Students investigate how Earth’s systems interact by observing natural features, testing environmental conditions, and identifying relationships between living and non-living components of Centennial Parklands.
Stage 2 Science
Students investigate how Earth’s systems interact by observing natural features, testing environmental conditions, and identifying relationships between living and non-living components of Centennial Parklands. Through hands-on inquiry activities using scientific tools, students build an understanding of how soil, water, sunlight and habitats support ecosystems.
Learning intention
Students will:
- observe and record features of the natural environment
- investigate how soil, water and light influence living things
- compare living and non-living features in different parts of the park
- collect and interpret data to identify patterns and relationships in ecosystems.
Activities
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Nature observation and journaling: Students use sketching, labelling and note-taking to record features of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.
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Swamp walk – soil, water and light testing: Students conduct simple tests to compare soil types, measure light levels and temperature, and examine water clarity. They collect data to explore how environmental factors support or limit life in wetland habitats.
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Mud map – living and non-living features: Working in small groups, students draw a mud map of their investigation area, identifying natural and human-made features and classifying elements as living, once-living or non-living.
Curriculum links and syllabus outcomes
Vocabulary
Environment, system, soil, water, sunlight, habitat, living, non-living, ecosystem, data, test, sample, investigate, atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere.
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The Education Access Pass Program covers all program and transport costs for schools with an FOEI higher than 125 and community organisations that work with groups in need.
Please contact us directly with the name of the program and your group size and we can help you organise a free program.
This program is funded through the Legacy Fund of the Centennial Parklands Foundation.