“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”  (Confucius).  Field trips or excursions are a vital supplement to academic study.  They provide a learning-by-doing context that adds meaning to the work in the class room.  Most often, field trips mean travelling off the school site which necessitates a great deal of organisation.  How fortunate then, are the boys of Newington Lindfield to have a bush area behind the school, alive with possibilities for experiential learning? 

The current Unit of Inquiry in which Year Two is engaged “How the World Works” has as its central idea “The Earth’s Landscape is Dynamic and Changes in Response to Patterns in Nature”.  The lines of inquiry follow:

• Observable changes in landscape (Change)
• Effects of weather and natural phenomena on the Earth (Causation)
• How humans impact the Earth’s surface (Connection)

For young boys there is so much in this study to excite and engage.  So, it was with great anticipation Year Two ventured into the bush as geologists to collect rock samples as a means of determining how the local landscape may have been formed.

Armed with specimen bags and a sense of adventure, these young scientists looked for four rocks of differing characteristics to analyse in terms of colour, size, pattern, lustre, and texture. 

Returning to the class room, our geologists noted the qualities of their specimens and described in more detail their characteristics.  The next step is to cross reference the finds with books and research on rocks to determine the makeup of our local landscape. 

Ahead are opportunities to experiment, design, learn and…understand by doing.

David Musgrove – Year 2 Teacher

Heading off to the Bush

The Excitement of a “Find”

Note Taking and Analysis

Geologist Consultation Meeting