Exploring Nature: How we can protect and care for the land we call home.
PROJECT TITLE: Exploring Nature: A Journey from Dirk Hartog to Our School. How we can protect and care for the land we call home.
Links UN Sustainability’s goal 15 LIFE ON LAND
Creatives Practitioner Name: Claire Davenhall
Creative Practitioner Practice:Visual Artist
School:Walliston Primary School
Teacher:Nathan Busby
Year Group:5/6
In this 7-week creative project, Year 5 students will be inspired by the remarkable conservation work on Dirk Hartog Island as they explore and investigate the natural environment around their own school community. Using field books, students will record scientific observations, study local plants and animals, and reflect on how humans impact their surroundings. They’ll develop their creative habits — being inquisitive, persistent, imaginative, disciplined, and collaborative — while working together to create 3D models in little book nooks and a final class display that celebrates the importance of protecting life on land close to home.
UN Sustainability’s goal 15 LIFE ON LAND Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
90-minute session in the classroom:
Warm Up
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Introduce Claire and her exploration to Dirk Hartog Island and how they are restoring the land to 1616, before Europeans discovered it and introduced sheep and goats, which had devastating results for the land. |
Main Activity (one photo)
Conducted a survey of the living flora or fauna in the schools, recording if it is native or introduced, is under threat of becoming extinct? |
Reflection with the students (one photo)
Students thought about the animals they had seen that lesson, and asked to cut out their shadow shape in the colour of the creative habits they had used the most during the lesson, then attached it to the learning wall. We ran out of time, only got 3! |
After the session:
Planning with the Teacher
(refer back to your original Term Plan document, discuss successes, explore challenges and make changes.)
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So I had originally packed quite a bit in, so we didn't have time to introduce William Dampier, the English explorer, pirate, and naturalist, who was the first Englishman to chart part of the Australian coastline and the first European to scientifically study its landscape, flora, and fauna. Will can start the lesson next week with next week and show examples from his field book. The warm-up will be whittling a drawing stick and making ink from rocks/leaves. We only showed up to Side 9 on the powerpoint so we can show the rest next week. |
Working with students
(what is emerging, what is engaging them/not, what’s making them curious.)
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The students loved showing me around and exploring. We found so much Fauna, black cockatoos, ring-necked parrots, willy wagtails, there was a dead grey kangaroo just over the road, which they all told me was seen on the way to school. They were very proud to introduce me to the class brush-tailed Phascogale! We also saw a bobtail, one of the kids tried to scare it, much to the disgust of the other students. They also found a swarm of bees, a huge grasshopper, spikers, millipedes, a skink and empty gecko eggs. They struggled to know the native and introduced types of flora. I encouraged them to show me their discoveries, and I took photographic evidence. |
Ideas moving forward
(ideas for next session, future lessons, discussed with teacher, do you need the teacher to do anything before you return.)
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We didn't have much time at the end of the session for reflection, it took us a while to find the habits boards. We had a relief teacher, so I’m not sure he knew what that would look like. I said we would spend more time on that next week. |
Resources
(do you need anything, who will source it?)
I think we need an ideas board for the types of animals they can draw and cut out their reflective animals. |
How can you share learning outcomes/stories of transformation with the wider school community (e.g. Connect newsletter, staff meeting, school newsletter, school social media platforms)
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I will email the teacher! |
