HAMMOND ROAD HABITAT REHABILITATION

INTRODUCTION

Hammond Road is being expanded to become a dual

carriageway. To make space for the widening of the

road, the trees that line Hammond Road will be removed.

This will result in a loss of habitat for the birds and

animals that rely on these trees for food and shelter.

BRIEF

In small groups you will be designing an alternative habitat for the animals and birds that will be

displaced due to the roadworks. We will be doing lots of class activities to help you understand

the natural environment of our school, which animals rely on the trees and the things the animals

need in their new habitat.

At the end of week 5, your group will present your habitat designs to the class and some special

guests. We will then vote for a design, and then as a whole class we will build the winning habitat

design.

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GENERATING DESIGNS

To help your group design the habitat, we will be exploring:

• which animals and birds inhabit the trees;

• the tree varieties; Photo credit: nationalgeographic.com.au

• alternative locations within the school grounds for the habitat;

• ways the local Indigenous people traditionally care for the natural environment;

• materials and tools for construction;

• the animals’ natural predators;

• why it’s important to replace the habitat;

• seeking permission to use an area of the school;

• length of time construction will take;

• people who will help plan and construct the habitat;

• ways to pay for materials and tools;

• safety considerations.

TIME Photo credit: nationalgeographic.com.au

The Hammond Park Habitat Rehabilitation design brief is an eight-week project.

• Weeks 1-5: Generating designs and design presentations (small groups).

• Weeks 6-8: Project management and construction (whole class).

• Week 8: Smoking ceremony (community). Reflection and evaluation (individual).

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PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS

Habitat designs need to meet the following specifications:

• location must be within the school grounds, and not currently being used;

• plants must be native and suitable for upland vegetation;

• man-made shelters must be made from natural materials (e.g. sticks, rocks) or repurposed/

upcycled materials;

• tools to build the habitat can be bought, hired or borrowed, but you must explain how you

will pay for them and what you will do with them at the end of the project;

• you will have 5 hours of class time for pre-construction and construction of habitat. If you

think your design will take longer, please explain how you will address this;

• construction of the habitat will be carried out by the whole class. Please explain if your

design will require additional ‘man-power’;

• you will not receive any money to put towards the habitat, however, if you need to purchase

items, you will have to explain how you will raise the money; and lastly

• habitat must be sustainable and will ideally be self-sufficient. If it requires monitoring and

maintenance, it must be low, and nominate who will perform this role.

Photo credit: madcat.com.au

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PRESENTATION

On Tuesday of Week 5, your group will give a 10 minute presentation about your research and

design. You must use at least one form of ICT (e.g. PowerPoint, Explain Everything, iMovie etc) in

your presentation. You can make a physical prototype or computer simulation to explain their

habitat design. Your need to cover the following:

• Introduction

{ } What is the problem?

{ } Which animals are affected? How many and in which ways?

{ } Describe the vegetation being removed and explain how this influenced your design.

{ } Why is constructing a new habitat important? (Make a persuasive argument.)

• Habitat design

{ } Location

{ } What materials/ plants will you need? What quantities will you need?

{ } Can you reuse a resource or use upcycled materials? (Sustainability.)

{ } What tools will you need? Where will you get them?

{ } How long will construction take?

{ } What ‘manpower’ will you need for construction? (Construction will be a whole class

project, but will you need help from adults or students in other classes?)

{ } How much money will your design cost? How will you pay for it?

{ } What are the necessary safety considerations (during construction and at completion)?

• Conclusion Photo credit: gdaywa.com

{ } Why is your design best for the animals?

{ } Why should the class build your group’s design?

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When all groups have presented, the principal and gardener will give feedback. We will then

discuss the designs and vote for which habitat we are going to build.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Our next step is to plan the construction. As a whole class, we will write a project management

plan of everything that needs to be organised:

• Cost/ fundraising/ acquiring donations

• Materials/ tools/ resources

• Time management

• Tasks required pre-construction (e.g. purchasing/ procuring materials and tools, garden prep)

• Tasks required construction (hands-on tasks)

• Safety considerations

We will be getting into groups of committees for project management, e.g. finance committee,

materials purchase, construction, manager etc. You will be able to nominate for “positions” if

there is something you especially want to do.

Photo credit: museaum.wa.gov.au

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EVALUATION:

At the end of week 8, when the new habitat is finished, you will

need to write a 1 – 2 page reflection of our design brief project.

Please include:

• Design Process: Photo credit: nativeplantswa.org.au

- What did you like about the design process?

- What didn’t you like?

- Were you a valuable member of your small group? Give examples.

- How did you contribute to your group’s design? Give examples.

• Construction:

- What was your role in the habitat construction?

- What did you like about the construction process?

- What didn’t you like?

- Were you a valuable member of your construction team? Please explain.

• Final Product:

- What do you like about the finished habitat?

- What don’t you like about it?

- How does it meet the needs of the animals and birds? Give examples.

- How does the habitat improve the school environment?

- Is the habitat self-sustaining? Does it need monitoring and

maintenance?

- What would you do differently next time?

Photo credit: bgpa.wa.gov.au