Science and Technology - Living World
Supports the Primary Connections unit - Schoolyard safari
Students use their senses to spy on living things. They participate in hands-on scientific inquiry to observe the living world, with a focus on external features of living things and improving local environments.
Program feedback
"The students are still talking about their visit and have gained a deeper understanding of nature and living creatures within from ants to birds and even the possums."
Key syllabus outcomes (2017 syllabus)
A student:
- observes, questions and collects data to communicate and compare ideas ST1-1WS-S
- describes observable features of living things and their environments ST1-4LW-S
Skills focus – working scientifically
Planning and conducting investigations
- explore and answer questions through participation in guided scientific investigations (ACSIS025, ACSIS038)
- collect data from observations
- record observations accurately and honestly using observational drawings, labelling, informal measurements and digital technologies (ACSIS026, ACSIS039)
- compare observations with those of others (ACSIS041, ACSIS213)
- make safe choices when using materials and equipment
Processing and analysing data
- use a range of methods to sort and collate information
- represent information using drawings and simple tables, including digital representation methods (ACSIS027, ACSIS040)
Inquiry questions
- What are the external features of living things?
- How can we improve a local environment to encourage living things to thrive?
Content
External features of living things
Students:
- describe the external features of a variety of living things (ACSSU017)
- identify and group plants and animals using their external features, for example: SciT SysT
- native and introduced plants and animals
- worms, insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Living things live in different places
Students:
- identify that living things live in different places that suit their needs (ACSSU211)
- recognise that people use science and technology in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things (ACSHE022, ACSHE035)
Learning experiences
Students:
- observe preserved animals and group them using external features
- compare native and introduced animal species and consider the impact of introduced species on the needs of native animals
- investigate worms from the centre’s worm farm
- go on a bush walk down Bungoona Path, using their senses to make observations about plants and animals
- search for evidence of animals meeting their needs
- compare features of different plants and leaves and create ephemeral art or scratch art using leaves
- search for invertebrates in the leaf litter, examine features and create a model of an invertebrate using natural materials
Recommended excursion site
