UNIT PLANNER

Science overarching idea: (topic assigned)

Year Level: 1/2

Sessions: 3

Date: 24/3/2015

Pattern, order and organising

Overall aims of the unit

Teaching approach assigned and short description:

Bioethics and compassionate education

At the end of this unit students will be able/capable of:

Understanding the key physical features and characteristics of animals
Understanding that habitats are specific to certain animals
Understanding the needs of animals

Bioethics and compassionate education share the common goal of getting

students to connect and be involved with global issues that are controversial in a
morally acceptable way. When we teach these issues in the curriculum, in a way
that is relevant to students, they can then harness their ability to question and
reflect to find deeper meanings. This means that later in life we will have a very
informed and a better engaged society. When it comes to deeper issues that
require discussion they will be willing and able to participate.
This is put into practice with:
guided discussions
questioning prompts
a compassionate understanding
relating to students lives

Key vocabulary:
Habitat
Needs (e.g What is classified as a need?)
Features (e.g Fur, scales, claws, tails, spikes, feathers)
Environment
Ecosystems
Wetlands
Dry lands
Adaptation

Key equipment / resources:

Various materials including natural
materials (bark, twigs, leaves,
sand), cardboard boxes, icypole
sticks, felt/material, cardboard etc

Key Australian Science curriculum Standard

website):

(taken directly from the

Living things live in different places where their needs are met
(ACSSU211).

SESSION 1
Learning outcomes:
Students will be able to recognise the key physical feature of animals. Such as feathers on birds, fur on mammals, sharp teeth on sharks and be able to acknowledge the features
connection to the animals survival.
Students will begin to identify different habitats, what the characteristics of each habitat are, and what animals might live here.

Specific activities session 1

Students will watch a video on animals, which involves a man mixing up what animals live where, and a child correcting him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yihq8BIhL9c&list=PL3A473A82C5FB4D40
At the end of the video, a discussion will be prompted by pre-service teachers. Questions to ask will be
What animals were spoken about in the video?
What does that animal look like? Is there anything that makes that animal look really different to other animals?
As they are sharing, a list of all of the animals and features will be compiled on the board/large pieces of paper to be kept in the classroom

Students will explore what habitat the list of animals live in

Pre-service teacher in charge will ask the class what habitat a certain animal (from the list) lives in, until they have come up with a list of 4 different habitats of coastal, desert,
wetlands, woodlands (students may not be familiar with these words, for example beach instead of coastal).
The class will then be split into 4 groups, each group with a different habitat. A pre-service teacher will work with each group to help them compile a poster with a list of animals
(either from the board or new ones they can think of) that live in that habitat. This will be done on a large piece of poster paper than can be displayed in the classroom (blue for
coastal, orange for desert, green for wetlands, brown for woodlands)
When the posters are finished, one student from each group will be asked to share what their groups poster says with the rest of the class.
** Try to minimise discussion on why this animal lives in this habitat, as this will occur in detail in Session 2.

Students will create an animal using supplied materials.

Students will be asked to choose one of the animals they have written on their groups poster, and create the animal from materials supplied.
Students will be working individually, making one animal each.
Students will be encouraged to use the materials provided to make their animal as realistic as they can, for example Koala has fur (can use brown cotton wool balls), Birds have
feathers, Snake has scales (draw scales on), Frogs are shiny (cellophane paper)
Pre-service teachers will explain to students that these animals will be used in further lessons, so to leave them at school in a safe spot.
Resources:
ICT to play YouTube video
Poster paper
Textas/Pencils/Crayons
Craft materials - Wool, string, cotton wool, cellophane, felt, buttons, feathers, icypole sticks, paint (optional), etc.
Scissors
Glue

SESSION 2
Learning outcomes:
Students will be recognising that different living things live in different places, such as land and water.
This will be done by exploring the different habitats of the animals they made in lesson 1.

Specific activities session 2

Students will design and create an individualised habitat for the puppet animals they made in Lesson 1 using materials provided.
the students will consider what type of habitat their animal needs to live in and convince others that this is the best place for them.
they will give reasons as to why they believe it needs to live in that particular habitat ie. it needs to be close to water and land like a frog, it needs grasslands to feed like a
kangaroo etc
they will be making connections between the key physical features and what that means in terms of their suitable habitats. This will form the key understanding that habitats are
specific to certain types of animals.
Students will explore the different habitats of animals and what makes their environments most suitable for them.Where do I belong? game where the children have to
match the corresponding creatures to the pictures.
Here are four photos of Australian habitats - desert, coastal, wetlands and woodlands - and 4 different Australian animals. Now all these animals need a home. Which animal
belongs to which habitat?
See if you can put each animal in its correct habitat.
Why does this animal need to belong with this picture?
Students will explore through materials ways to make a habitat that best suits their puppet animals using natural and recycled materials.
Go through the different materials and suggest how they materials can be interpreted into the original form, such as sticks for nests, the inside of a box for a burrow etc and which
ones would be most suitable for their animal.
Children will work with the same group as they did in Session 1 to make the poster.
All the children will have the assistance of the pre-service teachers.
Students will share their habitat models and have a guided discussion about why they chose those particular materials to use for how to best represent their animals habitat.
Remind us which animal you chose to make last week
Can you tell us a bit about where your animal lives?
Why did you use (material) for your habitat?
Resources:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/edresources/MatchTheAnimalsToTheirHabitats.htm
Natural materials - rocks, leaves, sticks and twigs.
Recycled materials - boxes, plastic jars, tissue boxes, cardboard, cardboard cylinders.
Glue/ Sticky tape
Printed habitat photos laminated.
Printed 4 animal pictures cut out and laminated.
Bluetack

SESSION 3
Learning outcomes:
Students will gain an understanding about the needs of living things.
Students will explore what happens when habitats change and some living things can no longer have their needs met.
Students will be critically and creatively thinking about the needs of their animals and if they are being met when faced with changes/ interruptions.
Specific activities session 3
Students will consider their chosen habitats and in small groups, discuss the reasons for their animal living in that space. Students will be thinking about the animals
characteristics such as fur or skin colours, how many legs the animal has or hasnt got, whether the animal lives on land or in the sea, what foods the animal likes to eat
etc.
Students start thinking about the reasons why their animal is living where it is based on its characteristics
Prompting questions, What are the needs of living things? What can they not survive without? e.g food, air, water (ecological systems)
With each students designed habitat, students will then swap habitats with another student and discuss what would happen if their animal had to live in this new environment.
Would the animal survive?
If not why not?
Why cant animals swap habitats? (Thinking about Key features and characteristics)
What would happen if all the trees were cut down in a forest? What would the animals do? Would they simply be able to swap habitats?
What doesnt the habitat have that the animal might need?
Are there any animals that would be able to swap habitats and still survive?
Guided class discussion:
How are some animals more likely to survive in habitats than others?
Students swap and compare with other students and argue why their animal is or isnt likely to survive in the environment
Relating it back to the children: How would you feel if someone took away something that would change your life? Your roof, your water, your bed, your food. etc.

Resources
Class list of animals and key features compiled in lesson 1
Puppets created Lesson 1
Habitats created using recycled materials Lesson 2

Attachments: (please provide all the handouts and other learning/teaching resources to be used and specify if they are to be used in
session 1, 2 and 3)
Session 2:
Animals that need to be
matched with their habitats

Skink
Koala
Kookaburra

Frog

Snake

Possum

Platypus

Kangaroo

Emu

Duck
Spoonbill

Gecko

Pictures of habitats:

Wetland

Coastal

Woodland

Desert

Reference List:
Devereux, J. (2007). Science for Primary and Early Years. Second Edition. Sage Publications. London, United Kingdom.
Howells, A. (2014). Wild Kids- Habitats. Australian Museum. http://australianmuseum.net.au/wild-kids-habitats
Pyers, G. (1999). Wetlands. Ecosystems of Australia. Reed International Books Australia. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Pyers, G. (1998). Deserts. Ecosystems of Australia. Reed International Books Australia. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Pyers, G. (1999). Grasslands. Ecosystems of Australia. Reed International Books Australia. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Red Apple Education Ltd. (2015). What do different animals do to adapt to their environments? http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-11_u-102_t-256_c853/nsw/science-technology/a-change-for-the-better/how-do-living-things-survive-suiting-the-environment-we-live-in/what-do-different-animalsdo-to-adapt-to-their-environments-