3 Week Inquiry Unit Topic: Amazing Animal Adaptations (AAA) Year level: 5-6 Year: 2018

Established goals: students will reflect, acquire information, form judgements and express opinions when inquiring into the elements of animal
adaption and survival. They will explore a range of elements of animal adaption and will create an inquiry question which will be focused on a specific
topic. Their inquiry question will relate to a specific animal, environment or type of adaption. They will be able to choose what they want to inquire into
and how they will present the knowledge they have gained.
Learning focus: The major focal point of this unit is exploring how animals adapt to their environment to survive. Students will examine information
about animal adaptations in four lessons in the first week and will go on an excursion to the Melbourne museum to explore this topic further. They will
be given a basis of knowledge that will help them decide ‘where to next?’. This is a student driven unit where students will learn to work autonomously
and be given the opportunity to learn about something that interests them.
Essential Curriculum links Capabilities/ Learning plan
Questions assets
What physical Science: Collaborating with Week 1: Tuning in/Finding out/Sorting out
Living things have structural
and behavioural features and adaptations that peers: taking it in
help them to survive in their
features do environment (VCSSU074)
turns, sharing the Lesson 1: What is an animal adaption?
some animals workload, LI: I can describe what an animal adaption is and give one example.
have, that help The growth and survival of participate in - Pre-test: Students will write down everything they know about animal
living things are affected by
them survive? the physical conditions of activities and adaptions. They will be asked ‘Write or draw down anything you know about
their environment sharing ideas animal adaptions and how they survive in their environments’.
(VCSSU075)
How do animals - The students will then share their answers and have a class discussion.
adapt to survive With guidance, plan Self-management: - Ask students ‘how do humans adapt to the winter and summer?’
appropriate investigation
in their types to answer questions or organise - Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRX2JtKFUzk
environment? solve problems and use presentation, - Discussion about the key vocabulary.
equipment, technologies and
materials safely, identifying responsibility and - Students will then be given a set of questions about the key vocabulary that they
What is an potential risks (VCSIS083) time management will research by themselves or with a partner.
animal
adaptation? Questions:
Critical and creative Communication: 1. What is an animal adaptation?
thinking eye contact, load 2. What is a behavioural animal adaptation? Can you give one example?
Examine how different kinds
clear voice, talk in 3. What is a physical animal adaptation? Can you give one example?
of questions can be used to front of an 4. What does camouflage mean?
identify and clarify
information, ideas and audience and 5. What is an environment?
possibilities (VCCCTQ021) display positive 6. What is an animal habitat?
Examine learning strategies,
body language 7. What is an inborn Behaviour?
including constructing 8. What is a predator?
analogies, visualising ideas,
summarising and
Thinking: 9. What does the word ‘prey’ mean?
paraphrasing information questioning, 10. What does the words Survive/Survival mean?
and reflect on the application
of these strategies in
critical thinking, 11. Why do animals need to adapt?
different situations reflect and 12. What was something interesting you learnt?
(VCCCTM030)
Digital Technologies
sequence
Lesson 2: Documentary and note taking
Plan, create and Research: key LI: I know what a behavioural and physical animal adaption is.
communicate ideas,
information and online terms, facts and - Discuss with students how to take notes.
collaborative projects, liable resources - Write down key facts, don’t write every word that is said, write enough that you
applying agreed ethical,
social and technical can understand it when you reread over it, don’t worry about your spelling or
protocols (VCDTDI029) how neat your work is. Show example pictures of notes
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8sdXkVAHbY&list=PLQlnTldJs0ZTLL3_Cbq
English
RfzyBeXQOQrw2d
Participate in and contribute - Discuss one interesting thing they learnt from the videos in groups of 4
to discussions, clarifying and
interrogating ideas,
- Finish off vocabulary questions
developing and supporting
arguments, sharing and
evaluating information,
Lesson 3: What if?
experiences and opinions, LI: I can respond to a question and create my own animal with its own adaptions.
and use interaction skills,
varying conventions of - Students will respond to the ‘what if’ question:
spoken interactions
according to group size,
formality of interaction and
needs and expertise of the
audience (VCELY366)
Participate in formal and
informal debates and plan,
rehearse and deliver
presentations, selecting and
sequencing appropriate
content and multimodal
elements for defined
audiences and purposes,
making appropriate choices
for modality and emphasis
(VCELY367)
- What if you were an animal that lived in a desert, a tropical environment, a
marine environment, a bushland, a cave, a river or even a polar environment?
What physical and behavioural features have you adapted to survive? Choose
one environment and design your own animal and explain how you would
survive in the environment you live in. Make sure you give you animal a name,
draw a picture and include all features of your animal.
- They will watch this video first to get inspired
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_YD0XU0TNU
- Once they have chosen an animal they have to research what features their
animal might have that help them to survive in their environment.
- Students will record their answers on the flipgrid platform.

Lesson 4: Melbourne museum excursion

LI: I can ask a variety of questions about animal adaptions.
- Students will visit the Melbourne museum to learn about how animals have
adapted overtime to their environment, how some animals have become extinct
because they couldn’t adapt or didn’t adapt to their environment’s.

Lesson 5: Museum reflection and choosing an inquiry question

LI: I can develop my own inquiry question and reflect on past experiences.
- Students will reflect on flipgrid and share their experiences of the Melbourne
Museum.
- They will share 2 things they found interesting and 2 things they would like to
know more about (what are 2 of they wonderings?) They will also present their
chosen inquiry question.
- Before they are allowed to film, their question must be approved by me to
ensure they are on the right path.
 - Their inquiry question can be focused on a certain animal, environment or even
extinct animals and why they didn’t survive. Their choices are unlimited.

Week 2: Sorting out/ Going Further/ Making conclusions

- Students will be introduced to their project and go through the rubric together.
- They can work in pairs or by themselves.
- Their method of their final presentations of their inquiry question must think
outside the box and there will be no power points.
- Students will continue to work on their projects for 5 lessons in week 2.

Week 3: Making conclusions/ Taking action

- Students will have 2 more lessons this week to finish off their inquiry
presentations
- For the remaining 3 lessons during this week students will present and be
marked according to the rubric. They will not be given a final score just a
representation of where their projects were at and areas for future
improvements.
- To conclude the inquiry unit students will reflect on what they have learnt.
- Post-test: They will be given the opportunity to write or draw everything or
anything they know about animal adaptations to their environment. These 2
documents will be compared to see if the students have learnt and retained
knowledge about this topic.

Other areas to teach throughout the unit:

- How to search and gather information digitally?

- How to think creatively?
- How to develop an inquiry question?
- Preparing a presentation
- Reflecting on learning
- Becoming an independent learner