Education

AQWA is an amazing learning context that enables your students to explore over 12,000km of Western Australia’s coastline in an underwater journey featuring:

• Australia’s largest aquarium and underwater tunnel
• The world’s largest collection of Western Australian marine life.
• Beautiful living coral reefs.
• Giant sharks, rays and turtles.
• Interactive fun.

Students use language to understand, develop and communicate ideas and information and interact with others.

Through our signage, and interactions with an Ocean Guide, your students will be exposed to simple biological and geographical terms that describe marine animals and their environment. Some of these terms are specific to marine life and need to be learnt in order to compare the variety of marine life on display at AQWA.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheets during your excursion:

• AB Sea (yr 1-3)
• Create your own quiz (yr 4-5)
• Corals (upper secondary)
• Underwater dictionary (upper secondary)
• Classification (upper secondary)

And by booking into the following ocean activity:

• Curiosity Cabinet
• Create a Creature

Or by taking part in our Community Competition: Your sign here! In which students write information on marine life, with winning entries used in signage at AQWA

Students understand their culture, geographic and historical contexts and have the knowledge, skills and values necessary for active participation in life in Australia.

During your excursion your students will explore over 12,000km of Western Australian’s coastline. To make it easier to explore we have divided the coastline into five distinct regions; far north coast, coral coast, shipwreck coast, Perth coast, and the great southern coast. Each of these regions is characterised by different geographical features that are described in our signage. The marine life found in each region is a result of geographical factors and has played a role in Western Australia’s development and lifestyle.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheet during your excursion:

• Leeuwin Current (lower secondary)
• Where am I? (lower secondary)
• Sand (upper secondary)
• Cosmopolitan fish (upper secondary)

Students view a wide range of visual texts with purpose, understanding and critical awareness.

AQWA is a very visual experience; your students will be surrounded by living marine animals on an underwater journey. On this journey they will also have the opportunity to experience other visual media such as; signage; underwater footage shown in our feature exhibit: DANGERzone, magnifying glasses and DVD presentations. To make the most of their visit students need to not just look but to observe the marine life and read the accompanying signage to develop a deeper understanding and awareness. You excursion will provide the ultimate opportunity for your students to accomplish these skills.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheet during your excursion:

• Shipwreck Coast (yr 1-3)
• Jellyfish (yr 6-7)
• Corals (upper secondary)
• Defence (upper secondary)

Students read a variety of texts with purpose, understanding and critical awareness.

The ability to read and interpret information on displays and signs adjacent to exhibits enhances students understanding of the unique features of each region of coastline and the marine life that inhabits it.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheets during your excursion:

• Create your own quiz (yr 4-5)
• AQWA quiz (yr 6-7)
• Code breaker (yr 6-7)
• Saltwater crocodiles (yr 6-7)
• Shark research (yr 6-7)
• Leeuwin current (lower seconary)
• Sand (lower secondary)
• Underwater dictionary (upper secondary)
• Corals (upper secondary)
• Sharks (upper secondary)

Students understand the nature of science as a human activity

Information presented about the marine life on display at AQWA is a result of scientific research. AQWA plays a vital role in sharing this knowledge with the public and in doing so generating understanding and wonder for the marine environment of Western Australia.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheets during your excursion:

• Sharks (yr 4-5)
• Spot the animals* (yr 4-5)
• Jellyfish* (yr 6-7)
• Shark Research (yr 6-7)
• Sand*(lower secondary)
• Population Estimates*(upper secondary)
• Sharks (upper secondary)

And by booking into the following ocean activity:

• Ocean Origins

Students select and apply scientific knowledge, skills and understandings across a range of contexts in daily life.

From why everything looks blue underwater to how our eyes, and those of other animals, work AQWA’s Eye Spy Ocean Activity Kit helps you apply scientific knowledge to what you see at AQWA. The observations and activities conducted on your excursion can then be investigated further in your classroom with the follow up activity sheets included in the kit.

Students understand their own biology and that of other living things, and recognise the interdependence of life.

By observing the marine life of the Western Australian coastline students are able to learn specific characteristics, behaviours and adaptations of animals.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheets during your excursion:

• Shipwreck Coast (yr 1-3)
• Jellyfish (yr 6-7)
• Fish Shapes (lower secondary)
• Sand (lower secondary)
• Corals (upper secondary)
• Defence (upper secondary)
• Sharks (upper secondary)

And by booking into the following ocean activity:

• Create a Creature
• Curiosity Cabinet
• Mysteries of the Shark
• Weird Relations

Students understand that people attempt to meet their needs and wants by making optimum use of limited resources in enterprising ways

From food to sunscreen information on the resource uses of Western Australia’s marine life can be found at AQWA.

Emphasise this link by booking into the following Ocean Activity:

• Ocean Origins

In the arts learning area, students develop creative skills, critical appreciation and knowledge of artistic techniques and technologies in dance, drama, media, music, visual arts and combinations of arts forms.

AQWA provides your students with the unique opportunity to draw living marine life – without getting wet! As well as developing the ability to draw accurately, so that others can determine what fish or shark is being illustrated, by creating scientific drawings your students can develop an understanding of one of the roles of arts in society.

At AQWA your students can also; investigate the colours and patterns of marine life then relate this to survival techniques, and view marine themed indigenous art.

Emphasise this link by using the following excursion activity sheets during your excursion:

• AQWA (pre-primary)
• Postcards (yr 1-3)
• Sharks (4-5)
• Jellyfish (yr 6-7)
• Shark Researcher (yr 6-7)
• Fish Shapes (lower secondary)
• Sharks (upper secondary)

And by participating in the Community Competitions:

• Your Sign Here; and
• Marine Mosaics

In the Your Sign Here competition students research and draw/ photograph local coral reefs to create an interpretive sign. Winning entries will then be printed and put on permanent exhibit at AQWA. While in Marine Mosaics students design a mosaic pattern to be installed at AQWA. Winners will need to create their mosaic, and will receive a class excursion to AQWA for the unveiling!