Year level: 4-12
Group size: 25 (Negotiable)
Duration: 1–1.5 hours
Details of activity
A walk through a mainly dry mangrove area locating, identifying, studying and discussing a wide range of animal life and their structural, behavioural and physiological adaptations.
Some pre-visit knowledge is highly recommended. Timing is tidally restricted but students do not get too muddy. Also consider time of day and year for heat, sandflies and mosquitoes. Slideshow available as engager, cameras available for photography.
Can be combined with a Mangrove Plants activity.
Focus of mangrove plants activity is negotiated with the visiting Teacher but would likely be chosen from:
- Sustainability and human impacts on the environment
- Ecosystems and ecologies
- Classification of organisms
- Adaptations of organisms
- Field work (Transect searches, soil sampling, biodiversity studies)
Learning intent
Biodiversity
- Identify the adaptations in mangrove animals that enable them to survive in this specialised environment.
- Observe closely in the search for mangrove animals, including those less easily seen.
- Handle animals carefully with respect to the safety of the animal and the handler.
- Make a food web with the animals we've observed and appreciate mangrove biodiversity.
- Record and interpret data monitoring local biodiversity.
- Explain the importance of biodiversity in maintaining a healthy environment.
Sustainability
- Recognise the impacts, both positive and negative, that humans have had on the mangrove forest.
- Evaluate the short and long term effects of these impacts.
- Discuss possible methods of sustainably managing the mangrove forest in the future.
Ecosystems and ecologies
- Identify the factors creating connectivity between systems.
- Identify patterns, and species distributions in a mangrove forest and explain these.
- Understand the ecology of select species.
- History - recognise locations of significance in indigenous history and post European settlement.
- Recognise the natural processes and events of the past; consider possible impacts of similar events in the future.
Critical & creative thinking
- Inquiring, identifying and exploring and organising information and ideas.
- Generating ideas, possibilities and actions.
- Reflecting on thinking and processes.
- Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures.