Appendix 1

LESSON PLAN
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

LESSON ORGANISATION
Year Level: Six

Students Prior Knowledge:

Time: 9:00am- 9:55am

Date: 27th January 2015

Learning Area: Science
Strand/Topic from the Australian Curriculum

This lesson is the first lesson in a sequence of

four lessons about the growth and survival of
animals is affected by the physical
environment. In Year 5, students will have
investigated adaptations of different living
things (ACSSU043), though this will have had
a more Australian focus.

Students are competent in using iPad devices

in a range of ways (including scanning QR
codes, accessing links, and navigating
different apps).

Students have used Weebly as well as Google

Slides in previous lessons, and therefore have
experience.

Students are experienced in engaging in

collaborative work, knowing how to share roles
and cooperate to achieve shared goals.

Students are aware of the principles of digital

citizenship, including the need to access
copyright-free images and credit them.

Science Understanding: Biological sciences

The growth and survival of living things are affected

by physical conditions of their environment
(ACSSU094).

Science as a Human Endeavour: Use and influence of

science
Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and
inform personal and community decisions
(ACSHE100).
Science Inquiry Skills: Processing and analysing data and
information
Construct and use a range of representations,
including tables and graphs, to represent and
describe observations, patterns or relationships in
data using digital technologies as appropriate
(ACSIS107).
Science Inquiry Skills: Communicating
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes
using scientific representations in a variety of ways,
including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110).
General Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)
Critical and
Literacy
Numeracy
ICT
competence

creative thinking

Ethical
behaviour

Personal and
Social
competence

Intercultural
understanding

Cross-curriculum priorities (may be addressed in the lesson)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures
Proficiencies:(Mathematics only)

Asia and Australias engagement with Asia

Sustainability

Lesson Objectives (i.e. anticipated outcomes of this lesson, in point form beginning with an action verb)
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
Locate at least three pieces of relevant information in provided sources
Work collaboratively to fulfil a team role
Reflect on one strength and one weakness in understanding

Teachers Prior Preparation/Organisation:

One iPad per student will be prepared prior to the
lesson. Each iPad will be fully charged, with a QR
reading app and the Socrative app downloaded.
Colour-coded QR codes (that correspond with each
group) will have been printed, laminated, and stuck
up around the classroom with Blu-tack.
The teacher will ensure that the interactive
whiteboard is functioning (with sound) prior to the
commencement of the lesson.
All links on the Weebly page will have been
checked. This includes the links for Google Slides,
as well as the embedded introduction video that will
have been created by the teacher prior.
The teacher will have created a PowerPoint review
quiz for the class research conference based on
the Jeopardy game show format.
Reflection questions will have been prepared
through the Socrative app.

Provision for students at educational risk:

-

Groups will be selected by the teacher prior to

the lesson, allowing for students with similar
learning needs to be grouped together (e.g.
students who require extension). Alternatively,
the teacher may plan mixed-ability groups, with
the purpose of students peer-tutoring one
another.
Where possible, information resources from
Britannica Schools are used, allowing reading
level to be adjusted according to ability.
Many of the videos selected have transcripts or
captions for hearing impaired students.
Groups who finish their research early can
source copyright-free images for their slideshow
using Britannica ImageQuest.

LESSON EVALUATION (to be completed AFTER the lesson)

Assessment of Lesson Objective and Suggestions for Improvement:

1. Did students understand the content they engaged with, and how do I know?

2. Were students able to effectively fulfil their role? Were roles balanced enough?
3. How could the delivery and preparation of this lesson be improved? E.g. is a consolidation lesson
necessary?

Teacher self-reflection and self-evaluation:

1. Did I allow students to become self-directed in this lesson?

2. Did I give students meaningful and timely feedback?

3. Were instructions clear?

4. Were my behaviour management provisions and strategies successful, and why/why not?
[OFFICIAL USE ONLY] Comments by classroom teacher, HOPP, supervisor:

LESSON DELIVERY (attach worksheets, examples, marking key, etc, as relevant)

Time

Motivation and Introduction:

9:00am

1. Students are asked to come and sit on the mat.

2. The teacher introduces the unit of work by having a brief class discussion
about what students know about different environments and how animals
survive in those habitats.
E.g. Last year you learnt about adaptations, mainly for Australian plants and
animals. Do you remember any examples?
This term we are going to be focusing on extreme environments and how
these influence different animals, whether very cold or very hot conditions.
3. The teacher shows the students a video (embedded on the Weebly site) to
introduce students to their WebQuest activity on the interactive whiteboard.
(Note: the teacher will have created this video through Movie Maker prior to
the lesson.)
4. The teacher then poses a focus question to the class for discussion:
o

9:10am

What are some examples of extreme habitats that you know of,
and do you know of any animals that live there?

Resources/References
Colour-coded QR
codes, stuck up around
the room prior to lesson.
Interactive Whiteboard
(IWB).

The units Weebly site:

www.year6animals.
weebly.com

Lesson Steps (Lesson content, structure, strategies & Key Questions):

5. The teacher scrolls down on the Weebly site to display students research
teams for the unit, and review collaborative behaviours with students. The
teacher briefly explains that students will be engaging in a QR code activity.
E.g. Now that you know your teams, who can help us remember our class
rules for working together [choose students with hands up].

iPad (one per student).

Desktops (one per
student).

When I finish speaking, you are going to collect an iPad from the front of the
room and return to your computer. From there, you will access the Weebly
site that is projected on the IWB now, where you will find more details about
your QR code task, and what animal you have been assigned. Good luck!
9:15am

6. Students collect their iPads, sit at the computers with their research team,
and access the Weebly site as shown on the IWB. Using the Weebly,
students will be able to see their instructions in more detail.

9:20am

7. Students decide their group roles. One student will be needed for each of
the following:
o Nutritionist (who will become an expert on the animals diet)
o Observer (who will become an expert on the animals physical
characteristics)
o Analyst (who will become an expert on the animals behaviour)
o Generalist (who will become an expert on the animals
environment/location, as well as any other interesting facts).

9:25am

8. As instructed on the Weebly site, students leave their iPads at their

computer and retrieve the QR codes that correspond to their groups team
colour. Groups then return to their computers and iPads with their QR codes,
which they each scan. As each group member is taken to a different link,
relevant information for that students role will be extracted and typed into a
collaborative Google Slides document (linked from the Weebly site).
9. Group members teach each other what they learnt (jigsaw learning
approach).

www.quest.eb.com

Extension Task: Students that complete their Google Slides task early will be

directed to go to the Britannica ImageQuest link on the Weebly site, to add

relevant images.
9:45am

9. The teacher calls students down to the mat, instructing them to bring their
individual iPads with them. Students will then be asked in groups to gather on
the mat where they will be involved in a research team conference (where
each group shares what they learnt through a review quiz). This quiz will
reinforce the key learning elements from the provided sources (diet, physical
characteristics, behaviour and location), as well as allow students to ask any
questions they might have.

Jeopardy-style review
PowerPoint review quiz
to consolidate
knowledge

Lesson Closure:(Review lesson objectives with students)

9:53am

10. With their iPads, students complete the reflection questions accessed
through the Socrative app. These questions include:
o What do you know really well now as a result of this lesson?
o Which aspect of ICT did you find helped you the most during this
lesson?
o What do you still need to learn more about?
Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)

9:55am

Students will be encouraged to conduct further research at home about their

assigned animal.
Assessment: (Were the lesson objectives met? How will these be judged?)
Objective

How it will be assessed

1. Locate at least three pieces of

relevant information in provided
sources

The teacher has access to each

groups Google Slides document
through Google Drive, which will be
viewed following the lesson and
assessed using a checklist.

2. Work collaboratively to fulfil a

team role

The teacher will observe students

throughout the lesson, taking note
of which students maintained their
accountability to the group, and
demonstrated positive cooperative
behaviours.

3. Reflect on one strength and one

weakness in understanding

Students will reflect on their learning

through the Socrative app, which
the teacher will be able to evaluate
following the lesson.

QR Codes for each group

Thorny Devil

King Brown snake

Camel

Emperor Penguin

Polar Bear

Lesson 1 Assessment Checklist

Name

The student is able to:

Extract at least
three pieces of
relevant
information from a
provided source.

Anecdotal notes

Work collaboratively
by providing at least
three pieces of
information to the
rest of the group.