Education for schools
The Queensland Wetlands Program, in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, has produced a range of interactive education and awareness-raising products to build community understanding of the importance of wetland ecosystems, particularly the Great Barrier Reef catchments.
The following products and resources highlight the importance of maintaining healthy inland and coastal wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.
The Wetlands Education Toolkit is a classroom teaching resource providing a collection of ideas, information and activities to support effective wetland education and is aligned to the National curriculum for Science and Geography. The Toolkit has an emphasis on Years 6 to 9 but has been designed to be adapted by teachers for use across most Primary and Secondary year levels.
Intensive 10-week field-based wetland curriculum
Our Wetlands—a field-based research unit—allows teachers to undertake an intensive wetland module across one full school term of teaching.
The students immerse themselves in wetland topics, develop field assessment skills, grow a complete appreciation of the importance of wetlands and learn to understand the part they play in maintaining and conserving wetlands.
The unit is accompanied by a storythread developed by Pullenvale Environmental Centre and a catchment role play game.
Catchment role play
For information about how your school can get involved in the wetland curriculum, contact the Queensland Wetlands Program using the feedback link below.
Wetland Discovery Program for Primary Schools—WetlandCare Australia
WetlandCare Australia's Wetland Discovery Program is a curriculum-linked environmental teaching package for primary schools. The Wetland Discovery Program includes a kit for teachers and students with tailored lessons appropriate for each stage (1-3), that relate directly to a wetland in their local environment.
Australian Water Education Toolkit
The Australian Water Education Toolkit is a water education resource for use in the classroom and is a searchable database. The search engine covers topics such as water in the environment, managing water resources, understanding water basics and water issues. It can be searched by school level, region, resource type and key concepts. Resources can be added through filling out a form online: Australian Water Education Toolkit Online Form.
Reef related Science teaching units
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has developed Science teaching units aligned to the new national curriculum. The units encourage students, teachers and their communities to follow the main aim of the Reef Guardians Program—to be stewards of the environment. The Science teaching units cover a range of Reef related topics from Year 1 to 10, including a wetlands unit for Year 7.
ReefED, developed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, provides a wealth of information for students and teachers on the Reef including the Reef HQ Aquarium Education program, an interactive GBR Explorer, image and movie libraries and other education resources such as the Reef Beat series.
Reef Beat is a curriculum-based education program for students from Years 5 to 9.
The curriculum unit Reef Beat—Wetlands—prepared by GBRMPA in partnership with the Queensland Wetlands Program—provides students and teachers with information about the connectivity between wetlands and the Great Barrier Reef. It features popular wetland activities and a range of posters.
Exploring Wetlands web quest—a virtual classroom
The Exploring Wetlands web quest is an inquiry-oriented activity which encourages students to consider wetlands as valuable habitats worth understanding and conserving.
While designed for school students, the tool is broad enough to suit a range of users. The site will help the user develop an understanding about habitat, food chains and the effect of human activity on wetland areas.
Exploring local wetlands
Exploring Local Wetlands is a tool that allows students to investigate the importance of wetlands in the environment as a resource used and managed by people. They discover the general uses and benefits of wetlands and recognise that different wetlands may have different uses and values. Issues related to their conservation, protection and sustainable use are also introduced.
Wetlands exhibit at Reef HQ Aquarium
A living wetlands exhibit has been created at Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Queensland, which is the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and national education centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
The wetlands exhibit provides visitors with an opportunity to experience and view a typical catchment area from the upper catchment to the Reef. It was created to develop community appreciation for the important role coastal wetlands play in sustaining the ecological balance and improving the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
Wetland on-line education modules
A series of on-line education modules have been prepared as a resource for people who want to learn more about wetlands.
Users can download and use the contents of these education modules to meet their learning and training needs.This information should be used in conjunction with information found on this website.
Last updated: 18 November 2015
This page should be cited as:
Education for schools, WetlandInfo 2012, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, viewed 18 June 2016, .