Teaching sequence

Lesson objective

In this lesson students learn about how wild animals meet their needs and then apply what they have learnt on the needs of living things.

Introduction

Explain that this is the last science lesson where the students will focus on the needs of animals and plants.

Display the pictures of Animals that live in different places (PDF, 2.2 MB) on the interactive whiteboard or display a hard copy. Ask students to make suggestions as to the type of place we might find these animals and who provides for their needs (eg farm, in a human home, in the bush, in a zoo). Briefly discuss how animals in captivity rely on the humans who care for them.

Ask students to think about the animal in the next situation.
View the learning object The night of the bilby: find food.

Determine that the bilby is a wild animal that has to meet its own needs. Discuss the challenges it faces.

Core

Display a list of, and briefly explain the science activities which students may choose from, which may include:

• the learning object The night of the bilby: safe habitat
• animal activity (using plastic/wooden animals and provided materials, students create places where the animals needs are met [eg farmyard, paddock, zoo, bushland, desert, rainforest])
• seed drawing (drawing the germinated seedlings)
• seed observation (observing/sorting different native seeds and pods)
• seed play (trays of seed for pouring and filling into containers).
• Mealworm observation/ drawing
• Whiteboard drawing and sorting of pictures of needs and wants

Conclusion

Tell students you have a friend who doesn’t know about the needs of living things and that you wondered if they could help this friend understand. Display and introduce the hand puppet to the students.

Ask students to explain what they have been learning in science. Your friend wants to write them down so he/she doesn’t forget. Use the hand puppet to record student statements in the class science journal. Re-read all the statements to the puppet at the end.

Place the open class science journal and the puppet in a position where students can re-read at other times.