Melbourne Water Education Programs
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Melbourne Water
Education Programs
We provide a variety of educational programs for schools both excursions and
incursions that cover a range of water education topics. The focus may be on the
natural waterways, the urban water cycle and sewage treatment.
Excursions
The Western Treatment Plant
Western Treatment Plant offers full day excursions
to educate students on a variety of different
aspects of the water cycle.
Students learn about the sewage treatment
process in a one hour bus tour of the plant. The
tours are a unique opportunity for visitors to observe how sewage is treated, how
methane gas is used to generate electricity for the plant, and insight into other aspects of
the Western Treatment Plant including the farm and the Ramsar listed wetlands.
Tours can be supported by a range of educational activities outlined below.
Western Treatment Plant additional activities (45 minutes each)
Discovery Centre Wetland food chain game Stormwater story
Suitable for all visitors Suitable for students in years 3-6 Suitable for students in years 3-6
The Discovery Centre takes visitors What happens to our food chain How does litter and rubbish end up
on a guided tour of the water cycle when there are too many in our rivers and creeks?
from catchment to coast. predators?
Students actively take on roles in a
This session provides an overview Students find out through this journey down the Yarra River from
of Melbourne’s water supply, interactive game about the food catchment to coast, to see how
sewage and waterways network cycle and energy transfer in our humans impact on the quality of
and facilitates discussions around special wetland environments. The stormwater.
sustainable water management. game demonstrates the effects of
pollution and predators on the Students discuss different actions
transfer of energy between trophic that can be taken and the affects
levels. that these would have on river
health.
What goes where? Living in a catchment Water recycling model
Suitable for students in years 5-10 Suitable for students in years 5-10 Suitable for students in years 5-10
Where should household wastes What is a catchment? How can we use less drinking
go? What can go onto the compost water?
heap, in the recycling bin or the What impacts do we have on the
rubbish bin? What should go into catchment we live in? This session investigates different
the sewerage and stormwater sources of water including
systems? groundwater, potable water and
Students construct a giant jigsaw
puzzle in teams to study the recycled water. Students discuss
In this interactive game, student factors that affect water quality. what activities can utilise different
teams actively debate the answer This session facilitates discussion sources of water and how we can
to these questions. on land use and water quality. use less potable water.
Cost: Activities (including tour) cost $3.90 per student, per activity.
A minimum fee of $180.00 applies for school visits.
To book: Email tours@melbournewater.com.au
Or visit melbournewater.com.au/visit_and_learn
The Eastern Treatment Plant
The Eastern Treatment Plant provides tours to find out how the plant operates. The
session includes a presentation, which discusses the construction of the plant and
provides an overview of Melbourne’s sewage system and urban water cycle. During the
tour students are able to follow the treatment plant process and learn about renewable
energy production.
Eastern Treatment Plant tours are not suitable for primary school students.
Cost: The visit (approximately 2 hours) is $7.80 per student.
A minimum fee of $180.00 applies for school visits.
To book: Email tours@melbournewater.com.au
Or visit melbournewater.com.au/visit_and_learn
The Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Discovery
Centre
Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Discovery Centre
offers sessions linked to the Australian curriculum
for up to 35 students at one time.
Learn about the value and importance of the
wetland to the environment and to the past and
present community. Observe the wildlife in a natural habitat
The Centre is now home to the Stormwater Interactive Model and which is easily
integrated into your visit.
Cost: Cost $3.90 per student, for a 2 hour visit
A minimum fee of $180.00 applies for school visits.
To book: Email tours@melbournewater.com.au
Or visit melbournewater.com.au/visit_and_learn
Incursions
An experienced Education Officer can visit your
school to deliver curriculum linked sessions. We
have a range of activities on interrelated topics.
Each activity has pre and post activities that are
sent to teachers prior. A description of the
sessions and the relevant VELS level is listed
below:
Foundation – Grade 2
Biodiversity and Ecology Hydrology & Healthy Waterways
Session activities Activities may Sessions provide an Activities may include:
explore the natural include: introduction to the natural
components of our water cycle, the way we use Water cycle puzzles
freshwater Growing and and interact with it.
environments, assisting changing Introducing students to
students to understand In guided investigations, the natural water cycle.
what makes a healthy students will look at where
Introducing students to Students investigate
waterway. water comes from, how it
frogs and their life where water comes from
cycles. Students learn ends up in our rivers, creeks and how it ends up in our
Students will have the about our local frogs and bays and the many waterways and bays.
opportunity to discover and the different ways we use it from day to
the things living in sounds they make. day.
Land use in a
freshwater
catchment
environments, the life Students will observe
Life of waterbugs
cycles of some of these features of our freshwater
animals, their Introducing students to
environments and consider
importance as indicators Students study aquatic the concept of a
the things we all can do to
of river health and the invertebrates (bugs), catchment with
ensure they are healthy.
difference of these to see what they look investigation and
environments to like and how they discussion on the things
saltwater and other move. Students sort that live in a catchment
environments. waterbugs according to and the many ways we
common features and use water in our
characteristics catchment.
Students will consider
including colour, size,
how change in these
shape and movement.
environments may effect
river health and the
things we all can do to
ensure they are healthy.
Grades 3 & 4
Biodiversity and Ecology Hydrology and Water Resource
Management
Sessions offer students Activities may Sessions provide activities Activities may include:
an opportunity to include: which allow students to look
explore the living and at the effect of their actions Water smart cities
non-living (physical and The life of macro on the natural water cycle.
chemical) components of Invertebrates Students are introduced
our freshwater The hands on lesson and to impacts of stormwater
environments and make discussion will guide
Students explore the on our waterways and
predictions and students to identify the
structure and function bays. Students learn
observations on the way interconnectedness of our
of aquatic macro- where their litter from
they interact and aquatic, terrestrial and
invertebrates in their the school ground ends
influence one another. atmospheric environments,
juvenile and adult up.
forms. Students also understand the many waysStudents are given discuss how these we interact with water in our Water cycle puzzle
hands on opportunities animals are an lives and see the importance
to investigate these important indicator of of our natural environment. Students will look at the
components and learn of water quality. water cycle and explore
their importance as Students will understand the the effect of temperature
indicators of river Turbidity and value of our freshwater on the different states of
health, while considering erosion environments as a resource water. Students describe
the way human for social, environmental the difference between
practices may impact This session and economic purposes and precipitation,
them. investigates the causes develop their plan to protect condensation and
of increased turbidity and ensure the health of our evaporation
Students will describe and possible effects on waterways and bays.
the value of our aquatic life. This Land use in a
freshwater environment session is an catchment
for supporting life, be introduction to testing
able to determine what the less visible forms of
This activity explores
can make a Healthy pollution affecting a
what a catchment is,
Waterway and identify waterway.
what it looks like and the
things we can all do to
factors that influence a
ensure their health. Stormwater story catchment.
Students consider land
Students participate in use and impacts on water
a catchment story. The quality.
session demonstrates
the connection
between the
stormwater system,
the health of river and
marine environments,
and actions to reduce
environmental impacts.
Grades 5 & 6
Biodiversity and Ecology Hydrology and Water Resource
Management
Session activities are Activities may Sessions provide an Activities may include:
about the physical and include: investigation into the natural
chemical components of water cycle, the different Water cycle puzzle
our freshwater The life of macro- states of water and the way
environments and the invertebrates we use and interact with it
Students identify water in
way they interact with on a daily basis.
a liquid solid and gas
one another.
Students learn about form at various stages of
macro-invertebrates Sessions provide a series of the water cycle and relate
Students are given unique adaptations. hands on lessons that will this to precipitation,
hands on opportunities Students discover the allow students to predict the condensation,
to test their predictions structure and function interconnectedness of our evaporation and
on simple water of various macro- aquatic, terrestrial and transpiration
measurements. They invertebrate breathing atmospheric environments,
then use these testing apparatuses, while describe the many ways we
Waterway engineers
results to determine sorting and identifying use water in our lives and
river health. a live sample. Students see the importance of our
natural environments in Using engineering
also discuss how these
supporting these uses. principles, students
Students will compare Animals are an
experiment with
data to better important indicator of
designing a waterway
understand the value of water quality. Students will understand the
while learning about
our freshwater value of our freshwater
Water Sensitive Urban
environment for environments as a resource
Design. Discussions also
supporting life. They will for social, environmental
include conducting fair
be able to determine and economic purposes, the
Increased nutrients tests on their ideas.
what makes a healthy need for their protection and
in the waterway
waterway and identify share the things we can do
things we can all do to to ensure the health of our
reduce our negative Explores the impact of waterways and bays. Water smart cities
impact. increased nutrients on
our waterways. Students determine the
Students linkphosphates to grey impacts of stormwater on
water, and the impact our waterways and bays
of stormwater on our and the types of
waterways. Students pollutions e.g. dog poo,
assess the quality of a litter and car oil that
water sample through enter the system.
testing for phosphate. Students learn how to
retrofit the city to
become more water
smart.
Years 7 to 10
Biodiversity and Ecology Hydrology and Water Resource
Management
Session activities lead Activities may Sessions provide activities Activities may
students to investigate the include: which allow students to look include:
physical and chemical at the effect of their actions
components of our Classifying Macro on the natural water cycle. Water smart cities
freshwater environments Invertebrates
and the way they interact The hands on lesson and Students use an
with one another. discussion will guide students
Students will classify urban landscape
macro-invertebrates by to identify the model to visualise
Students are given hands their observable interconnectedness of our the urban water
on opportunities to test structural features. aquatic, terrestrial and cycle. Simple
their predictions on simple Students will learn how atmospheric environments, filtration systems are
water measurements, to use a dichotomous understand the many ways demonstrated and
using these testing results key to identify aquatic we interact with water in our linked to Water
to determine river health. organisms.. lives and see the importance Sensitive Urban
of our natural environment. Design (WSUD)
Students will compare Temperature, principles where
data to better understand Turbidity and Students will evaluate the stormwater
the value of our Dissolved Oxygen importance of our freshwater treatment is
freshwater environment environments as a resource integrated into the
for supporting life. They Exploring the for social, environmental and landscape.
will be able to determine relationship between economic purposes and
what makes a healthy temperature, turbidity develop their plan to protect Waterway
waterway and identify and dissolved oxygen and ensure the health of our Engineers
things we can all do to and their effects on a waterways and bays.
reduce our negative waterway. Student use Students experiment
impact. scientific equipment to with designing a
measure the three water waterway based on
quality parameters. engineering
principles, while
Local waterway field creating appropriate
trip (excursion only) habitats for animals
and birds.
Prepare and guide Discussions also
students to complete include conducting
their habitat fair tests.
assessments, conduct a
transect survey and use
a macro-invertebrate
sample as an indicator
of water quality.
Costs: $500 - 1 staff person to deliver up to 3 sessions per half day
$750 - 1 staff person to deliver 4 to 6 sessions per full day
Maximum 50 mins per session and maximum group size per session is 30 students
To book: Phone: 9742 9264 or email: education@melbournewater.com.auYou can also read
