Yr 7 Science Excursion to Taronga Zoo

Year 7 have been studying Cells and Classification in their Science classes this term. Recently, the students have learnt how living organisms are classified into special groups depending on the characteristics they share.

To support their studies, they embarked on an exciting excursion to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo with the aim to collect information on various wildlife housed there. At the zoo, the students observed a wide range of animals from across the world, attended keeper talks and shows. They will use this experience to put together a David Attenborough-style documentary to showcase their chosen animals in class.

The students had a wonderful day at Taronga. Here are what some had to say:

    ”The zoo was unbelievably interesting with such unique creatures. I really loved the seal show         especially when the seal leaped out of the water and touched the ball with its nose.” – Leo Buchanan

    ”It was a really great day at the zoo. My favourite enclosure was the greater bilby. I found out its         manoeuvrable ears help with heat regulation and finding prey.” – Angus Dawson

    ”We enjoyed taking photos of the animals at the zoo. Our favourite were the meerkats. We         watched them burrow in the sand.” – Archer Malackey & Oliver Fyfe

    ”It was a new and fun experience at the zoo as we were able to take our time analysing and         observing the animals within our class context.” – Benjamin Ryckmans

    ”I enjoyed the freedom of choosing what we got to see throughout the day and the teachers         were very nice.” – Peter Damianos

    ”I like the biodiversity of the animals at the zoo. My favourite was the red panda.” – Rhys Au

    ”The task that we were assigned was very fun. We decided to film 5 reptiles including the         rhinoceros iguana and  black headed python.” – Willem van der Voort van Zyp

    ”The exhibits had a lot of information on each animal which help me with the task. I found out the     baby hippos follows its parents to learn survival skills which was quite fascinating.” – Noah Medniuk

    ”We enjoyed the flexibility of our day and being able to see the animals at our own pace with our     friends.” – Tom Richardson  & Daniel Murphy

The excursion deepened their understanding of classification as well as conservation and ways of protecting wildlife. Thank you to Mr Briscoe-Hough for organising such a fun learning experience and to the staff who accompanied the students.

Kathryn Whiten
Laboratory Technician