Monday - Friday, 10am to 2pm
Sydney Olympic Park Education Centre, Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park
Students will immerse themselves in the natural world by stepping into the shoes of a mangrove ecologist to study the biotic and abiotic features of a protected intertidal wetland environment. Their objective will be to increase their understanding of how this ecosystem functions, by conducting a range of scientific investigations, so they can better protect it from harm in the future.
Throughout the day students will work in small groups to gather data and observe biotic and abiotic interactions within 40 hectares of protected wetland. Each activity will focus on plants, animals or bacteria that live in the mangroves. Each activity has 2 components, one that relies on observation skills and the other involves primary data collection using hands-on fieldwork techniques. All of the data collected will be recorded by the students and the results can then be used to answer the inquiry question “How do living things survive in this intertidal ecosystem?”
Knowledge and Understanding:
Content:
LW1 - There are differences within and between groups of organisms; classification helps organise this diversity. (ACSSU111)
LW2 - Cells are the basic units of living things and have specialised structures and functions. (ACSSU149)
LW3 - Multicellular organisms contain systems of organs that carry out specialised functions that enable them to survive and reproduce. (ACSSU150)
LW4 - Scientific knowledge changes as new evidence becomes available, and some scientific discoveries have significantly changed people's understanding of the world. (ACSHE119, ACSHE134)
LW5 - Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to conserving and managing sustainable ecosystems. (ACSSU112)
Skills:
4 hours
Bus drop off area and all day bus parking in P10f