Foundation
Inquire
Finding features

Lesson 6 • Animal movement

Focusing on the sense of sight, students explore animal movement and the features that make movement possible.

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • explore the varying movements of animals based on their features.
  • identify that humans are animals, and that we have some features the same as other animals.
  • explore the depiction of animal features and movement in dance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • mimic the movement of different animals.
  • engage in group discussions to compare their ideas.
  • contribute to a class ideas map about animal features that enable movement.

Lesson

Re-orient

If you are still observing the growth of students' planted seeds, add to the 'How seeds grow - Observation recording table' in the class science journal.

Revisit the mind map created in the previous lesson when students sorted animals with similar features.

Review the questions students asked about animals by referring to the class science journal page ‘What do we want to learn about plants and animals?’

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Animal movement

Pose the question: How do animals move around?

Referring to the Animal movement Resource sheet, discuss how animals move.

If required, confirm that, scientifically, humans are animals. Scientists study features of humans in the same way they study other animals, with the hope of understanding humans better.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Animal parade

Using the Animal cards created for the previous lesson, select a random card, and without giving any clues, ask students to demonstrate how that animal moves around. If, after this first attempt, students require a prompt, provide ones such as ‘crawl like a crocodile', 'fly like a bat' or 'Swim like a fish'. Repeat with a variety of animals cards.

Optional: Afterwards, discuss if students were really moving like their animal, and why they were not. Asked what body movements they used to simulate the movement of the animals, and why they chose those movements.

Play a game of animal charades. Show 1 or 2 students a prompt card (and whisper the wording if needed). That student(s) then moves around the room like the animal while other students guess what animal it is. If students cannot guess by movement alone, the actors can also make animal sounds.

Optional: View and discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ traditional dances depicting animal movement & features.

Estimated time
20 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class

Critter expedition

Take students on a 'critter expedition' through the school grounds, looking for small animals (slaters, snails, ants, lady bugs, worms, birds, etc.) for students to film and photograph. A No-tech investigation alternative is described below.

You might like to partner/group students and assign them an adult or older (Year 5 or 6) student helper to support them. If there are not enough iPads/digital cameras are available, multiple pairs/groups can share the available resources.

Before beginning the 'critter expedition', explain the meaning of the word critter if necessary, or simply use the term animal if more appropriate for your students.

Use the Code for caring and hygiene resource sheet to discuss safety and hygiene rules.

Also remind students:

  • which areas of the school they will visit (and any that are out-of-bounds).
  • to stay with their partner/team and/or helpers at all times.

Upon return to the classroom, direct each pair/group to select one image or video to share with the class.

Share the videos in a yarning circle or via a gallery walk. Focus students with discussion prompts and specific vocabulary.

 

Optional no tech investigation

As a class sort the Animal cards into two groups:

  • Likely to be in the school yard
  • Not likely to be in the school yard

Take the critter expedition as a whole class, keeping together to spot animals.

When a critter is located, if practical, place a glass over it, then provide an opportunity for all students to observe how it moves.

Students then use their own bodies to replicate the movement of the animal.

After all students have had a change to mimic the animal’s movements, assign a small group of students to that animal. These students will 'act' as this animal in a 'critter concert' upon returning to the classroom. Record student names and the animal they will be 'acting' if required.

Repeat as needed until enough animals have been spotted and all students have been assigned a role in the 'critter concert'.

Find a location to stage the 'critter concert', either inside or outside—perhaps in a yarning circle.

Students act out the body movements of their assigned critter. You may do these individually, in groups, or all together. Consider grouping the animal performances according to their movements, for example creatures that hop/jump such as grasshoppers and crickets can act together, or animals that fly such as birds, butterflies, flies and bees.

Optional: Students can mimic the noises (known or imagined) that their animal makes.

Estimated time
25 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Science content

Small animals likely to be found in a school environment

Many small animals can be found in the schoolyard environment.

Pedagogical tools

Yarning circle

Yarning circles are an enriching way for students to engage with First Nations methods for sharing knowledge, ideas and points of view.

Exploring movement

Referring back to the ideas map created in Lesson 5 highlight the features of animals that help them move, for example legs, wings, tails etc.

Create a new ideas map where the organising categories focus exclusively on the features of animals that support movement. Start with the movement, and further categorise the features that enable that movement to happen. See sample ideas map below.

If the mind map created in the previous lesson is already organised into appropriate categories that will support the recording of ideas this way, add to that instead of creating a new one. The ideas map will be added to in subsequent lessons, adding categories about animal body coverings and features that enable them to eat.

Optional: Discuss which animals move in multiple ways and the features they use to make these movements. For example a duck can walk (legs), swim (webbed feet) and fly (wings).

Optional: Discuss the differences and similarities between arms and legs, and how they can be tricky to categorise sometimes, like, for example, on a kangaroo.

Further explore some of the students’ interests and clarify student understanding of how different animals move by viewing and discussing videos showing animal movement, or the features that make movement possible.

Optional: Sing and dance to critter songs such as

Optional: View this animation of the children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (6:47), discussing how the caterpillar/butterfly moves.

Optional: Group all the animals on the Animal cards according to movement.

 

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • add relevant words and images to the class word wall.
  • discuss whether the students have any new questions about animal features and add them to the first page of the class science journal.
Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Class
Previous lesson Next lesson

Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Foundation
Inquire
Finding features

Lesson 5 • Animal features

Focusing on the sense of sight, students identify and group animals based on their external features such as tails, fur, legs, etc.

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • explore the varying external features of animals.
  • identify the distinguishing external features by which some animals can be grouped.
  • explore the depiction of animal features by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • share their ideas for comparisons of animals and their features during group discussions.
  • contribute to a class ideas map about animal features.

Lesson

Re-orient

If you are still observing the growth of students' planted seeds, add to the 'How seeds grow - Observation recording table' in the class science journal, drawing a diagram showing the changes that have occurred to the seed/plant, or adding a photograph. Add labels that show any visible growth that has occurred.

If concluding the seed growth observation today, write a final observation explaining the growth of the red kidney bean.

For example: “We observed a red kidney bean grow into a small plant. First the bean grew one small white root. It then continued to grow more roots downwards, as well as a light green stem upwards. Lastly it grew new green leaves.”

Optional: Students might draw and write their own observations in their individual science journals if appropriate.

Refer to the ‘What do we want to learn about plants and animals?’ page in the class science journal.

Remind students that in the previous lessons they looked at the features of plants, and revise some of the specific parts of plants that students have identified, such as seeds, leaves, fruits, roots etc.

Explain to students that they will now look more closely at the features of animals. Highlight this by focusing on the questions students have asked about animals.

Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Class

Who am I?

Pose the question: What parts/features can you observe on animals?

Identify the parts of animals that students know by discussing any recent animal encounters students have had, including through media.

Referring to the Who am I? Resource sheet, students talk with a partner and identify as many of the features they can see, and (if they can) the animals each features belong to:

  • snake: skin/scales
  • bull: horns, hair/fur
  • cat: eyes, ears, fur
  • frog: feet, toes/digits
  • butterfly: wing, patterns
  • magpie/bird: beak, eye
  • rabbit: ears, fur
  • penguin: webbed feet/flippers, wings, feathers
Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Science content

Key features of animals

What are the key features of animals, and the purpose of these features?

Science content

Alternative conceptions

What alternative conceptions might students hold about animals?

Australia’s unique animals

Discuss Australian native animals, asking students to identify any if possible.

Discuss how First Nations Peoples made observations about the features of native animals by displaying some First Nations traditional art, as well as modern art.

Highlight that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have been building their scientific knowledge for thousands of years, using scientific observations of what was happening around them to learn all about plants and animals.

Alternatively, students can examine the images on Australian coins by:

  • using a magnifying glass to make observations, identifying the animals on the coins and any features that can see.
  • making a coin rubbing by placing a coin under the paper and rubbing/colouring with pencil, using medium pressure.

Discuss why the animal identified are important enough to be on an Australian coin.

Using the cards created with the Animal Cards Resource sheet, play a game of Who am I?: A student pulls a card from a lucky dip and describes the animal’s features without saying its name. The remaining students use the information to figure out what animal it is. Repeat with more cards. You might choose to only play lucky dip with the Australian native animal cards, you might use the common animal cards, or a combination of both.

Provide each student/pair of students with an animal card. Students discuss the animal on their card, identifying the features of that animal together.

Students sort the animal cards into categories by 'buddying' up with another pair based on a teacher given prompt. For example, Find another pair whose animal...

  • has a tail.
  • has the same number of legs as your animal.
  • lives in the water/sky/on land etc.

Record the responses after each round on an ideas map entitled "Sorting animal features", organising them so that students can see the categories clearly.

Estimated time
25 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Pedagogical tools

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples knowledge about animals

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have observed living organisms in their environment for millennia.

Science content

Sorting animals—connecting to Mathematics

There are multiple ways to sort the animals. Understanding your students’ mathematical capability will help to guide how this is done.

Explaining thinking

Discuss the groupings recorded on the mind map.

 

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • add relevant words and images to the class word wall.
  • discuss whether the students have any new questions about animal features and add them to the first page of the class science journal.
  • group similar questions to identify whether any of the new student questions are likely to be answered in the upcoming lessons. 
Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Previous lesson Next lesson

Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Foundation
Inquire
Finding features

Lesson 4 • Plants we can eat

Focusing on the senses of sight and taste, students explore edible parts of plants and sort the components of a salad bowl. Alternatively, take a closer look at the mysterious underground parts of plants (the roots).

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • identify the external features of a plant.
  • categorise plants based on their external features.
  • identify the salad items as different parts of plants.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • sort plants into groups.
  • label the different parts of a plant.
  • engage in group discussions to compare their ideas.
  • explore how to record scientific findings (through teacher modelled class science journal).

Lesson

Re-orient

Add to the 'How seeds grow - Observation recording table' in the class science journal, modeling how to draw a diagram showing the changes that have occurred to the seed/plant, or adding a photograph. Add labels such as ‘stem’ and ‘leaves’ if enough growth has occurred and these are visible.

If concluding the seed growth observation today, write a final observation explaining the growth of the red kidney bean. For example: “We observed a red kidney bean grow into a small plant. First the bean grew one small white root. It then continued to grow more roots downwards, as well as a light green stem upwards. Lastly it grew new green leaves.”

Optional: Students might draw and write their own observations in their individual science journals if appropriate.

Remind students what they have been learning about during this sequence.

Estimated time
5 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Eating plants

In the class science journal, refer back to the page ‘What do we want to learn about plants and animals?’ referring to a question about how plants taste, if there is one.

Pose the questions:

  • Which parts of a plant can I eat?
  • What do plant parts that grow in the ground look like?
  • Can we eat the plant parts that grow in the ground? 
    • Omit this question if only undertaking the Investigating roots alternative investigation.

Add them to the class science journal if needed.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Sorting salad

Inform students that, for safety reasons, we do not usually taste things in science because they might be dangerous or poisonous or contaminated. But today is a special lesson and we will be tasting/eating things that scientists have shown are safe for us to eat. Remind students that they should only ever taste or eat things if a trusted, responsible adult or elder has given permission.

Discuss edible plants with students, including the dangers of eating unknown plants.

Ensure all students have washed their hands well in preparation for the following activity.

View and discuss the variety of plant foods you have prepared for students to eat.

Show students the prepared labels: leaves, stalks/stems, fruit, roots. As a class, sort the foods into these categories, placing them near the corresponding label. Do not correct errors at this stage. Remind students that we can re-arrange the bowls at any time.

Note: To support recording later, you might like to organise the labels and food samples into columns and rows to simulate a table. After sorting, take a photo and use photo editing software to create a simple table by add dividing lines. This shows students an explicit example of creating a table and demonstrates how tables are helpful for recording and sorting information.

Discuss safety around eating (e.g. not walking around or talking with food in our mouth). After ensuring that all possible safety precautions regarding food allergies have been taken, allow students to taste the foods. This could be very structured, with students tasting one food at a time under the teachers' direction. Alternatively students could be allowed to individually select items for tasting. This decision should be made in consideration of the students' and the school/class context.

Determine if there are any foods should be moved to a different category based on how they taste. If students have categorised food incorrectly, take the opportunity to question them and allow them to rethink their answers.

Record the final decision about the categories the foods belong in, either by taking another photo, or by using a data table in the class science journal titled "The parts of plants that we can eat".

Optional: Use the opportunity to clarify the difference between flower, fruit and seed. Show students a cut piece of fruit with the seeds visible, then discuss the following points:

  • Part of a flower (the ovary) becomes the fruit.
  • Fruits contains seeds.
  • Seeds are spread by wind, water and animals (including humans) to grow new plants.
  • Some seeds can be eaten by humans (such as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds) but some seeds are poisonous, so we must never eat seeds unless we have been told they are safe by a trusted adult.
Estimated time
25 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Science content

Scientific definition of a fruit

Students are likely to be most familiar with the culinary use of the word ‘fruit’: the edible, fleshy, sweet (and sometimes sour) part of the plant.

Investigating roots (alternative investigation)

This investigation has been designed as an alternative to Sorting salad. Undertake this investigation if Sorting salad is not suitable for your students or context. If time and resources permit, you might undertake both investigations.

Discuss what roots are. Ask students to predict whether all plants’ roots look the same/similar.

If you have completed Sorting salad, let students know their opportunity to taste things is now finished.

If you have not completed Sorting salad, explain to students that they will only use their sense of sight for this part of the activity, and discuss why it is important not to taste things during this investigations:

  • We don’t know if all of the roots are edible—some might be poisonous.
  • The roots are not washed and clean.
  • They might have dirt or bacteria on them which could make us sick. 
     

Optional: Take students weed gathering to gather more weeds with roots. Rinse roots to make the roots more visible.

Present students with a range of roots to observe and compare, such as: lettuce with roots still attached, a carrot, parsnip, weeds with roots attached.

In collaborative teams, students take a closer look at the roots, using:

  • NO TECH: magnifying glasses
  • LOW TECH: digital camera/iPad zoom
  • HIGH TECH: microscope

On a page in the class science journal entitled “What do plants look like under the ground?” record observations of roots and write one sentence that evaluates the findings.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Science content

Root systems

The main root system of a plant is usually located at the end of the stem under the ground.

So what can we eat?

Using the What parts of a plant can I eat? Resource sheet:

  • If students have engaged in Sorting salad, review how they sorted their salad items, moving any if required. Add the names of other parts of the plants students can identify to the correct category.
  • If students have engaged in Investigating roots, discuss the information on the resource sheet, identifying the foods they recognise, categorising which part of the lettuce is edible, and adding other plant items students know are edible. Discuss how we know which plants are edible, and which are not, and rules around being safe when trying out new plant food. See the Sorting salad lesson step for question prompts.

Using the Parts of a plant Resource sheet, students label the parts of the plant correctly by drawing a line between the label and the correct plant part.


Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • add relevant words and images to the class word wall.
  • reflect on how students were working like scientists, using their senses to study and group the external features of animals.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class and individual
Science content

Adapting to your context

When assessing student learning at Foundation level, use your own discretion as to how much assistance you will provide.

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Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Foundation
Inquire
Finding features

Lesson 3 • Flowers

Focusing on the senses of sight and smell, students make observations about the features of flowers.

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • identify flowers as a feature of many plants.
  • group flowers with similar features.
  • record scientific findings (through teacher modelled class science journal).

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • label the features of a flower.
  • compare their ideas with others in group discussions.

Lesson

Re-orient

Recall the previous lesson, focusing on the ways in which students used their senses of hearing and sight to learn about leaves, and the seed that was planted for ongoing observation.

Ask students what changes they have observed in their seeds. Take note of how students describe the changes, and any new vocabulary used. Add to the 'How seeds grow - Observation recording table' in the class science journal, modeling how to draw a diagram showing the changes that have occurred to the seed, or adding a photograph. Add labels such as ‘crack’ and ‘small white roots’ if appropriate. Introduce the term ‘roots’ if students do not offer it, and check if the seeds have started to grow them.

Optional: Students might draw and write their own observations in their individual science journals if appropriate.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class

What do we know?

In the class science journal, refer back to the page “What do we want to learn about the features of plants and animals?", noting a question about flowers if there is one.

Pose the question: How are flowers the same and how are they different?

Students share their experiences with flowers. Encourage them to refer to observations made with all of their senses in possible.

Optional: If students are having difficulty recalling flower experiences from memory, take a walk around the school to observe flowers if appropriate, or display images of a variety of flowers.

Add words and images related to flowers to the word wall.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Parts of a flower

Ask students if they think all the flowers in the schoolyard are the same or if they are different, and why they think that. Discuss their reasons, or evidence, for their prediction.

Lead the class on a ‘directed hunting’ expedition around the school grounds.

Safety note

Be aware of students with allergies, particularly pollen. Students may suffer from allergies caused by inhalation and/or touch. Be aware of allergies to insects, particularly bees, that they might come into closer contact with when observing flowers.

Before the 'hunt'

  • Remind students not to pick flowers from plants unless they ask first and are given permission. If they have known allergies to plants, they should not smell them or touch them.
  • Discuss how to handle flowers, other parts of plants, insects, and other natural life safely and carefully.
  • Discuss safety around bees, encouraging students to move away from plants/flowers if they see a bee, not to make any loud noises or sudden movements that risk scaring the bee.

During the 'hunt'

  • Students observe and possibly collect flowers from the ground (and plants with permission) to use back in the classroom.
  • Optional: Students take photos of various flowers around the school yard and in the classroom.

After the 'hunt'

  • In collaborative teams, students explore their flowers by drawing the different parts and by using magnifying glasses.
  • Briefly discuss the students’ observations as they move around the room, or as a class.

 

Model for the students how to dissect a flower into its parts and stick the parts onto a page. Identify and label the parts (use scientific names if appropriate for your students):

  • petals
  • the special leaves that protected the flower when it was growing (sepal)
  • stem
  • leaves
  • optional: the place where pollen is produced (stamen)
  • optional: the pistil, above where the petals are joined, where the pollen is collected

Discuss the need to be careful with flowers as they are fragile and the parts can easily be ripped. Consider using large plastic tweezers to pull the flowers apart.

In pairs students dissect a flower. Use sticky tape to stick the parts for one flower on one piece of A4 paper. Label the parts, using a scribe if required.

Estimated time
30 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Science content

Parts of a flower

The vocabulary students use to describe the parts of a flower will depend upon their prior experience and knowledge.

Pedagogical tools

Collaborative teams

At Foundation level it is recommended that students work in teams of two.

Gallery walk

Teams display their dissected and labeled flowers. Conduct a gallery walk, with teams moving around together looking at other teams' work. Ask teams to identify one thing that is the same in another team’s work sample, and one thing that is different. Remind them not to touch other teams' work samples.

After the walk, students discuss their observations using appropriate flower vocabulary.

Identify how you might group the flowers together, for example petal shape/size/colour, stem length, smell/no smell, pleasant/not pleasant fragrance etc.

Select one of these groups and direct teams to, with their work sample, group themselves according to the category.

For example: "All teams whose flowers have white petals, stand by the door. Teams whose flowers have yellow petals stand near the sink." etc.

Re-group students into different categories as appropriate and time permitting.

Optional: Ask students to nominate a category and to group themselves according to this category if appropriate.

Optional: Retain the flower parts to use in other ways such as:

  • allowing them to dry.
  • pressing the flower parts between 2 layers of clear contact.
  • placing flower parts in the compost or garden beds (excluding weeds).


 

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • discuss if it was difficult to find, collect and dissect flowers.
  • review the features of seeds and plants, and compare them to the features of flowers.
  • add words and images to the class word wall of vocabulary related to senses and flowers.
Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class and individual
Pedagogical tools

Gallery walk

Conducting a gallery walk with Foundation students.

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Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Foundation
Inquire
Finding features

Lesson 2 • Seeds and leaves

Focusing on the senses of sight and hearing, students observe the growth of plants from seeds and group leaves according to the sounds they make, as well as their patterns, shape or size.

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • identify seeds and leaves as features of a plant.
  • plant a seed for future investigation.
  • group leaves with similar features.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • contribute to group discussions to compare their ideas.
  • contribute to recording scientific findings (through teacher modelled class science journal).
  • describe leaves using vocabulary related to what they hear and see.

Lesson

Re-orient

Discuss the previous lesson where students used their senses to observe plants and animals.

Review the questions on the ‘What we want to learn about the features of plants and animals’ page in the science journal. Focus on the questions about plants in preparation for today's investigations.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class

How do plants grow?

Pose the question: How do plants grow? Discuss what students know.

Show students the sunflower image from the Sunflower Resource sheet and discuss. Use the think, pair, share strategy by prompting with the questions below, and allow students time to think and discuss with a partner before sharing ideas with the class.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Pedagogical tools

Think, Pair, Share

Think, pair, share is a strategy to encourage discussion and contribution from all students.

Growing plants (ongoing)

Ask students to close their eyes. Distribute one seed to each student, without telling them what it is. Remind students to hold the object gently in their hands.

With a partner, students share observations about the item by touching, smelling and listening to it, then guessing what it might be. Students then open their eyes to look at the item and see if their guess was correct. They share any observations they made that helped their guess.

Explain that students will be planting their seeds into clear bags, instead of dirt, so that they can use their sense of sight to observe the changes each lesson and to find out how plants grow. Demonstrate how to plant the seed in the bag, then assist students to plant their own.

  1. Fold a single sheet of paper towel into a small square. Wet the paper towel by dunking it into water, then gently press it to remove some excess water.
    • The paper towel should feel quite wet, but not dripping excessively.
  2. Place the folded paper towel into the resealable bag. Place the soaked bean inside the bag, in contact with the wet paper towel.
  3. Seal the bag about two thirds of the way across, leaving a gap for some air flow.
  4. Write the student's name on their bag.
  5. Attach the bags to a wall where they will receive sunlight, or directly to the window.
    • In moderate and warm climates, attaching the bags directly to a window is fine, but in colder climates/seasons placing the bags directly on glass is not advised as the cold glass may affect germination. In this case, place the bags as close to the window as possible. 
       
  6. Create a table to record observations about the growth of the plants over the following weeks on a page of the class science journal titled 'How seeds grow - Observation recording table'. Model the first entry by including a labelled diagram or add a photograph of a planted seed, and written notes about what students observed about the seed.
  7. Optional: Students might draw and write their own observations in their individual science journals if appropriate.

Optional: Watch and discuss the time lapse video “I could watch time lapses of seeds growing all day” (1:33 minutes). Pause the video at a point that shows the seed starting to grow and discuss what is happening to the seed.

Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Class and individual
Science content

Germination of a red kidney bean

Learn more about the science behind the germination of a red kidney bean.

Seeds become plants

Add any new vocabulary to the class word wall.

Discuss how seeds grow.

The observation of the seeds as they grow will be an ongoing task. Once the plants have grown enough for students to have observed the seed sprouting, growing a shoot, roots and leaves, and getting taller, the class will write a final observation. More details about this will be in subsequent lesson steps. At this stage the observation can be concluded and plants sent home.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Pedagogical tools

Making predictions

In science, making accurate predictions relies on past observations of patterns.

Investigating leaves

Pose the question: Are all leaves the same?

Ask students to predict whether the leaves in the schoolyard are all the same or have differences. Why/why not? Which of our senses could we use to observe the answer to this question?

Lead the class on a ‘directed hunting’ expedition around the school to pick up only leaves.

Remind students to:

  • collect leaves from the ground to use back in the classroom.
  • only pick leaves off living plants if they are given permission.
  • pick up leaves carefully at the edge (or using tongs/tweezers) as spiders or ants may be underneath. 
     

LOW TECH: Students can take photos of various leaves around the school yard on iPads/digital cameras.

After collecting the leaves, students will look at them more closely during the following investigations, taking note of their observable features.

Crackle & crunch

Students select a leaf and predict how much sound the leaf will make when it is crunched up, placing themselves on an invisible line from ‘silent’ to ‘loud’.

Determine which leaves crackle and crunch when they are bent and squashed in students' hands.

Ask students if they think they were right in their prediction, or if they would like to move themselves on the line. 
This is an informal way for students to make predictions, and to use different observations to group leaves—in this case leaves with similar sound qualities.

 

Leaf rubbings

Model how to do a leaf rubbing in the class journal, showing students how to:

  1. Place the leaf facing down.
  2. Place the paper over the leaf.
  3. Lay the crayon on its side and rub gently on the paper.

Optional: View a video demonstration of how to do a leaf rubbing.

Discuss how leaf rubbing helps to record the patterns on the leaves before the leaves shrivel up and begin to decompose.

Students produce their own leaf rubbings. They cut around each leaf rubbing so leaves are on separate small pieces of paper (no need to follow the leaf edge with the scissors).

Discuss their observations about the leaves.

As a class, explore how else the leaves might be grouped, for example by size, shape, or vein patterns.

Optional: Staple/glue/blu-tack the leaves into categories to keep as a display/reference. This could be grouped on sheets of butchers’ paper, on streamers/long strips of paper, or blu-tacked to a white board/window.

Estimated time
40 minutes
Lesson type
Class and individual
Pedagogical tools

Directed hunting

Students are encouraged to progress from random to directed hunting, showing concern for larger plants and animals and recognising the similarities and differences.

Science content

Fresh leaves vs. dried leaves

What might students notice about the observable features of leaves during the Crackle and crunch and Leaf rubbing investigations?

Science content

Sorting leaves—connecting to Mathematics

There are multiple ways to sort the leaves. Understanding your students’ mathematical capability will help to guide how this is done.

Grouping leaves

Use the leaf rubbings and digital photos and evaluate the data collected.

 

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • reflect on challenges with finding and collecting leaves in the schoolyard and planting seeds.
  • review the mind map in the class science journal. Determine which questions have been answered during the session and add any new questions that have arisen.
  • reflect on what we have learned about the features of plants and animals.
  • add relevant words and images to the class word wall, including new vocabulary related to senses/observation and leaves.
Estimated time
20 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Previous lesson Next lesson

Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Foundation
Launch
Finding features

Lesson 1 • Using senses to observe

Students use their senses to make observations about the features of plants and animals.

Finding features

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • identify the five key senses.
  • observe plants and animals.
  • explore the importance of using senses for observation, in the context of learning about plants and animals.
  • use age-appropriate, student-selected vocabulary related to touch, sight, and smell to describe observed objects.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • use a class science journal to communicate their understanding.
  • participate in and contribute to discussions, using talk to share information, experiences and ideas about plants and animals.
  • contribute to the creation and organisation of ideas in an mind map.

Lesson

Observing our world

Introduce the idea that plants and animals are all around us. Students will be working like scientists to make observations about plants and animals using their senses.

Referring to the demonstration copy of the My five senses Resource sheet, discuss what ‘observation’ means and how it’s done, referring to the key senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

Discuss how we use our senses to make observations.

The following tasks are two options for how you might support students to have a shared experience to begin this teaching sequence. The Observation walk relates to the content of the unit (the observable features of animals) and Playing games relates to the context of the unit (using senses to make observations like scientists).

Select the task that best suits the needs and context of your students and classroom. You may choose to do both if time permits.

Observation walk

Take students on a plant and animal observation walk, encouraging them to suggest the locations to stop at along the way.

At each stop discuss the plants and animals they observe.

Upon returning to the classroom record students' observations on a page in the class science journal entitled 'Our observation walk'.

Playing games

Mystery box

To highlight the senses of touch and sight, play Mystery box, using the box prepared before the lesson. You might like to do this as a whole class activity, or divide students into collaborative teams of 2.

  1. Students place their hands inside the mystery box and select one item without looking, taking care to keep it inside the box.
  2. They describe what they can feel, and the class/their partner guesses what the item is.
  3. Next, they peek inside the box, describe what they can see, and the class/their partner guess what it is.
  4. Record the adjectives students use as they describe the items.
  5. Student reveals the item.
  6. Discuss the descriptions the student used to describe the item’s features.

What's that smell?

To highlight the sense of smell, play What’s that smell? using the scent tubs prepared before the lesson.

  1. Discuss with students whether they think plants have a smell.
  2. Show students the two tubs, without telling them what's inside them.
  3. Explain to students that the tubs have been specially prepared for the activity and that they are safe to smell. Show students how to safely smell things in science using the ‘wafting’ technique.
    • It is not advisable to place something directly under the nose and take a deep sniff. In order to smell something, we should hold it away from our face, and use our hands to 'waft' the smell (fumes) towards us. Always ensure there is adequate ventilation.
  4. Remove the sticky tape from the holes on the first tub and pass it around for students to smell.
  5. Students describe the smell.
  6. Record their observations in the class journal, under a heading “What’s that smell?”
  7. Repeat with the second tub.
  8. Ask students: What parts of the tree/plant does this smell come from?
    • If using eucalyptus oil, the leaves, and vanilla essence/extract, the pod/bean.
Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Class
Science content

Adapting for your context

Most students will have some experience with plants or animals.

Science content

Core concepts and key ideas

When planning for teaching in your classroom, it can be useful to see where a sequence fits into the larger picture of science.

Pedagogical tools

The skills of observation

From an early age, students use their senses to explore and make observations about the world around them.

What do we think we know?

Introduce the word 'features' (the parts of something), describing the features of a human as an example (arms, legs, body, head, which in turn has features of hair, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, tongue).

Ask students to identify the 'features' of some classroom objects such as a chair (legs, seat, back), television (screen, buttons, remote, speakers) etc.

Elicit students’ prior knowledge of the features of plants and animals by creating a mind map in the class science journal, using the students’ actual vocabulary. Encourage all students to share their ideas. Take note of any alternative conceptions to address during the Inquire phase.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Looking closely

View and discuss an unusual insect or animal, for example a lantern bug (as found on the An unusual creature Resource sheet). Discuss the features we can observe (patterns, colours, number of legs…), and why scientists might want to observe it.

Discuss why scientists study plants and animals in general.

Estimated time
15 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class

Connecting to our world

View and discuss the images of plant and animal models found on the Museum model Resource sheet.

Explain to students that at the end of the teaching sequence, they will make their own model of a plant or animal to help other people learn about plants and animals.

They will then display their model, and explain the external features of their plants or animal to the selected audience (classmates, other classes, parents etc.)

Optional: Introduce the idea of a nature table to the students, and invite them to begin collecting things from nature to display on the table. Students might like to bring along shells, dried flowers etc. over the coming weeks to add to the table.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Pedagogical tools

Nature tables

A nature table is covered in natural items collected by the students and teachers.

Asking questions

Encourage students to ask questions about plant and animal features (similarities and differences), draw out their interests and past experiences. Record the questions on a page titled ‘What we want to learn about the features of plants and animals’ in the class science journal, grouping similar questions together.

If required, model asking questions (as these questions will be addressed through the inquiry phase).

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

  • review the class science journal.
  • add relevant words and images to begin a word wall.
  • take another observation walk, making closer observations.
  • play another round of Mystery box or What's that smell?
Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class
Science content

Asking questions + defining problems

By asking questions related to the context and concepts covered in the teaching sequence, you are modelling the initial stages of science inquiry.

Pedagogical tools

Word wall

A word wall is an organised collection of words and images displayed in the classroom.

Next lesson

Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

What's happened to the 5Es?

For over 20 years, the 5E model of guided inquiry has been the pedagogical heart of Primary Connections’ teaching resources. But time, and educational research, marches on…

For over 20 years, the 5E model of guided inquiry has been the pedagogical heart of Primary Connections’ teaching resources.

Underpinned by research by Roger Bybee et al. and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, the 5E model was at the forefront of developments in science education when Primary Connections teaching resources were first conceptualised in 2003.

But time, and educational research, marches on…

As we began to consider how we might re-design our resources to suit the needs of today’s teachers we again consulted the latest research around excellence in science education. This included:

  • BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning model
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program
  • Stanford graduate School of Education Design thinking process, and the Pedagogy for Powerful learning
  • OpenSciEd curriculum approach
  • Australian Research Council's Science of Learning Research centre

The result? Our new Launch, Inquire, Act (LIA) Framework builds on the strong foundations of the 5E model, while drawing on contemporary educational research and the Australian Curriculum's general capabilities including Critical and Creative Thinking, Intercultural Understanding, Ethical Understanding and Personal and Social Capability.

The LIA Framework aims to tap into students’ interests and ideas about their local and global world. This uniquely Australian approach integrates the three Science Strands of the Australian Curriculum V9 (Science understanding, Science as a human endeavour and Science inquiry) seamlessly across its teaching sequences.

The purpose of the Engage phase is echoed in our new Launch phase, which is designed to:

  • capture student interest and spark curiosity.
  • elicit their prior understanding.
  • set learning in a meaningful context.

The purpose of the Explore, Explain and Elaborate phases have been captured in the Inquire phase, as each cycle becomes increasingly robust, supporting students to:

  • experience the phenomenon first-hand.
  • pose questions for inquiry.
  • investigate to answer these questions and solve problems.
  • construct multi-model texts to support the development and representation of their understanding.

The purpose of the Elaborate and Evaluate phases are echoed in the Act phase, as students:

  • apply their learning in new contexts relevant to today’s world.
  • communicate and evaluate their learning.
  • reflect on their learning.

Like the 5E model, the LIA framework is designed so that teachers and students can identify each phase and routine of the learning process. Teachers are supported by professional learning and encouraged to modify their teaching approach to suit the context of their students and classroom.

Learn more about the LIA framework
Using the LIA framework

Credits for Sustain the chain

Credits for work used in the Sustain the chain sequence.

The following images have been used in the Sustain the chain sequence:

ImageAttribution
Leaf leaves branch textureTitus Tscharntke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Baby cicada drying its wings Stock photo ID:1216066127
Eastern rosellaStock photo ID:513294352
Hobby falconStock photo ID:647971174
Bird on a dead branchBTHiller, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Identifying stream insectsU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Two ants fighting at Coalseam Conservation ParkCalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gumtree Hopper antsJohn Tann, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Red-lored whistlerJJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Boyagin Nature ReserveDonald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Red Kangaroos at Sturt National ParkPotMart186, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Invasive weeds in the Adelaide HillsPeripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Boardwalk in wet landscape Stock photo ID:949496148

 

Year 4
Act
Sustain the chain

Lesson 8 • Habitat stewards

Students use their knowledge of the local habitat to design a product for the classroom context, and communicate it to an audience.

Sustain the chain

View Sequence overview

Students will:

  • use a design thinking process to plan and produce a field guide/vegetable garden/increased diversity in school garden/compost bin.

 

Students will represent their understanding as they:

  • identify appropriate criteria that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a design.
  • draw a labelled diagram of their classroom context.
  • participate in and contribute to discussions, sharing information, experiences and opinions.

Lesson

Local food chains

Using the class science journal, refer back to all the different food chains that students have identified over the course of the teaching sequence. These may include:

  • the food chain linked to their local context, begun in Lesson 2’s Field notes activity and expanded on in Lesson 4.
  • the interaction between ants and seeds, in Lesson 3.
  • produce and consumer food chains (producer-kangaroo-dingo; producer-ant-lizard-magpie; producer-grasshopper-snake-kookaburra), in Lesson 4.
  • ‘Roo survival’ (grass-kangaroo-predator), in Lesson 4.
  • Decomposers linking to all food chains, in Lesson 6.
  • the ‘Habitat pyramid’ (grass-cicada-rosella-falcon), in Lesson 7.

Discuss the common features in all food chains.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Class

Planning for change

Discuss/remind students why the selected context is important to the school or local community.

Estimated time
10 minutes
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Pedagogical tools

Design briefs

A design brief is an outline of the project, who benefits, and why they need help.

Designing our world

Discuss what students will be designing for the selected context:

  • Local bushland or parkland: planting or writing a field guidefor future students or locals.
  • School vegetable garden: deciding what to plant this season and encouraging pollinators.
  • School garden: identifying how to encourage diversity of local birds and insects.
  • School compost bin development.

Discuss how the class will decide that it is a good field guide/vegetable garden/diverse school garden/compost.

Identify and describe the key criteria that will guide their design.

Students research or investigate to find out about different versions of a field guide/vegetable garden/diverse school garden/compost. Alternatively, provide a range of sample pictures for students to examine. Identify the 'good designs', or design elements that match their key criteria devised by students. If identifying plants to add to a garden, encourage students to consider the shelter and water requirements of the different plants. Encourage student to provide evidence to support the claims or choices that they make.

Students represent their ideal design in a labelled diagram.

Undertake a gallery walk to view students’ designs, identifying the advantages in each. Encourage students to use question prompts when discussing each other’s work. This can be done by students providing two stars (positive comments about what they like) and one wish (for something new to be added or changed). Download AITSL's guide for more on peer feedback.

Select the best features of the students’ designs to develop a single class design that will be created.

Allow time for the build of the design.

Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Pedagogical tools

Anticipating

Anticipating student thinking is a vital part of effective science practice.

Sharing our learning

Students could share their designs with their peers, other students, a gardener/ranger, or parents and carers.

They might share:

  • their science journals.
  • the labelled diagram of their design.
  • the design that was constructed.
  • their part of the field guide that was created.

Discuss if any further information will need to be included in their descriptions (written or verbal) such as:

  • a description of one food chain in the habitat.
  • identifying the producers, consumers and decomposers in the habitat.
  • identifying how we/humans are part of the habitat.
  • the patterns and relationships that they saw in the habitat.
  • the data that they collected as evidence.
Estimated time
Variable
Lesson type
Collaborative team and class
Previous lesson

Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

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