Finding features
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- create a model of a plant or animal.
- identify the external features of that plant/animal.
- identify models as a physical representation of scientific ideas.
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- construct an age-appropriate scientific model of a plant of animal with explanation (verbal or written with assistance).
In the Act phase, assessment is summative.
Students working at the achievement standard should have:
- created a model that shows some external features of a plant or animal.
- represented their understandings in the My scientific model Resource sheet (and/or verbally).
- communicated their observations with others.
Refer to the Australian Curriculum content links on the Our design decisions tab for further information.
Whole class
Class science journal (digital or hard-copy)
Animal cards created for Lesson 5
Each student
My scientific model Resource sheet
Model making materials
- No Tech option: items to make a physical model, such as:
- boxes
- craft supplies
- playdough, air dry clay etc.
- Lego etc.
- Low Tech option: technology, such as iPads or laptops, with required programs installed such as drawing apps to make a digital/virtual model.
Lesson
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkScience education consists of a series of key ideas and core concepts that can explain objects, events and phenomena and link them to the experiences encountered by students in their lives. The purpose of the Anchor routine is to identify and link students’ learning to these ideas and concepts in a way that builds and deepens their understanding.
When designing the Act phase of a teaching sequence, consider the core concepts and key ideas that are relevant. The Anchor routine provides an opportunity to collate and revise the key knowledge and skills students have learned, in a way that emphasises the importance of science as a human endeavour.
Plant and animal features
Briefly revisit the questions that were asked and answered over the course of the sequence. Add any further questions that the students pose, to honour their interest and curiosity.
Anchor to the core science concept by reminding students that all of our investigations in this unit have been about:
- the features of plants and animals.
- using our senses as scientists to make observations about their features.
- grouping plants and animals with similar features.
Encouraging questions
There are several reasons for encouraging and recording student questions.
There are several reasons for encouraging and recording student questions at all stages of the teaching sequence, including near the end. These include:
- creating a safe environment for questioning, curiosity and doubt.
- driving dialogue and engaging students.
- gathering assessment information about students’ current beliefs and perspectives, comparing them to what they thought at the beginning of the teaching sequence.
There are several reasons for encouraging and recording student questions at all stages of the teaching sequence, including near the end. These include:
- creating a safe environment for questioning, curiosity and doubt.
- driving dialogue and engaging students.
- gathering assessment information about students’ current beliefs and perspectives, comparing them to what they thought at the beginning of the teaching sequence.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkEach student comes to the classroom with experiences made up from science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and resources in their life. The Connect routine is designed to tap into these experiences, and that of their wider community. It is also an opportunity to yarn with community leaders (where appropriate) to gain an understanding of the student’s lives, languages and interests. In the Act phase, this routine reconnects with the science capital of students so students can appreciate the relevance of their learning and the agency to make decisions and take action.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the everyday occurrences, phenomena and experiences that might relate to the science that they have learned. How could students show agency in these areas?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkFavourite plants and animals
Remind students that their knowledge of plant and animals features can be used to make scientific models.
Discuss their favourite plant or animal that they learned about during this teaching sequence.
- What did your plant/animal look like?
- What was special about it?
- How was your plant/animal different to other plants/animals?
- What parts/features of the plant/animal did you particularly like?
- Where there any other plants/animals that had the same feature?
Discuss that as scientists, they are going to make a model of their favorite plant or animal to help inform other people about the special features.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkWhen students use their knowledge and skills in new ways, they also have an opportunity to develop and use their creative and critical thinking skills. With scaffolded support, they can become more confident to work in a team and develop a stronger sense of autonomy. This results in stronger student outcomes, attitudes and sense of empowerment.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider what activity would allow students to showcase their knowledge and skills. Consider the current abilities of your students. What are they capable of explaining? What props could they design or build that would support their explanations? How much information would they need in their design brief to support their thinking? How does this connect with their lives and interests?
Modelling plants and animals
Define
Define the challenge, such as: How can we use the available materials to make a model that shows the features of a plant/animal for our (selected audience)?
Ideate
As a class, brainstorm ideas related to the plant/animal model. To encourage creative thinking at this stage, every idea offered by students should be recorded in the class science journal. No idea is discounted.
Then, at the end of the brainstorming, revisit the list and discuss opportunities/challenges with the available materials.
- How can we show fur on an animal?
- Using a toothpick to scratch a texture onto clay or sticking on felt etc.
- Which of these ideas would be easy/difficult to make?
- Which model can you make that will show something new or interesting that you have learned?
Prototype
Students use the My scientific model Resource sheet to outline the details of the animal that they will model. Support them to record their ideas by scribing and labelling as required.
Students construct their plant/animal model.
Adapting to your context
By using the explanatory sheet alongside the scientific model in different ways, you can adapt this task to suit the needs of your students.
By using the explanatory sheet alongside the scientific model in different ways, you can adapt this task to suit the needs of your students. Some suggestions are:
- Students simply list external features (feathers, bill etc.).
- Extend capable students by encouraging them to use adjectives relating to numerous senses (webbed orange feet, short feathered tail, smooth white feathers etc.).
- Scribe for students who are still learning expressing their understanding in written form. This allows you to capture their current knowledge as they may still have a strong understanding of science ideas and skills.
By using the explanatory sheet alongside the scientific model in different ways, you can adapt this task to suit the needs of your students. Some suggestions are:
- Students simply list external features (feathers, bill etc.).
- Extend capable students by encouraging them to use adjectives relating to numerous senses (webbed orange feet, short feathered tail, smooth white feathers etc.).
- Scribe for students who are still learning expressing their understanding in written form. This allows you to capture their current knowledge as they may still have a strong understanding of science ideas and skills.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkA key part of Science Inquiry, the Communicate routine provides students with an opportunity to communicate their ideas effectively to others. It allows students a chance to show their learning to members of their community and provides a sense of belonging. It also encourages students to have a sense of responsibility to share their understanding of science and to use this to provide a positive influence in the community.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider who might be connected to the students that have an interest in science. Who in their lives could share their learning? What forum could be used to build an enthusiasm for science. Are there members of the community (parents, teachers, peers or wider community) who would provide a link to future science careers?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkSharing models
Students share their designs with the selected audience (see the Preparing for this sequence tab on the sequence overview) to communicate their ideas, advance science and influence the community in general. They should be encouraged to identify the features of their plant or animal by answering questions from the audience.
Optional: Photograph the student with their model and explanatory sheet for assessment, display, student & parent feedback etc.
Discuss how students’ models show the features of the plant and what they don't show. For example, students can show a plant’s stalk/stem and leaves, but the model doesn't show how the plant 'drinks' water. Or, a model might show a bird's feathers, beak and feet, but it might not show how the wings move to help the bird fly.
Reflect on the sequence
You might:
- refer back to the list of student questions asked in Lesson 1. Determine which questions have been answered over the course of the learning sequence, what the ‘answers’ to the questions are, and the evidence that supports these claims.
- address questions that have not been answered during the learning sequence, discuss why they might not have been addressed and potential investigations that might support students to answer them.
- consider what students have learnt about plant and animal features, and how they can be grouped according to these features.
- consider what students have learnt about using their senses to make observations about plants and animals.
- ask students to represent this learning in words, symbols and pictures.
Scientific models
Scientists use models to represent and visualise complex ideas.
Scientists use models to represent and visualise complex ideas. Models can help bring these ideas into focus, leading to more questions and better explanations. Models are also used to communicate ideas to others. They can be evaluated and refined over time. In this sequence, students are tasked with making a literal model of the external features of plants and animals that they have observed.
It is important to understand that models also have limitations, and we must think critically about these. Models are approximations and are often simplified to make them easier to understand. They can be missing important details. The adequacy of a model (i.e. what it shows, what it doesn’t show, what affordances it provides) should be examined and discussed to determine whether it is ‘good enough’ for its current purpose. Students in Foundation can do this by focussing on what features their models show, and what they don't show.
Scientists use models to represent and visualise complex ideas. Models can help bring these ideas into focus, leading to more questions and better explanations. Models are also used to communicate ideas to others. They can be evaluated and refined over time. In this sequence, students are tasked with making a literal model of the external features of plants and animals that they have observed.
It is important to understand that models also have limitations, and we must think critically about these. Models are approximations and are often simplified to make them easier to understand. They can be missing important details. The adequacy of a model (i.e. what it shows, what it doesn’t show, what affordances it provides) should be examined and discussed to determine whether it is ‘good enough’ for its current purpose. Students in Foundation can do this by focussing on what features their models show, and what they don't show.