Exhibition resource
Suitable for: Years F to 6
Learning areas: Science, Geography
Topics: Weather, Animals, Bugs
Delve deeper into the Forest Gallery, with these curriculum-aligned forest walks.
Explore a living mountain forest ecosystem in the heart of Melbourne Museum. Walk beneath towering eucalypts, discover ferns, fungi and native plants, and observe animals in their natural habitats.
These forest walk worksheets provide a structured way for students to engage with the gallery by guiding observations and focusing attention on key concepts connected to the Victorian Curriculum 2.0.
Each forest walk has been designed to support learners' inquiry by prompting them to identify species, investigate adaptations, or make observations about bushfire recovery.
In this activity students will
- Use a worksheet to guide their exploration of the Forest Gallery.
- Identify animals in the Forest Gallery.
- Explore the different sections of the gallery.
- Examine the chimney, which survived the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
Suggested questions to engage students
- What do you expect to see during our visit to the Forest Gallery?
- Has anyone visited to a forest?
What to do:
Before your visit, students can watch the video of Museum Victoria’s live exhibits staff look after this living gallery:
Next, print out the appropriate worksheet for your class group. These can be taken into the gallery to guide student's interactions with their environment.
- Forest Gallery walk Foundation-2| 858.29 KB .pdf file
- Forest Gallery walk level 3-4| 906.3 KB .pdf file
- Forest Gallery walk level 5-6| 755.38 KB .pdf file
Victorian Curriculum Links
Science: Levels Foundation to 2
Biological sciences
- plants and animals have observable features that can be used to group them in different ways (VC2S2U01)
- plants and animals have basic needs, including air, water, food and shelter; the places where they live meet those needs (VC2S2U02)
Geography: Levels Foundation to 2
Geographical inquiry
- collect, sort and record information and data from observations, including from fieldwork and maps. (VC2HG2S02)
Science: Levels 3 and 4
Biological sciences
consumers, producers and decomposers have different roles and interactions within a habitat; food chains can be used to represent feeding relationships (VC2S4U03)
Geography: Levels 3 and 4
Geographical inquiry
the importance of environments, including natural vegetation and water sources, to people and animals in Australia and on another continent (VC2HG4K03)
locate, collect and record information and data from a range of sources, including from fieldwork, maps, photographs and graphs (VC2HG4S02)
Science: Levels 5 and 6
Biological sciences
organisms have evolved over time, as seen in fossils and scientific records; the structural features and behaviours of living organisms enable them to thrive in their environments (VC2S6U02)
Geography: Levels 5 and 6
Management of places
the impacts of bushfires and other climate hazards on environments and communities, and how people and communities manage prevention, preparedness, response and recovery VC2HG6K05
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