Beach walk printables
Learning outcomes:
Students:
- Students observe and record observations on an environmental walk.
- Students describe and retell what they see.
Purpose of learning experience
- Students engage in imaginative play by imitating scenarios from the Beach walk online activity.
- Students use language to express what they see, make choices and practise turn-taking in listening and speaking.
- Students select a character and move them along the beach or environment of choice to observe different things, building confidence in responding and communicating on behalf of their character.
- Role-play experiences encourage students to participate actively in shared activities and develop social communication skills.
- Students can take on different perspectives, including role-playing as the boat driver, the animals or the sea creatures they discover, to further explore language use in varied contexts.
Printable: Beach Walk v2
Making connections
Beach or community walks provide valuable opportunities for students to explore their local environment, observe natural features and make meaningful connections with the world around them. Recording what they notice during and at the end of a beach or community walk encourages students to observe with intention, ask questions and begin developing scientific thinking skills.
Opportunities to document, describe and share their observations support the development of students’ language and communication skills while fostering curiosity and creativity. Asking students to reflect on what they have seen also encourages storytelling, helping students organise their ideas, express their experiences and engage in collaborative discussions with peers. Through these experiences, students build confidence as observers, communicators and active participants in their learning.
Early Years Learning framework
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
Lesson activity
‘Exploring the beach walk’
Plan/implement
Introduce the Beach walk items, including animals and objects.
Allow children to explore the items. Model simple language, e.g. ‘This is a starfish.’
Arrange the items in the sandpit or sand play tub.
Children select a character card and ‘walk’ it about the sand area.
Discuss what children find along the way.
Model what you saw using simple language, e.g. ‘I saw a dog.’
Ask children what they saw on their ‘beach walk’.
Observations / assessment opportunities
What word does the child use when they select an item?
Does the child name the item or activity verbally or use gestures?
Does the child use Standard Australian English sentence structure: ‘I see …’, ‘I saw …’, ‘It saw an …’, ‘She/he saw some …’?
Extension: Can the child describe what they saw?
Resources needed
Printable Beach walk items (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Printable Playroom characters (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Sandpit or sand play tub
Language focus
What did you see?
| I | saw | a |
| We | ||
| She/he | an | |
| It | some | |
| They |
Community Languages
Pair children with peers who share the same home language to increase confidence.
Encourage children to talk about which item/s they like, using their preferred language.
Foundation Curriculum alignment
Mathematics: AC9MFSP02
Describe the position and location of themselves and objects in relation to other people and objects within a familiar space
Lesson activity
‘Beachwalk role-play’
Plan/implement
Arrange the Beach walk items in the sandpit or sand play tub. Some items could be partly hidden in the sand.
Model play.
Select a character card and put it in in the sand. Role-play going on a ‘walk’ around the sand area with the character to discover items hidden or placed in the sand.
Share what you saw on your walk using simple language, e.g. ‘I saw a dog on the beach.’ Students select a character and role-play taking the character on a walk around the sand area, recounting what they saw.
Continue to assist with role-play scenarios and guided group interaction.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Does the student respond with appropriate words for the items?
Can the student name the items they see in English?
Does the student use the word in a Standard Australian English sentence?
Does the student use tone of voice for emphasis or emotion when describing the item?
Can the student quantify and identify the things they see on the role-play beach walk?
Resources needed
Printable Beach walk items (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Printable Playroom characters (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Sandpit or sand play tub
Language focus
What did you see?
| I | saw | a |
| We | ||
| She/he | an | |
| It | some | |
| They |
Community Languages
Hold up each item and ask students what it is called in their home language/s.
Ask students how they would describe that item.
Year 1 Curriculum alignment
English: AC9E1LA07 understand that words can represent people, places and things (noun, including pronouns), happenings and states (verbs), qualities (adjectives) and details such as when, where and how (adverbs)
Lesson activity
‘Describing the beach walk’
Plan/implement
Arrange the Beach walk item cards in the sandpit or sand play tub.
Students select a character card and role-play taking it on a walk around the sand area.
Ask guiding questions, e.g. ‘What did you see on the walk?, ‘What else can you see …?’, ‘How many things can you see?’, ‘Describe where they are.’
Ask students to describe what they like about the beach walk and the things they found.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Can the student name objects and use simple sentences, e.g. ‘I can see a boat.’?
Can the student say where the items are, e.g. ‘The seal is on the towel.’?
Can the student, with prompting, imagine other objects or animals they might encounter on their beach walk, e.g. a dugong?
Observe how students talk and interact while moving characters.
Resources needed
Printable Beach walk items (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Printable Playroom characters (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Sandpit or sand play tub
Language focus
What did you see?
| I | saw | a |
| We | ||
| She/he | an | |
| It | some | |
| They |
Community languages
Allow students to use their home language to name, describe and talk about the characters and Beach walk items.
Make a word wall including community language and English words for Beach walk items.
Year 2 Curriculum alignment
English: AC9E2LA07
understand that in sentences nouns may be extended into noun groups using articles and adjectives, and verbs may be expressed as verb groups
AC9E2LA09
with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit the topic
Lesson activity
‘Creating beach walk stories’
Plan/implement
Set up a beach walk scene using the printable Beach walk items and playroom characters and introduce it to students.
Model a story or read a book about a day at the beach.
Ask: ‘What happened in the story?’ Talk about the beginning, middle and end, using sequencing words such as ‘First …’, ‘Then …’ and ‘Finally …’
Students create their own beach story with a beginning, middle and end.
Students orally tell their story to the group, or write their story on a mini whiteboard
Observations / assessment opportunities
Does the student create a simple story with a beginning, middle and end?
Does the student include characters and settings?
Can the student speak in simple Standard Australian English sentences?
Does the student share their ideas clearly?
Resources needed
Printable Beach walk items (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Printable Playroom characters (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
A storybook about the beach (optional)
Mini whiteboards and markers (optional)
Language focus
Using complete sentences
Sequencing ideas – beginning, middle, end
Using Standard Australian English and students’ home language/s to tell a story
Community Languages
Have students plan, create and share their beach walk stories using both English and their home language to name characters and describe actions and events.
Year 3 Curriculum alignment
AC9E3LA07
understand how verbs represent different processes for doing, feeling, thinking, saying and relating
AC9E3LA08
understand that verbs are anchored in time through tense
Lesson activity
‘Beach walk adventure’
Plan/implement
Set up a beach walk scene using the printable Beach walk items and Playroom characters and introduce it to students.
Model one interpretation of the scene, using adjectives and past-tense verbs to describe what happened. E.g. ‘Kira walked along the sandy beach. She found a shiny shell and watched the gentle waves.’
Tell students your scene is past tense – it’s already happened – and that you have used adjectives to enhance the description.
Now, write the story on the board. Underline the past-tense verbs and the adjectives.
Together, write the same story in present tense, underlining the present-tense verbs and the adjectives. E.g. ‘Kira walks along the sandy beach. She finds a shiny shell and watches the gentle waves.’
Explain future tense to students. Ask students to write the same story in future tense and to underline the future-tense verbs and the adjectives they used. E.g. ‘Kira will walk along the sandy beach. She will find a shiny shell and she will watch the gentle waves.’
Ask students to draw a picture of the scene.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Can the student identify and use past-, present- and future-tense verbs?
Can the student use adjectives to add detail to their writing?
Monitor students’ participation in class discussions and shared writing activities.
Use students' written work and illustrations as evidence of understanding.
Resources needed
Printable Beach walk items (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Printable Playroom characters (print A3, cut out and laminate or glue onto small blocks)
Language focus
Identifying and using past-, present- and future-tense verbs
Using adjectives to add detail to descriptions
Comparing how sentences change when written in different tenses
Using descriptive language to communicate ideas in speaking and writing
Community Languages
Have students plan, create and share their beach walk stories using both English and their home language to name characters and describe actions and events.