Lesson

1 - Prepared by: Shenita

Title

What is a living thing?

Rationale

Students to demonstrate their current understandings of what living things are

by being able to identify and compare them against non-living when they are in
a group.

Summary The children will gather as a group and discuss the properties of things that are
labeled as living. The students will create a mind map on the IWB, with the
inclusion of their ideas and examples.
The students will then take the class ipads around the school grounds in grounds
in pairs and take photographs of 10 living aspects of the environment and 10
non-living aspects of the environment. The children will then gather back in a
group and explain their findings to each other.
This lesson will be used as an initial assessment to seek out students basic
understanding of one aspect of the natural world.
Questions
Can students identify living things
What about living things are they able to identify?
What type of language are they using?
Can they compare living and nonliving things?

Lesson 2 - Prepared by: Rebecca

Title

Classification of living and non-living things

Rationale

Students consolidate their prior knowledge and understanding of living and

nonliving things by creating a definition of living things based upon their
observable features and characteristics.

Summary In small groups of 2-3, students will use hands on manipulatives, ipads and
information texts to research one living thing of their choosing. Students will use
this investigation to create a list of observable features and characteristics of
their chosen living thing.
As a class, students will then revisit the IWB mind map from lesson 1 and
compare their lists of observable features and characteristics of living things to
those identified in the initial assessment of students prior knowledge and
understanding. Students will identify patterns of similarity and draw on their
small group investigations to create a definition of living things based on their
observable features and characteristics e.g. living things reproduce, grow,
respond to stimuli.
N.B. The class discussion is an opportunity to address students misconceptions
about living things. Use the following discussion points as a guide to extend
students thinking and understanding:
Discuss movement - what defines movement.
Lighting moves, is it a living thing?
What about an egg or pupa are they a living thing?
Are all characteristics necessary for defining living things, are there some
that are optional and apply to some living things but not all?
Create a list of things that were once living i.e. wood, bone

To conclude the lesson, revisit and refine the class definition of living things.
Write the definition on a large cardboard sheet and display in the classroom for
the duration of the unit to support students in their classification of living vs.
nonliving things.

Lesson 3 - Prepared by: Shenita

Title

Exploring Animals in their Different Stages of Life

Rationale

For children to gain an understanding of how animals grow by exploring and

communicating the visual and structural changes that occurs within each stage
of the chosen animals life.

Summary Children will divide themselves into small group of about 3-4 children. Each
group will focus on one animal and this will be done by one member of the
group drawing an option from a hat.
The animals for the focus of this lesson will be from the following;
Frog
Butterfly
Moth
Chicken
Bee
Ladybird
Platypus
Seal
Spider
After an animal is assigned to the group, the children will then have the
opportunity to begin researching using a range of mediums provided within the
classroom. Children will have access to computers and Ipads with internet and a
series of informative books.
The questions posed during this lesson
What types of changes are occurring?
What structural features is the animal gaining or losing during the
process?
What are the scientific terminology used in each stage
How many stages of change does the animal go through during its
lifetime?
Children will develop an informational pamphlet in their groups about the
animals life cycle. The development of this informative pamphlet will aid the
students in engaging with the 2 part to this lesson at a later time (See lesson 12)
nd

Lesson 4 - Prepared by: Shenita

Title

Exploring the different stages of Plant Lifecycles

Rationale

After examining animal lifecycles in the previous lesson, children will explore the
different stages of a plants lifecycle. During this lesson they will become more
aware of the similarities between the stages of the growth of living creatures as
well as identifying the differences. The students investigation and observation
skills will improve as they make use of these over the course of this experiment.

Summary The children will be divided into pairs. Each group will then be given a specific
type of plant seed and an empty CD case and some soil. In pairs the children will

place a thin layer of soil into the CD case and then place the seed in the centre,
covering the seed. The CD cases will then be placed in a shallow tray, in a place
around the room that has exposure to sunlight. The student will then need to
research the basic needs for their plant and ensure these are being met in order
to encourage the growth process. Children will then monitor the growth of their
plants and keeping a Seed Growth Journal. In this journal students can place
images they have taken of the plant in it life stages and discuss the observations
they have made.
The following plants will be used in this investigation;
Broad Beans
Carrots
Squash
Lima Bean
Basil
Questions posed
What types of changes are occurring at each stage of the plants
lifecycle?
What are the similarities between plant and animal growth?
What was the time span between each stage of growth?
What was the time span between planting the seed and any sign of
growth?

Lesson 5 - Prepared by: Rebecca

Title

Detailed look at flowers

Rationale

Students will develop an understanding of the anatomy of a flower through

hands on investigation.

Summary Each student is to select a flower to examine. Working individually or in small

groups of 2-3 (based on favoured learning styles of individuals) students are to
examine and label the visible external features of their flower (stem, petal,
sepal, leaves) and record their findings through sketches and labels in their
science journals.
Using equipment provided, students are to dissect their flower and examine its
internal structure. Using information texts and digital technologies to research
the various internal features, students are to record the features of the stamen
(anther and filament) and the pistil (stigma, style ovary and ovules) and include
these in their science journal.
The role of the teacher in this lesson is to support students self guided learning
and ensure the safe and appropriate use of dissection equipment through an
initial demonstration an ongoing supervision.

Lesson 6 - Prepared by: Rebecca

Title

Pollination

Rationale

Students will draw on their knowledge of flower anatomy in developing their

understanding of pollination and the role pollination has in the life cycle of
plants.

Summary Begin the lesson with a brief class discussion to recap the parts of flowers
identified in the previous lesson. View Parts of a flower and pollination
youtube video to introduce students to the concept of pollination.
On the IWB work through the plant2pollinator powerpoint presentation with
students. Use the following questions to guide discussion throughout:
Where do insects fit into the plant life cycle and process? What role do
they play?
Who are the insect pollinators?
Are there other types of pollinators?
What may stop pollination from occurring? What effect would this have
on the environment?
Students then create an insect pollinator by constructing a model insect and
flower to investigate how an insect pollinates a flower (see link in additional
resources for lesson 6).

Lesson 7 - Prepared by: Rebecca

Title

Nature walk to local park

Rationale

Students will participate in an excursion to a local park to extend upon their

understanding of living things in the context of their local environment.

Summary In order to gain the most from this excursion, time must be dedicated prior to
this lesson to clarify students learning objectives and expectations for the
excursion as well as invoke student interest and curiosity (DeWitt & Osborne,
2007).
On this excursion students will go on a nature walk around a local park or bush
reserve and observe living things in their natural environment. Students will
engage in self directed learning, choosing from a range of tasks. This will ensure
that each student is engaged in learning that is both contextually relevant and of
personal interest (DeWitt & Osborne, 2007). Students choose from the
following tasks:
Census of living things: students name or categorise living things and
record the numbers they view on their walk, as well as any field sketches
they wish to take
Detailed investigation of a living thing: sketch of a living thing in the
environment, e.g. plant or insect, with labels of parts or a description of
its activities/appearance. Note the location of the living thing, where
was is located? What other living/non-living things are around it?
Detailed study of one area of the environment: descriptive writing as
well as a sketch. Detail the activity of area e.g. list of plants and animals,
their state - living, decomposing, feeding, crawling, etc. Think about the
interaction of the different components of the area? Can you see any
relationships between things?
To consolidate learning, students should be given time to discuss their findings
from the excursion in small groups after returning from the excursion. The role
of the teacher here is to scaffold students conversations and encourage student
engagement in discussion through questioning and supportive dialogue.

Lesson 8 - Prepared by: Amy

Title

Exploring the how the environment and animals depend on each other for
survival

Rationale

This lesson will allow students to take a living thing that was identified on the
nature walk and show the relationship and dependency of animals and the
environment.

Summary In small groups, students will identify a living thing that they saw at the park in
the previous lesson. As a group, students will research and construct a simple
food chain that will represent the relationship between animals and the
environment in a chosen habitat., eg grass --> snail --> bird or grass
grasshopper mouse snake --> owl.
The following questions could be discussed with students to allow a deepened
understanding of the relationship between animals and the environment and
also how humans affect the environment and survival of living things.
Discuss with students what might happen if one of the steps were deleted out of
the food chain e.g.
What would happen if one part of the food chain decreased or
disappeared?
What human activities could cause these scenarios, eg plastic bags could
kill the birds.
Ask the students to consider the local park that they visited and the ways in
which human activities can impact on the effect of the living things in the area
e.g.
What do humans do in that environment? e.g. picnic, swim, fish, play.
What are the constructed features in the park e.g. paths and what effect
could they be having?
What other impacts such as rubbish and noise would be affecting these
habitats?
Further investigation and support to the lifecycles and food chains could be
achieved by making a habitat for a type of animals at the school. See additional
resources for links to ideas.

Lesson 9 - Prepared by: Amy

Title

Excursion to the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

Rationale

Students will participate in an excursion to The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

This will reinforce understandings of how plants grow, survive, pollinate and
reproduce. Students will also be introduced to the classification of plants and
animals by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Summary Students will attend an excursion to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. At the
Royal Botanic Gardens, the students will be guided by an Aboriginal education
officer who will demonstrate how plants grow, survive pollinate and reproduce.
During the time spent at the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Aboriginal educator will
provide an insight into the classification of plants and animals. Students will also
have the opportunity to meet members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander community who will share how indigenous people used plants for food,
medicine, tools and weapons.

Before the excursion, time will be spent looking at the location in the classroom
to reduce novelty at the time of the event (DeWitt & Osborne, 2007). Students
will be introduced to the project that will be completed in the next lesson at
school and the need to collect information while on the excursion (DeWitt &
Osborne, 2007).
Topics should be defined for the groups to choose from, with the ability of
students to choose their own topic an important contributor to curiosity (DeWitt
& Osborne, 2007).
During the excursion, students will be given a resource to support their
investigation but not limit their exploration (DeWitt & Osborne, 2007). This will
be achieved by providing open ended question. The small groups will also be
provided with a camera to assist the documentation of their findings.

Lesson 10 - Prepared by: Amy

Title

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Classification of plants and animals

Rationale

This lesson will build on the students understanding of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander classification of plants and animals that was established on the
excursion.

Summary Students will meet together as a large group to have a discussion about their
understanding and findings that they developed on the excursion.
Notes and documentation can be taken on a smartboard or whiteboard.
Questions for prompting discussion include:
What is classification?
Why do we need classification?
How do we classify living things in todays society?
How do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people classify livings in
their culture?
What is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander classification centralised
around?
Students will then break into their small groups to look at the collected
information and establish if they need to conduct further research to be able to
present their chosen topic. Students will then construct a powerpoint
presentation using the information and photos taken at the excursion. How the
presentation will be set up will be decided by the students with the intention
being to provide a clear and informative presentation of their topic.

Lesson 11 - Prepared by: Amy

Title

Planning our life cycle animation

Rationale

This lesson is the first part of 2 part lesson. Both lessons will provide a
summative assessment of the students learning during the unit while
incorporating technology.

Summary Students will begin by discussing as a large group the different lifecycles they are
have learnt about during this unit. At the end of the discussion, the students will

be placed in small groups but will then individually write an informative text
about the same chosen lifecycle.
When their informative text is finished, the small groups will come together and
use each of their informative texts to plan how their animation is going to
unfold. Students will use the script planner template to demonstrate what
props are needed for each section and what will be said at each point.
Once the script is finished, students will begin making their props if they have
time.

Lesson 12 - Prepared by: Shenita

Title

Creating an Animation to illustrate a life cycle of an Animal

Rationale

This lesson is the second part of 2 part lesson.

Children will experiment with their skills in interacting with technology as they
engage with the computer animation program. The children will communicate
their understandings of life cycles and their learning throughout the unit.

Summary Children will have already accumulated information and knowledge on their
chosen animal, and will have already begun writing scripts they will use during
the production of their animation. During this lesson period, children will work
on creating a finished product, demonstrating the various life stages of their
chosen animal (From Lesson 3). Children will work with various aspects of media,
such as voice recording, video filming and computer animation programs to
communicate their findings. This lesson will act as an assessment of learning that
the child has developed through the entire unit of exploration.
Presentations of the final piece (finished animation) will be held at the end of
this lesson period, in which it will be done in front of the class. Children will be
asked questions and will have the opportunity to answer them.