English

Students research the traditional Indigenous

Australian names for Australian animals.
Read the Lorax from a critical environmental
perspective (ACELT1613) (ACELT1617).
Create a photo story for a threatened animal of
choice (ACELA1524) (ACELY1717).
Write a narrative from the perspective of a
hibernating or migrating animal (ACELT1618).
Investigate the environmental campaigns from
the World Wildlife Fund before creating one
(ACELY1708) (ACELY1714).
Debate environmental issues (ACELY1709).

Maths
Students research climate change patterns
and how they have influenced living things
around the world, with data displays of the
findings (ACMSP147).
Create infographic campaigns with the use
of mathematical information (such as
percentages and fractions) (ACMNA131).

Year 6 Science: the influence of the

environment upon animals growth and
survival.
Health and Physical Education
Participate ethically in outdoor
activities, e.g. taking care not to disrupt
natural habitats (ACPPS059).

Humanities
Research how introduced species (and
British colonisation) has influenced the
environment for native animals in
Australia (ACHASSI123).
Examine different viewpoints on
environmental degradation through time
(ACHASSI127).
Suggest and campaign for a course of
action on an environmental issue, using
digital and non-digital strategies
(ACHASSI132) (ACHASSI130).
Develop an e-pal friend in another class in
a different country, comparing and
contrasting each environment
(ACHASSK138).
Examine reasons for different extinctions
in different parts of the world.
Explore global migration patterns
throughout history.

Ideas for Cross-Curriculum Integration

Term 2, Weeks 1-4

Technologies
Explore how different companies try to implement sustainable solutions, and create a
case study blog post about them (ACTDEK019).
Investigate the impact of the palm oil industry on different animals and their ability to
survive (ACTDEK021).
Make a sustainable alternative to a popular product of choice (ACTDEP026)
(ACTDEP028).
Program a simple game that promotes sustainable action (e.g. recycling) (ACTDIP020).
Create a stop-motion animation video of an environmental issue and upload to
YouTube (ACTDIP022).
Create a worm farm.

The Arts
Use the stimulus of a natural disaster
(of choice) to create a dance
(ACADAM009).
Create and film a play set in the future,
to promote an environmental message
(ACADRM035).
Create an animation about what would
happen if we all littered plastic
(ACAMAM063) (ACAMAM064).
Explore Indigenous Australian artworks
and the messages conveyed about
caring for the environment
(ACAVAM114).

FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT

TERM/WEEKS: Term 2, 4 weeks

YEAR LEVEL:

LEARNING AREA/TOPIC: Science

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
General Capabilities:
Literacy

Numeracy

ICT

Cross-curriculum priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and Cultures

Week/
LESSON

Week
1,
Lesson
1

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
LINKS
Science
Understand
ing

Science as
a Human
Endeavour

(ACSSU
094)

(ACSHE
100)

Critical and creative

thinking

Ethical Behaviour

Personal and social

Competence

Asia and Australias engagement with Asia

Sustainability

SPECIFIC LESSON
OBJECTIVE

ASSESSMENT
(what & how)

1. Locate at least
three pieces of
relevant information
in provided sources.

What: students are

able to extract at
least three pieces
of information in
the provided
sources that is
relevant to their
specific role.
How: the teacher
will access Google
Drive to see the
notes that students
create on their
groups Google
Slides document.
Assessment
information will
then be recorded in
a checklist.

TEACHING & LEARNING

EXPERIENCES
(include learner diversity)

Intercultural Understanding

KEY
QUESTIONS

RESOURCES

Science
Inquiry
Skills

(ACSIS1
07)
(ACSIS1
10)

2. Work
collaboratively to
fulfil a team role.

What: students are

able to adequately
satisfy their
individual roles,
having at least 3
pieces of
information per the
students section.

Introduction
1. Brief class discussion to gauge prior knowledge.
2. Students watch an introductory video to the unit (on
the IWB) from the projects Weebly. The teacher gives
students a brief overview of the WebQuest task, before
displaying students groups (colour-coded).

Body
3. Students each take an iPad and sit down at a desktop
(seated with group). Students access the Weebly on
their desktops, and choose group roles (nutritionist,
observer, analyst or generalist).
4. Each group finds their QR codes (by colour), and
brings them back to their work stations. Each group
member scans each of the provided QR codes,
extracting key information that will then be typed into
a shared Google Slides document (Appendix A).
5. Each expert teammate briefly presents what they
learnt about their animal to their group members.

What are some

examples of
extreme
conditions?
How can your
environment
impact you?
(E.g. what you
eat or how well
you survive).

Project Weebly
URL
(www.year6anim
als.weebly.com)

IWB with
speakers
Desktops or
laptops (one per
student).
iPads (one per
student, with QRscanning app and
Socrative app
downloaded on
each).

Conclusion
6. All students are called to the mat (with iPads) for a
sharing session using a PowerPoint template of
Jeopardy (Appendix B).
7. Students access the Socrative app, and answer the
reflection questions (see next column).

Colour-coded QR
codes stuck
around the
classroom.

What do you
know really well
as a result of
this lesson?

How: the teacher

will record
information into a
checklist, with
anecdotal notes.

3. Reflect on one
strength and
weakness in
understanding.

Week
2,
Lesson
2

(ACSSU
094)

(ACSIS2
32)
(ACSIS1
07)

1. Represent
information about
assigned animal in a
multimodal text.

(ACSIS1
10)

2. Present
information clearly
to an audience.

What: students are

able to describe
what they learned,
and what they still
need to learn.
How: students will
answer reflection
questions on
Socrative, with
students answers
being downloaded
in a spreadsheet for
record-keeping.
What: students
collaboratively
create a
multimodal poster
using Glogster. Its
criteria are that it
must convey
information about
the animals
habitat, diet,
behaviour, and
physical
characteristics,
using word text,
images, and video.
How: group rubric
(Appendix D).
What: in groups,
students present
elements of their
Glogster poster to
another group in
the class Beijing

Learner Diversity

Groups are pre-selected by the teacher, allowing

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

Introduction
1. Students think-pair-share at their computer tables
with their groups about one thing they learned from
the previous lesson, before posting this on the provided
Padlet (accessed via the projects Weebly).

Which aspect of
ICT did you find
helped you the
most during this
lesson?
What do you
still need to
learn more
about?

What was an
interesting fact
that you did not
know before?

Body
2. Each group reads their instructions on the Weebly
for the second lesson. Students create an interactive
(but informative) poster together (using Glogster)
about their animal, based on their previous research.
Students will each have a different role: one imagefinder, one video-finder, and two content-creators
(Appendix D).
3. Students participate in a global collaboration activity.
Each group has been matched to another group from
an English-speaking Beijing school, who are doing a
similar project. After adding the teacher-provided
usernames, matched groups will click on each others
poster URLs (which will be copied to a shared Google
Doc between the 2 classes), allowing groups to briefly
teach each other and give feedback in real time.

www.quest.eb.co
m

Computers (1 per
student, with
webcams).
www.year6animal
s.weebly.com
iPads (one per
group).

How are you

going to
communicate
your knowledge
clearly?

www.glogster.co
m

www.skype.com
Your matched
groups are
going to present
you with their
own case study
animals. How
do those
animals

partner school.
Each student needs
to communicate at
least one idea to
their audience.
How: observation
grid (Appendix E).

Conclusion
4. Each student accesses the Google Form link on the
project Weebly to answer the exit ticket questions
and provide a link to the poster. [Note: students will
have time during the week to add to the poster before
it is assessed.]

environments
influence their
survival? How
does this
compare to
your animal?

Learner Diversity
3. Recognise at least
one way that the
physical
environment
influences the
animal that is
presented to them.

Week
3,
Lesson
3

ACSSU0
94)

(ACSHE
098)

(ACSIS1
07)

(ACSHE
100)

(ACSIS1
10)

1. Identify at least
four ways that
humans can alter
habitats.

What: students
identify at least one
way that the
environment
influences the
survival (or
behaviour) of the
animal that their
Beijing group
presented to them.
How: Exit ticket
questions on the
linked Google
Form. Results will
be downloaded and
saved.
What: students are
able to annotate an
image of a habitat
to show at least
four ways of how
humans may
impact on the
animals and plants
living there.
How: groups save
their annotated
images in Skitch,
and the teacher
records assessment
data in a checklist
with anecdotal
comments
(Appendix F).

Roles can be specifically allocated to students

(e.g. auditory learners can be given the videofinder role).
Students are scaffolded by accessing their
research notes in the previous lesson.
Advanced students can embed a talking avatar
into their poster, using Blabberize.
Multifaceted learning: students are able to
communicate their learning in multiple ways.
Open-ended task to allow for different styles, but
with clear criteria that students can access via the
projects Weebly.
Authentic learning for disengaged students:
engagement in a real-world collaborative learning
experience.

Introduction
1. On the mat, students view the picture on the IWB,
with brief discussion about human impacts. One
student retrieves an iPad for the group (same groups),
and together they use the app Skitch to annotate the
image identifying the different impacts that humans
can have on the habitat.
2. The class shares ideas. The teaching emphasis is on
how humans can alter animals habitats in ways that
affect their survival.

Body
3. Students investigate the human impact of plastic
bags on the environment and how it influences
different animals. After watching a video on the
Weebly site, two students in each group choose for,
and two choose against having a national ban. Each

Google Form
link:
http://goo.gl/fo
rms/PrQv2u9cG
4

Do you live in a
similar
environment to
this?
How do we as
humans change
animals natural
habitats? How
does this affect
their survival?

What evidence
do you have?

IWB, with image:

https://schoolseq
uella.det.nsw.edu
.au/file/d084422f
-785a-4eb4-b54adbd8087bd0fb/1/
13240.zip/13240/
12808/12808_nw
1.htm
Desktop
computers (1 per
student).
iPads: 1 per group
(with picture
above saved in
Photos), and the
free apps Skitch

2. Justify why we
should/should not
have a national
plastic bag ban with
at least two reasons.

3. Demonstrate
critical thinking
when evaluating
sources.

What: students can

make an argument
for or against an
environmental
issue, based on
research.
How: students
record and upload
a podcast of their
debate. The
teacher can record
assessment
information in a
checklist (Appendix
F).

What: students can

identify reasons for
why internet
resources may be
less reliable (e.g.
one-sided view, or
no evidence).
How: students
responses in the
Google Form can
be saved.

pair follows the appropriate links on the Weebly site,

making notes of key points.
4. Students use the information that they have learnt
to create a podcast using the app Voice Record Pro, to
debate the question should we have a national plastic
bag ban? The pairs who are for will argue reasons for
why there should be a ban, and the pairs who are
against will give reasons for the opposite.
5. Each groups podcast will be saved, and are uploaded
to the school blog. Students then listen to another
groups debate, before posting a comment.

Conclusion
6. Students access the Google Form on their computers
(via URL on the projects Weebly) to answer the exit
ticket question of were the sources you used to find
information reliable, and why/why not?

Learner Diversity

Early finishers can access the interactive activity

Old Bernies Pond on Scootle, to apply their
knowledge of how to restore damaged habitats.
Early finishers can also investigate the plastic
bottle ban at Bundanoon.
Multiple intelligences catered for:
interdependent, auditory, linguistic.
A link for students who need more understanding
about plastic and the environment will be
provided on the Weebly site for additional
scaffolding
(http://plasticbags.planetark.org/about/wildlife.cf
m)

and Voice Record

Pro downloaded.
Plastic bag video:
http://www.abc.n
et.au/btn/story/s
2564776.htm
How can you
post a
constructive
comment?
Did you learn
anything new?

For plastic bags

sites:
http://www.oure
verydayearth.com
/5-major-reasonsto-ban-plasticbags/
https://www.berr
ybreeze.com/5reasons-your-cityshould-banwasteful-plasticgrocery-bags/
Against plastic
bag sites:
http://www.schol
astic.com/browse
/article.jsp?id=37
51739
http://www.vern
oncoleman.com/
plastic.html

Google Form
http://goo.gl/fo
rms/g7nVBvPLlZ
Scootle link
http://www.sco
otle.edu.au/ec/
viewing/L27/ind
ex.html

Week
4,
Lesson
4

ACSSU0
94)

(ACSIS1
07)
(ACSIS1
10)

1. Communicate why
animals hibernate,
providing an
example of an
animal that does
this.

2. Collaboratively
represent learning of
how the
environment
influences animals
growth and survival.

What: students are

able to identify that
some animals
hibernate in winter
to save energy,
providing at least
one example.
How: submission
into a Google
Forms document,
which can be saved
for records.
What: students
collaboratively
work on a digital
portfolio of their
learning. Required
items for each
group include a
summary of how
their animal
survives in its
environment, an
audio explanation
for hibernation, a
collage contrasting
different
environments, and
a habitat
conservation mind
map.
How: rubric
(Appendix G).

1. The teacher shows students two examples of a

digital portfolio (using IWB), on the website Dropr.
2. The teacher explains that each group will be creating
a digital portfolio with multimedia elements, to present
their findings about animals and their environments.

3. Reflect upon the

groups
collaboration,
outlining one
strength and one
area for
improvement.

What do you
like/not like
about this
portfolio?

Body
3. At their computers, students engage in their final
task; learning about hibernation. Students click on the
links on the Weebly, before outlining why certain
animals hibernate (with an example) through a Google
Form online document.
4. Groups begin to create their digital portfolio, after
choosing their roles. These roles include: a written
summary of how their animal survives in its extreme
environment, an audio recording explaining what
hibernation is, an image collage contrasting desert and
Antarctic regions, and a bubbl.us mind map suggesting
some ways to care for animals habitats.
5. Students add items to their portfolio.

Conclusion
6. Students will open up the Google Doc on the
projects Weebly, to copy and paste their groups
portfolio URL into it (note: students will have additional
time during the week to finish if needed). Students will
then go on a virtual gallery walk, using the URLs to
visit each groups site.
7. Students log in to Socrative to reflect on how the
group worked together (see question column).

Learner Diversity

What: students are

able to critically
evaluate how their
group worked
together,
identifying (at
least) one strength
and one weakness.

IWB

Introduction

Students are able to see examples of a digital

portfolio.
Hibernation links will all be chosen for different
abilities. The written article from Britannica
School can be adjusted to different reading levels,
and there is also a video link for students who are
still struggling to understand.
Links will be provided on the Weebly for how to

What happens
when animals
hibernate?

Does this have

all the
information you
need?

How can we be
digital citizens
when giving
each other
feedback?
Socrative
questions:
How well did
you share the
work?
What did your
group do well?
What would
you work on
more next
time?

Examples of
Dropr portfolios
to show:
http://dropr.com/
martenia
http://dropr.com/
scott_walker_dan
ville

Computers (1 per
student).
www.year6animal
s.weebly.com
Hibernation links:
http://school.eb.c
om.au.ipacez.nd.
edu.au/levels/pri
mary/article/4406
26
https://www.yout
ube.com/watch?v
=FonCq9YJJxw
Google form
http://goo.gl/for
ms/9qgJYz5FF1
Habitat
conservation
links:
http://www.anap
sid.org/animalshu
mans.html
http://www.cons
ervationcentre.or
g.uk/protectingwildlife.html
www.bubbl.us.co

How: responses in
Socrative (see
question column).

use Dropr.
Roles can be allocated to specific students, to
extend and scaffold where needed.
Advanced students can add other items of choice
to their digital portfolio (such as their debate
podcast from the previous lesson).

m
GarageBand
software
Britannica
ImageQuest
www.quest.eb.co
m