It has been all go at College Street Normal School this term with Science as our inquiry focus.
Each year level has been engaged in a variety of science learning experiences, empowering our learners to think like scientists while gaining a deeper understanding in the strands of science. One highlight is the science learning Pod 5 have been engaged in with the support of the Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery Centre and their Education Programme. With strong links to the NZC, particularly in the Nature of Science, Living World and Te Reo Maori, this collaborative programme focuses on raising awareness of the Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery Centre and the role they play in the conservation of endemic birds. It also covers the importance of native species (both animals and plants), pests and predators, and careers in conservation and biodiversity.
The programme is split into three parts. The first part involved the Wildbase Educator visiting our kura for a 60-90 minute presentation focusing on education about the environment, developing knowledge and skills. The educator presented on a number of Wildbase’s key roles, engaging our learners in interactive displays and discussions about the centre. We also linked this learning to our literacy learning in class, and our learners used content on Wildbase’s website in our reading learning to ask questions and use their interactive walkthrough to learn more about the centre. The second session involved a 90 minute visit to Wildbase Recovery in the Esplanade, focusing on education in the environment, connecting to nature and place. We discussed the resident endemic birds on site, the different recovery aviaries, and the purpose for these. We then went inside the education centre to look at the different food options for the patients, and other learning activities.
A key highlight was discussing the Huia and its links to the Manawatū. Lastly, the third session involves the Wildbase Educator returning to CSNS at the end of this term, focusing on education for the environment - taking action to restore, grow and protect. This will be a space for our learners to share their individual inquiry learning that they have investigated this term within the Living World strand, and show how they are taking action to effect change in their environment.
Our learners have been involved in learning activities such as making tracking tunnels to track pests around our kura, ideal conditions to grow a range of plants, looking into the impact of worms on soil, native bird numbers, and plant life cycles, just to name a few. This programme has been highly effective at engaging our learners in the Living World, giving opportunities to explore a range of information about endemic plants and animals, and empowering our learners to make wise decisions and take action for the care of their environment.
If you’d like more information, visit this link: https://wildbaserecovery.co.nz/learn-and-teach/our-onsite-education-programme/
Ben Valentine and Kylie Mulcahy Science Within School Leaders, CSNS
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