Overview
Creek Crusaders is a full day program that utilises scenario-based learning aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Science. Students meet 'Neo', a Trainee Palaeontologist, who is looking for a living fossil. The living fossil is the
Australian Lungfish, a rare and vulnerable ancient fish, living only in the rivers in South East Queensland.
Students embark on a journey to investigate a freshwater environment to discover its inhabitants and determine whether it is a healthy environment for a lungfish to survive. They will make observations of the plants and animals at the Toohey Forest pond, conduct dip-netting to collect macroinvertebrates from the water. A digital microscope is used to view the macroinvertebrates in detail, and identify them and their role in the environment.
Students then create food chains specific to the freshwater environment and analyse the impact of introduced species on the health of the pond. They will also explore the hidden heroes, the decomposers of the environment, to discover their important role.
At the end of the day, Neo the Trainee Palaeontologist returns and students share their ideas on how to keep the freshwater environment healthy. The program concludes with the students experiencing the live animals of Toohey Forest to learn about their roles in the environment and their relationships with each other.
Creek Crusaders has been assessed as medium risk. A Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment (CARA) is available on request. A student field booklet will be provided upon confirmation of your booking.
Curriculum Intent
Science Understanding
- Explain the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers within a habitat and how food chains represent feeding relationships (AC9S4U01)
HASS Knowledge and Understanding
- The importance of environments, including natural vegetation and water sources, to people and animals in Australia and on another continent (AC9HS4K05)
Sustainability
- All life forms, including human life, are connected through Earth's systems (geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival (SS1)