the natural environment
- listen to an Aboriginal Dreaming story relevant to the site they visit
- learn about Aboriginal plant uses and seasons on a bushwalk
- compare human and natural features and complete a class tally of features
- examine natural features through an invertebrate search, crab searching and/or bird watching (site dependant)
- use natural materials to create a nature map of the day’s journey or collaborate to create a pictorial map of the site
- care for place by picking up litter, returning animals unharmed to habitat, examining plants without damaging them and managing waste
Recommended excursion sites
- Bonnie Vale (please note limited access to toilets)
- Reids Flat, Audley