Who’s it for…

From 2nd class to 6th Class. Ties into Discover Primary Science and Maths Award of Excellence Step 1 and Step 4.

 

 

Where…

Local woodland or potentially around school grounds if suitable habitats are present.

Duration…

Full day.

What the day entails…

Introduction in the classroom to the concept of surveying nature, how, why and relevant examples.  Explanation of the layers of a forest.  Trip to a local woodland (this can be sourced by NatureNorthWest) to explore the woods, become familiar with the habitat structure.  Surveying of the four layers of a forest.  Basic vegetation groups are percentage estimated for older classes or marked by presence or absence for younger groups.  At least two surveys will be carried out by pupils, more surveys if time allows.  Pupils will work in small groups of 3-5.  All data collected will be brought back to the classroom for basic graphs such as pie charts for younger groups or bar charts for older groups.  Measuring, counting, grouping and sorting are included for all groups, percentage estimating for older groups.  Some form of data presentation will be conducted by all groups.

What the teacher needs to do…

Discussion on layers of the forest and surveying general is important as part of the preparation work for this day.  Also percentage estimating and familiarity for the older classes and revision of constructing charts.