Students learn about sustainability in their local area through the lens of 'giving' to each other, and to their environment. A literacy focus is embedded through writing an explanation text.
Science, English, Giving, Literacy, Environment, Sustainability
As a result of completing this learning module, students will be able to:
EXPERIENTIAL OBJECTIVES
English: Literacy - Interacting with others
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELY1646) Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations.
(ACELY1784) Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact.
Year 1:
(ACELY1656) Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas, information and questions.
(ACELY1788) Use interaction skills including turn taking, recognising the contributions of others, speaking clearly and using appropriate volume and pace.
Year 2:
(ACELY1666) Listen for specific purposes and information, including instructions, and extend students' own and others' ideas in discussions.
(ACELY1789) Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making positive statements and voicing disagreement in an appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone, volume and pace appropriately.
English: Literature - Responding to literature
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELT1783) Share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts.
Year 1:
(ACELT1582) Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share personal responses to these texts, making connections with students' own experiences.
Year 2:
(ACELT1589) Compare opinions about characters, events and settings in and between texts.
English: Literature - Responding to literature
Quality: What does it look like when it is done well?
Engage with and concentrate as you view and read multi-modal texts about giving, the urban water cycle, the environment, living and non-living things and life cycles.
Show that you are thinking about what you are reading by sharing and demonstrating your ideas, feelings, connections, predictions, wonderings and knowledge through discussions, drawing and written responses.
Biological Science - living things
Kindy:
(ACSSU002) Living things have basic needs, including food and water.
Year 1:
(ACSSU017) Living things live in different places where their needs are met.
Earth and Space Sciences
Year 2:
(ACSSU032) Earth's resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways.
Scienc as a Human Endeavour - Nature and development of science
Kindy:
(ACSHE013) Science involves exploring and observing the world using the senses.
Year 1:
(ACSHE021) Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events.
Year 2:
(ACSHE034) Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events.
CONCEPTUAL OBJECTIVES
English: Literacy - Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELY1650) Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently.
Year 1:
(ACELY1660) Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning about key events, ideas and information in texts that they listen to, view and read by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features.
Year 2:
(ACELY1670) Use comprehension stratgeies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to analyse texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, language and visual features and print and multimodal text structures.
Biological Science - Living things
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACSSU002) Living things have basic needs, including food and water
Year 1:
(ACSSU017) Living things have a variety of external features
(ACSSU211) Living things live in different places where their needs are met.
Earth and Space Sciences
Year 2:
(ACSSU032) Earth's resources including water, are used in a variety of ways
Science as a Human Endeavour-Nature and development of science
Foundation (kindy):
(ACSHE013) Science involves exploring and observing the world using the senses
Year 1:
(ACSHE021) Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in objects and events
Year 2:
(ASCHE034) Science involves asking questions about and describing changes in objects and events
ANALYTICAL OBJECTIVES
English: Language - Text Structure and Organisation
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELA1430) Understand that texts can take many forms, can be very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for example an information book or a film) and that stories and information texts have different purposes
Year 1:
(ACELA1447) Understand that the purposes text serve shape their structure in predictable ways
Year 2:
(ACELA1463) Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and langauge features that help the text serve its purpose
English:Language - Expressing and developing ideas
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELA1786) Explore the different contribution of words and images to meaning in stories and information texts
Year 1:
(ACELA1453) Compare different kinds of images in narratives and information texts and discuss how they contribute to meaning
Year 2:
(ACELA1469) Identify visual representations of character' actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying words
Earth and Space Sciences
Year 2:
(ACSSU032) Earth's resources, including water are used in a variety of ways.
APPLIED OBJECTIVES
English: Literacy - Creating texts - Explanation text
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELY1651) Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and beginning writing knowledge
(ACELY1652) Participate in shared editing of students' own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops
Year 1:
(ACELY1661) Create short informative texts that show emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements, for example illustrations and diagrams
(ACELY1662) Reread students' own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation
Year 2:
(ACELY1671) Create short informative texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose
(ACELY1672) Reread and edit text for spelling, sentence-boundary and text structure
English: Literacy - Interacting with others
Foundation (Kindy):
(ACELY1647) Deliver short oral presentations to peers
Year 1:
(ACELY1657) Make short presentations using some introduced text structures and language, for example opening statements
Year 2:
(ACELY1667) rehearse and deliver short presentations on familiar and new topics
Use and influence of science
Year 1:
(ACSHE022) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
Year 2:
(ACSHE035) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
General Capabilities
Cross-Curriculum Priorities
Our focus in this learning module:
What happens to water once it goes down the plug hole?
What is the urban water cycle?
How do I define living and non living?
What is the life cycle of living things?
How do my actions impact on the health of waterways and the natural environment?
How do I write an explanation text?
To get started, complete the 'student survey' about giving. Circle the face symbol that indicates/describes how you feel at school and how you feel overall as a person.
Watch the teachers role play scenarios.
What are you thinking? What do you infer from this?
LI: To connect a personal experience
Think, pair, share a time when you did something kind for someone else.
What was it? How did that person feel? How did you feel? Draw and write about this time on the left hand side of the T-Chart.
Think, pair, share a time when someone did something for you.
What did they do? How did you feel? Draw and write about this time on the right hand side of the T-Chart.
Giving - Baseline data & prior knowledge
Purpose
The purpose of the student survey is to gather baseline data for our action research project on the concept of giving. The survey will be conducted at the end of the unit of work and results analysed.
The purpose of the scenario is to introduce the concept of 'giving' through the analogy of the buckets which comes from the focus text and for students to share their personal experiences of 'giving'.
Resources
Teaching tips
All students will be surveyed (quantitive data) with a focus on 3 or 4 selected students (quantitative and qualitative data) for the action research.
Role play a scenario that students can relate to, playground/classroom experiences of put ups and put downs to convey feelings and effects (full bucket/empty bucket).
Look at the front cover and read the title of the story.
LI: To predict events in a story
Think, pair, share - What do you think the story will be about?
Share your partner's response with the class.
Look at the pictures as the teacher does a picture flick of the text. Share your wonderings and thoughts with the class.
Listen as your teacher reads the story, 'Have you filled your bucket today?'
LI: To identify the main ideas in a text
What are you thinking about? How did it make you feel? What does a full bucket symbolise/mean? How can you get a full bucket? If you fill someone's bucket, why does yours become full too?
Focus text on Giving
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the concept of giving and its effects through the focus text, 'Have you filled your bucket today?'
The open-ended questions are designed to encourage students to respond and to think themselves. This is important to address diversity.
Resources
Text:
Have you filled your bucket today?
By Carol McCloud, illustrated by David Messing
A guide to daily happiness for kids
Teaching tips
Asking students to recall and share their partner's response to questions in a think, pair, share promotes accountability and gives a message that all students ideas and contributions are valued.
LI: To use the inferring strategy to identfiy character traits of a bucket filler and bucket dipper
Think, pair, share - What does the term 'Bucket Filler' and 'Bucket Dipper' mean?
Complete the Character Profile of a 'bucket filler' and 'Bucket dipper'.
In your small group discuss and make a list of the different ways the people in the story demonstrated/showed giving.
In a Round Robin or Think, pair, share, square - talk about your understanding of the big/key ideas in the story?
Thinking about yourself and actions with others stand in the room next to the label that describes you as a person.
What sort of person do you want to be? A bucket filler or bucket dipper? Why?
LI: To infer meaning from a text
View page 16 and 18 of the text.
What do you infer from the phrases:
Many people who dip have an empty bucket. They think they can fill their own bucket by dipping into someone else's . . . But that will never work.
All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and what we do.
The big ideas around giving
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to delve deeper into the meaning of the text using the inferring strategy.
Resources
T-Chart for Character Profile
Personal Traits
Bucket filler Bucket dipper Enlarge copies of page 16 and 18 or scan them into the smart board so students' inferences can be recorded around the images.
Teaching tips
Reading Strategy: Inferring
This is what good readers do. They bring their knowledge and understanding to the text to make meaning of the words/phrases and illustrations (making logical inferences).
Students could complete the character profile of a bucket filler or bucket dipper in a Round Robin structure with a recorder writing student responses.
Record students responses of the ways the characters/people demonstrated 'giving' in the story.
Use the Round Robin or Think, pair, share, square strategies to engage students in discussions about the concept of 'Giving.'
Making inferences:
Use the meta-language of inferring and explicitly inform students, this is what good readers do to make meaning of a text.
With the class, complete a cause and effect wheel recording the effects/impacts of being a bucket filler/bucket dipper.
Impacts of being a bucket filler or dipper
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to deepen their understanding of giving by identifying the positive impact that giving has on themselves and others.
Resources
Post it notes and chart paper to create a cause and effect wheel.
Teaching tips
This could be done as a whole class with students contributing ideas.
OR
In groups of 4 students each record on a post it note one impact of being a bucket filler and one impact of being a bucket dipper.
In small groups/ as a class complete the 'Y-Chart' recording your ideas of what giving looks like, sounds like and feels like.
LI: To define the term giving
What is 'Giving?'
As a class create a definition for the term 'Giving'.
LI: To identify types of giving
Select a picture from the 'Giving' box. Think, pair, share - What type of giving is it showing?
As a class sort pictures into the 'giving' categories. Discuss and justify the placement of each picture.
Giving - Types of giving
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to
- identify what giving can look, sound and feel like
- name/define the concept of 'Giving'
- identify types of giving
This will support students when they actively take on a role of 'giving to the community' as an applying task of their learning (looking after 'Isabella Pond).
Resources
Y-Chart template, 3 different coloured textas/pencils.
Pictures of acts of giving including giving to self, others and the community.
Images of 'giving' for use on SmartBoard.
Teaching tips
Use mixed ability groupings. In groups of 3, each member is responsible for recording in a section of the Y-Chart with the support from their peers. Use three different coloured pencils/textas to record responses.
Use the Y-Chart/s to draw out common ideas/ understandings to write a class definition of the term 'Giving'.
Before inviting students to select a picture from the 'Giving box' Model an example of each. Discuss the picture as a class and justify placement in the 'giving' category.
Sorting Activity
Whole class:
Ensure each student has a picture to sort (inclusivity).
OR
Small Group:
This activity could be done in small groups (3 or 4). Students are given an A3 sheet with categories and a selection of pictures to sort. Groups could then report back to the class justifying their placement. A whole class one could then be done, displayed and annotated.
Individually:
Students are given a template with the three categories and pictures of giving to sort.
LI: To identify the meaning of giving
As a class discuss the following questions and take your place on the agree, unsure, disagree line.
If I give to others, does that mean they have to 'give' straight back to me?
Should I be expecting something in return when I give to others? Why/Why not?
LI: To identify and name types of giving
Watch as your teachers role play scenarios of what giving can look like at school. Identify the act of giving.
As a class brainstorm ways we can give to others at school.
Giving - taking it to a deeper level
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to develop an understanding that 'giving' is an act of kindness towards someone and the gratification comes from helping others.
To identify ways they can perform 'acts of giving' to others at school.
Resources
Make a large copy of Agree, Unsure and Disagree cards.
Teaching tips
Identify key social skill/ playground issues to role play for students to support them in the choices they make in being a bucket filler for others.
LI: To identify the author's message in a text
Think, pair, shar - What is the message in the story? What is the author trying to tell us? Who is this book for?
As a class discuss the following questions.
When I give to others, who wins/benefits? Why?
When others give to me, who wins/benefits? Why?
Are there any losers in giving? Why/Why not?
Giving - Everyone wins
Purpose
The purpose of this task is for students to understand that authors write for real purposes and that books can hold a special message for us. It is also to identify that there are only winners when it comes to acts of giving; both the person doing the giving and the person receiving.
Resources
Use the buckets as a symbol of 'giving' for students to create a visual image to answer and explain their reasoning.
Teaching tips
Refer students back to the pictures they drew of 'giving' in Learning Activity 1 to support them. Students will come to the conclusion that there is only winners in giving; both for the giver and receiver. There are no losers in the act of giving.
LI: To demonstrate an act of giving to others
Each day, from the 'Giving' List, select an act of giving that you will focus on for the day. At the end of the day reflect on how you went and share your 'act of giving' with the class.
Giving to others
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to put into practise their understanding of 'Giving' to help others at school; class, unit and wider school community.
Resources
Random act of giving bucket list.
Teaching tips
Every morning ask students in a circle time format, what their act of giving might be. At the end of the school day re-form as a circle to share acts of giving.
LI: To be a bucket filler
Select a class member's name from a hat or tub. Make them a card and write a build up for them. Post the card in the class letter box. Letters/cards will be delivered at the end of the week.
Or
Select a class member's name from a hat or tub. This will be your secret buddy for the week. Perform random acts of kindness 'Giving'. Make your buddy a card and post it in the class post box. At the end of the week you will have the opportunity to guess who your secret buddy was.
Giving to others
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to experience first hand what it feels like to be a bucket filler and the impact it has on others.
Resources
Writing paper, envelopes, coloured pens/pencils/textas/ glitter pens.
Think, pair, share - What do I need to live and survive? Share these ideas with your partner. Your partner will share an idea of yours with the class.
In pairs, create a collage using magazines and newspapers, answering the question: What do I need to survive?
Water usage:
LI: To make and share a personal connection
Draw a picture of what you use water for. Share your picture with a friend, and then with the class.
We are going to create a KWL chart about what we use water for. Think about what you know about water. Share this with a partner and then share with the class.
What do I want to know about water? Is there something interesting that want to find out about water. Record your question on a cloud of wonder or verbally share it with the class.
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to
- gain prior knowledge of students' understanding of what we need to survive, such as water, shelter and food
- gain students understanding of what we use water for
- identify what students' already know about water and what they want to know about water
Resources
A3 paper, magazines, newspapers, scissors and glue.
Teaching tips
Create mixed ability pairs and record students responses on a class chart with student's initials.
Water usage:
Make a display of students' pictures.
A KWL chart - what we know, what we want to know and what have we learnt. Add to the KWL class chart as progression is made through the unit.
Clouds of wonder - Students are each given a cloud to write something they 'wonder' about regarding water. These are displayed in the W section of the KWL chart.
***** Conduct a pre-assessment of an explanation text as a flow chart/mind map of where water goes once it has gone down the plug hole/is flushed.
LI: To make a personal connection
In a mix, pair, share - share with a partner your thinking of what happens to water once it goes down the plug hole.
Draw a picture to show your understanding of what happens to our water when we flush the toilet or pull the plug in the sink. Where does the water go?
Viewing:
LI: To respond to a text and recall key information
1) As a class we are going to watch a DVD about where our water goes once it leaves our homes and schools.
Think/ pair/ share - What did you find interesting? What did you learn? What would you like to know more about?
OR
2) Listen as I read the story 'The Drop'.
Think/ pair/ share - What did you find interesting? What did you learn? What would you like to know more about?
Guest Speaker: Source to Sewer
Today we have a guest speaker from ACTEWAGL(local water and electricity authority) to talk to us about the urban water cycle 'Source to sewer' - where our water goes once it leaves our homes or school.
As you listen to the guest speaker think about some questions you might like to ask? What did you find interesting? What do you want to know more about?
What happens to our water after we flush or pull the plug?
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to
- identify students' prior knowledge of the urban water cycle and what happens to water after it leaves our homes or school
- find out where our water goes once it leaves our homes or school
- gain an understanding of the urban water cycle; what happens to our water once it goes down the drain
The Magic School Bus DVD - focuses on water in the catchment area, the filtration system where the water is cleaned and then returned to our homes.
Resources
DVD - The Magic School Bus - Wet all over.
Text - The Drop
Teaching tips
During the mix, pair, share, provide students with the opportunity to share their ideas with several students before sharing with the class.
Whilst reading the text or at the end of the text, fill out Clouds of Wonder to record students thinking. These will be displayed in the W section of the KWL chart.
The guest speaker from the local water authority will bring in water samples from each stage of the urban water cycle so that students have the opportunity to investigate the water quality at various stages along the water cycle.
LI: To identify the sequence of the urban water cycle
We are learning about what happens to our water when we pull the plug. The journey the water takes is called the urban water cycle. As a class we will create a flowchart (in the form of a mural) of the urban water cycle.
Canberra is serviced by 2 water systems; a sewerage system and a stm water system.
View the video footage of the talk from the guest speaker about the Urban Water Cycle. Draw a story map to show the steps of the urban water cycle. label your story map with key words such as catchment, reservoir, pipes, tap etc. Write to explain each step of the cycle.
Option 2. Individually or in pairs, sequence the urban water cycle; starting from the water going down the sink in our homes/ school, back to clean water coming through our taps.
OR
Write a written explanation of the urban water cycle, sequencing pictures and explaining each step in the process.
Flowchart of the urban water cycle
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to name, sequence and explain each stage of the urban water cycle and the purpose of each step in the cycle.
Resources
9 pictures - 1 for each stage of the 'urban water cycle'.
Urban water cycle class display.
Urban water cycle name cards and pictures 1
Urban water cycle name cards and pictures 2
Teaching tips
Make a class mural (flowchart) of the sewerage and storm water systems to be displayed in the classroom. Each step should include a picture, a label and a brief description. Canberra is serviced by 2 water systems; a stormwater system and a sewerage system.
Sewerage system
The sewerage system takes waste water and products to from our home and schools to be cleaned. From when the water goes down the sink it travels the following journey:
- Pipes take waste water away to a sewerage treatment plant.
- Sewerage is treated at the Molonglo Water Quality control centre to remove poisons or toxic substances. Solids are removed and water is cleaned.
- Clean water is returned to natural water cycle (where in catchment?)
- Water is collected in Cotter catchment area.
- Water flows into the Cotter River and into the Cotter Dam.
- Water is stored in a reservoir.
- Water is then cleaned.
- Transported into your home via a series of pipes.
Stormwater system:
These systems collect all of the run-off water from rain, such as from roads, parks and from the gutters in roofs. This water drains into lakes, rivers or the sea. Canberra is serviced by a separate storm water system designed to collect run-off rainwater and direct it into the city's lakes and rivers.
Students are given a collection of pictures from each stage of the urban water cycle. Individually or in pairs, students order the pictures correctly. Provide an option to write a short description next to each picture.
Extension - Students order the pictures and then write to explain the journey water takes once it leaves our homes.
Think, pair, share - What would happen if we removed a part of the urban water cycle? E.g What would happen if there was no sewerage treatment plant? What would the water be like? What would this mean for us?
Draw or write to show your thinking and consequences of what this might mean for you as a consumer of water.
Importance of the sequence
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to think critically about each stage of the urban water cycle and what would happen if one part of the cycle wasn't working.
Teaching tips
To support students in their thinking; to go deeper, remove different pictures from the urban water cycle sequence and discuss the importance of each and the impact if it is removed.
LI: To identify the text type and its structural features
As a class we are going to construct the urban water cycle. You will each get either a picture card, name card or a wriiten explanation of each part the urban water cycle.
Your task will be to match up your card with the others. You will end up in a group of three, having a picture, name or written explanation card.
Together we will sequence the urban water cycle.
We will then discuss and determine what type of text this is identifying its structural features.
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to
- name and define each stage of the urban water cycle
- identify the text type - explanation text (flow chart)
- label structural features of the text; title, identifying statement, explanation sequence and summary statement
- model the writing of the identifying statement and the summary statement
Resources
Picture cards of each step of the urban water cycle, name cards and explanation cards for each step of the urban water cycle (these will match up with the picture cards).
Teaching tips
Give each student a part, example or function card (from the tabel below). Ask the students to find their matching set: e.g name of part - tap, example - picture of a tap, function - provides clean water.
As a class create the following table:
Name of part Examples (picture) Function Tap Provide clean water Sink Collects used water Pipe Transports used water to sewerage pipe Sewerage pipe Transports waste water and products to a water treatment plant Toilet Disposes of human waste Water treatment plant Chemically treats waste water and products and returns water to the catchment. As a class sequence the urban water cycle; picture and explanation card. Label this part of the text with a label card 'EXPLANATION SEQUENCE'
Inform students that this is an explanation text and together we are going to explore, identify and label the features of this text.
Model the writing of the title and the identifying and summary statements.
As a class label these structural features with label cards and annotations for purpose. Complete the data retrieval chart (see below) and display for future reference when the explicit teaching of life cycles as an explanation text occurs.
Structural features of an 'explanation text'
Part Purpose Title To inform readers what the explanation is about Identifying statement Main details of the subject/topic Explanation Sequence Describes how or why something happens Summary statement Concludes the explanation
LI: To analyse critically the importance of clean water and its impact on people's health and well being
Watch a short video clip about water for human use in Africa.
What did you notice about the water quality? Was the water clean? How did you know? Why or why not? Where did their drinking water come from? What else can it be used for?
Let's create a Pros and Cons chart about clean and dirty water.
What happens we don't have clean water to use and drink?
If we had dirty water what impact will this have on me? On my health, clothes, teeth?
Now draw a picture of yourself and/or a child from Africa showing how you look and feel when you have clean water. You can label your drawing if you like.
Importance of clean drinking water
Purpose
The purpose is to critically think about the importance of clean water and the impact it has on our health.
Resources
Teaching tips
Think/ pair/ share the Pro's and Cons of clean and dirty water and the impact it has on me.
As class create a 'Pros and Cons' chart of Clean water V Dirty water.
Pros of clean water Cons of dirty water keeps teeth clean, clean hair, clean body smell, nice, organs are happy/healthy water has germs that will affect your health, smelly, dirty hair and clothes
LI: To apply knowledge of the water cleansing process
How can we make dirty water clean?
You are camping with your family. There is no fresh water for drinking. What could you do to clean the water?
We are going to Design, Make and Appraise a device for filtering water.
Water filtering device
Purpose
The purpose of this task is to develop students' understanding of the process involved in cleaning water.
Resources
Soft drink bottles, cotton wool, sand, stones and gravel.
Teaching tips
This activity is best completed with an older buddy class to support students in the construction of the filter.
Think/pair/share
Who needs water to survive?
What animals live in water?
Mix/pair/share -
Where do you find water around Canberra?
All living things need water to survive/ Bodies of water
Purpose
To idenitfy
- what students know about living things that need water to survive
- ascertain students' understanding of Canberra's bodies of water - dams, ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs etc
Teaching tips
Divide a page into two columns, one for each question; Who needs water to survive? and What animals live in water? Record student responses on a class chart to be displayed.
MIX PAIR SHARE
1. Students silently mix around the room. NO TALKING!
2. Teacher calls “pair.”
3. Students pair up with the person closest to them and
shake hands. Students who haven’t found a partner
raise their hand to find each other.
4. Teacher asks a question and gives think time.
5. Students share with their partner per teacher instructions.
Music could be played while students move around the room
Look at Google Earth on the SmartBoard. Where can you find water in Canberra?
Think/pair/share - What do you notice about all the different areas of water?
Locating bodies of water
Purpose
To identify bodies of water around Canberra.
Teaching tips
Use Google Earth satellite view to locate Canberra and identify the bodies of water on the SmartBoard. Encourage students to look at the shape and appearance of the bodies of water and think/pair/share how they differ.
Then use this program to zoom in and focus on the Tuggeranong region, particularly Isabella Pond.
Define bodies of water.
Match images of bodies of water to their name and description. How do you know they match?
'One Stray' to compare and check your answers.
Living/non living:
Look at the image of a pond.
What can you see?
How can we tell if something is living or non-living?
Place your post-it note into either the column marked living or non-living and tell me why you have placed it there.
What are the key characteristics of living things?
Write a class definition to define the terms living and non-living.
Using the class definition of living and non-living to help you, sort the images into the 2 categories living and non-living. Justify your placement.
Purpose
To identify
- and label bodies of water in Canberra
- and define living and non living things
Living things have a life cycle. It is at this time that 'life cycles' (focus - frogs) as an explanation text is explicitly taught.
See documented explanation text at end of this unit. It is to be taught concurrently from this point on in the unit of work during literacy time.
Resources
- Frog Big Book
- Picture cards of living and non living things
Image of 'living and non-living' learning activity
Teaching tips
ONE STRAY
At the completion of a team task, teacher calls on one student
from each team to stand.
1. Teacher directs standing students to move to a team with
an empty seat.
2. Student who moved compares his/her team's answers with
the new team's answers.
3. On teacher’s cue, students move back to their original
teams. Teams discuss answers that they got from others.
4. If there is a discrepancy, teams may rework problems,
change answers, or stick with their original answer.
Use an image of a pond with surrounding wildlife. Ask students what they can see in and around the pond and record their responses on a post-it note (birds, bugs, trees etc).
Create two columns on the board labelled living and non living.
Ask students to place the post-it notes into one of the columns and explain why they have placed it there.
Define: What makes it living.
Living things breathe, move, grow and reproduce.
Display definition of living things with examples as well as non living with an annotation.
Independently or with a partner, students complete a sorting activity where they have to sort a range of visual images into categories of living or non living, justifying their placemat.
Draw a picture of what you think Isabella Pond may look like and what you might find in and around the pond.
Share your images with the group.
Create an image of Isabella Pond
Purpose
To find out what physical characteristics the students think Isabella pond will have and what they will be able to locate there.
Read ‘The Isabella Rowing Regatta’
What did you find interesting?
Which is your favourite character and why?
Using your knowledge of the story, match the images of the insects with the characteristics of the insects.
Walk to the pond with your class. Use your senses to observe the local surroundings. What do you see? What do you hear?
Have a look at the pond. Is there anything here that shouldn't be here? What can you see? What can you infer?
When you arrive back at school write a recount of your visit to the pond. Remember a recount has; when, who, where and what. You could alo include why we visited the pond.
Let's compare the images of the pond you created with our photos of Isabella Pond.
Look at your picture. What did you think was going to be there?
Look at the photos. What did we actually see? From your observations paint a picture of Isabella Pond. Include pond life in and around.
A visit to Isabella Pond
Purpose
To use the text to find out what insects can be found at Isabella Pond.
To visit Isabella Pond in real life and observe what lives here.
To compare students' predictions about the pond with the reality and to identify the differences and why they have occurred.
Resources
Observation data recording sheets, Souther ACT Catchment Group resources, e.g. buckets and bug nets
Sensory safari retrieval chart
Teaching tips
Visit Isabella Pond and observe what can be seen in and around the pond.
On the first visit students observe the local environment and pond life. On return to school students discuss what they saw with their predictions in the previous activity. Students paint a pond scene and include pond life such as birds and plants. This will be added to after water bug samples are brought in to observe.
Use the images taken to document and name what was found at the pond. Then use the images of the pond to create an art display pond.
Write a class recount of each visit to the pond over the course of the unit of work. This could be kept as an A3 visual diary for students to read and refer to.
Students complete a 'habitat survey' data sheet on the same or on a second visit.
Students write individual recounts of their visits to Isabella Pond.
LI: To identify living and non-living things
Recall and draw/write 2 or 3 examples of living and non-living things each on a separate piece of paper that you observed from your visit to Isabella Pond. Share this with your shoulder partner and then your table group justifying your reasoning. Place your examples under the living and non-living heading. Present your examples to the class.
Re-read the class definition of living and non-living from learning activity 19. Is there anything we need to add or change?
Now with a deeper understanding of what is living and non-living, sort the images/photos taken from the visit to the pond into living and non-living categories. Under each category explain (write/verbally) why they are living or non-living.
Purpose
For students to transfer their understanding of what is living and non-living to identify and classify living and non-living things found in their local natural environment; Isabella Pond.
Resources
Photos from visit of 'living and non-living' things: trees, animal life, rubbish, reeds, water, rocks, bridge, concrete, bugs from bug survey.
Teaching tips
As groups share their examples of living and non-living things from their observations, emphasise the need to justify their reasoning, referring to key characteristics of what makes a living thing living. Some students may think that water is living as it moves and it is a home for living things.
Re-view class definition from learning activity 19. Re-define the terms living and non-living.
Observe the water samples from Isabella Pond. What bugs do you see? How many of each do you see? Complete the bug survey.
Create a picture column graph from the bug survey data to show results.
Have a look at the graph. What bug occurred the most?
What bug occurred the least?
Have a look at all the data and compare quantities of different bugs. What can you infer from this?
What living things might eat these bugs at Isabella Pond?
Collecting and collating data from Isabella Pond
Purpose
To collate and interpret the data collected from the Isabella Pond to ascertain what/how many and why we found different insects at the pond.
Resources
Water samples from Isabella Pond, trays, magnifying glasses and 'bug survey and graphing sheet'.
Food chain websites.
Teaching tips
Water samples can either be collected during a visit to Isabella Pond with the representative from ACTEWAGL or brought into the school. This may depend on the weather at the time.
Brainstorm animals that may eat the bugs from the water samples from Isabella Pond, e.g. frogs, fish. Creat a food chain, label animals and the role they play in the food chain, e.g. producer, herbivore and carnivore.
Links to food chain footage.
This is an authentic opportunity to explore and investigate food chains. What they are and their role in the ecosystem.
Think, pair, share - What does this graph tell us about the pond?
Is it healthy? Why or why not? How do we know? Move to the area of the room which shows your thinking.
Interpret habitat check list. What can you infer from this? Is it a good habitat? How do we know?
Interpreting data from Isabella Pond
Purpose
This activity allows students to interpret the data collected and to use this to make inferences about the health of the pond.
The purpose of the food chain activity is to link the concepts covered in Isabella Pond Rowing Regatta (bugs) and the effects human actions can have on the health of a natural environment which is investigated through the text 'Lester & Clyde' - where man's negative actions impact on the health of a pond environment for the two frogs.
Teaching tips
Food Chains:
Using the food chain created by the class, delve deeper and explore what happens when a food chain is affected - the chain is broken. Discuss impact on living things that live in that habitat.
LI: To make a personal connection
Imagine you are out walking and you come across this beautiful clean pond. Using your senses what might you see, smell and hear at the pond? Share your thoughts with a shoulder partner.
You keep walking and you come across a pond filled with rubbish.
When you see all this rubbish how do you feel?
How did the rubbish get here?
Think, pair, share - What do you think the rubbish could do to the pond environment?
Discovering the problem
Purpose
The purpose of this scenario is to engage students in the events that they will read about in the text Lester & Clyde and introduce the effects human actions can have on the environment.
Resources
Props for mock pond model: blue tarp, plants and pond animal life figurines including frogs.
model of mock clean pond, 'image 1' and 'image 2'.
model of mock dirty pond, 'image 1' and 'image 2'.
Teaching tips
Using blue fabric and toy frogs set up a model pond environment (clean, fresh). Play pond/ nature environment music to set the scene. Teacher tells a story about the environment, who lives here, sounds heard – sets the scene.
Invite students to comment on the model/ environment. (Sensory journey - sounds like, smells like, looks like, feels like)
Teacher tips rubbish over the frogs and into the pond. Invite students to respond using their senses.
Students make a prediction of what might happen next to the frogs and the pond environment.
LI: To connect with the text
Think, pair, share - What do you know about frogs? Where do frogs live?
Listen as your teacher reads Lester & Clyde.
How did the story make you feel? What are you thinking? Share your thoughts with a shoulder partner, then the class.
Purpose
To connect with the text sharing prior knowledge about frogs and responding to events in the story.
Resources
Lester & Clyde by James H. Reece (Ashton Scholastic 1991)
Teaching tips
Give a set time, e.g. 45sec for students to think about their response before sharing with their partner. For accountability ask students to share their partner's response or their own.
LI: To infer meaning from a text through visual images
In your group look at the picture of either the dirty or clean pond from the text. In a Round Robin, observe and discuss what you see and what is happening in the picture.
Use your senses to record your thoughts and feelings, what does it Look like? sound like? feel like? smell/taste like? Write and/or draw your thoughts in the Sensory safari X-chart.With your group members create a sound-scape of what your pond environment (clean/ polluted) might sound like. You can use musical instruments, your voice or classroom objects to create sound effects.
Look at the images from Lester and Clyde. Using speech bubbles record what you think the characters are thinking/saying in the bubbles.
Visual Literacy/inferring from text: Lester and Clyde
Purpose
To identify and compare the pond environment before and after humans have interacted with it and for students to understand the negative effects our actions can have on the natural environment.
The purpose of this activity is for students to infer how the characters are feeling and their reactions to the rubbish from visual images.
Resources
Text: Lester and Clyde, by James H. Reece
Ashton Scholastic, 1991
Images of clean and dirty pond
Teaching tips
Students examine and compare the illustrations on pages 4 (clean pond) and 32 (dirty pond) from Lester and Clyde (James H Reece, 1976). Students work in mixed ability groups to complete a sensory safari on either a clean pond or a dirty pond picture from the text.
Show students page 34 and 35 of Lester and Clyde to model the inferring strategy of characters feelings and thoughts. Model what do I see? what do I infer? focusing on character reactions in images.
Divide students into mixed ability pairs and provide students with images from Lester and Clyde (remove the text). Give 2 groups the same image so that they can compare inferences at the end. Provide students with speech bubbles and ask them to record what they think the characters are thinking/saying in the bubbles (p.9, 14 – calm relaxed etc. 26, 27, 28, 34, 37 - concerned, upset etc)
LI: To identify the cause and a possible solution to the problem
Look at the pictures on pages 34 and 35 of Lester and Clyde.
Who is responsible for the mess? Why?
Who is responsible for keeping it clean? Why?
How could it be kept clean?
Taking responsibility for our environment
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to identify who is responsible for caring for the environment and what can be done to achieve this.
Teaching tips
Students form two circles – one circle within the other - with students facing each other.
Pose a question to the students or make a statement and ask student what they think about it. Allow them some thinking time. One student shares his/her thinking and then the other student build on his/her ideas. Students in one of the circles then move one or more steps to the right or left. The teacher then poses the next question or statement, allowing time for thinking and sharing, before asking one of the circles to move again. Vary the activity by asking students to move and then share what they discussed in the previous rotation with their new partner.
LI: To identify the author's message in the story
Listen as your teacher re-reads page 44 to 47. Focus on the statement on page 46 and 47,
… until man comes along.
What does the author mean by this?
What is his message?
Who is this book for?
Do all our actions have harmful effects?
Create a cause and effect wheel about our effects on the environment.
Who gains and who loses?
Until man comes along
Purpose
To analyse the purpose and intended audience of Lester and Clyde.
To investigate who gains and who loses based on the choices we make.
Resources
Page 15. Write all about it!
Practical activities for the classroom.
Teaching tips
Consequences/Effects Wheels
In the centre circle, write an event, for example, ‘Widespread use of solar energy’ Think of and write a direct consequence of this event in an oval and connect it to the centre with a single line. This is a first order consequence. Think of some other first order consequences and draw/write them in. Think of and record second order consequences. These are things that resulted from the first order consequence. Join it to first order consequences by a double line. This tool can be used in analysing critically to examine environmental and societal impacts.
LI: To identify positive actions humans can have on a natural environment
Display the statement ..... until man comes along.
What if we write . . Until Bonython Primary students come along . . . .
Mix-pair-share How can we have a positive impact on Isabella Pond? What can we do?
LI: To demonstrate a positive impact through an action of giving to the natural environment
Let's demonstrate an act of giving by cleaning up around Isabella Pond for the health and well being of all living things in and around the pond.
Reflection: Write about your act of giving to Isabella Pond and how this will have a positive impact on the health of living things.
Now that you have completed the unit of work and have demonstrated acts of giving, complete the giving survey again.
Giving to the community
Purpose
To identify the positive impact humans can have on the natural environment, acting for a sustainable future.
To acknowledge the contributions made by the students' to improve their local natural environment; Isabella Pond.
Resources
Rubbish bags, disposable gloves and long tongs.
Teaching tips
Document the contributions made by the students to improve their environment. Use these to create a class display around the statement 'Until man comes along'.
Image from Act of giving to the community.
At the end of the until students complete the giving survey again. Results will be compared from the beginning to now to see if there has been a change in student well being.
Interviews will be conducted with selected focus students.
Design a campaign to persuade others to be a bucket filler by helping to improve their local pond environment.
In small groups decide on how you would like to present your campaign;
Making a difference
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to use their knowledge gained from the unit to influence others to give back to the community by giving to the environment.
Resources
Poster card, i-pad, props.
Teaching tips
Giving students options with how they demonstrate their learning gives them agency. It allows them choice and the ability to show case their learning in a learning style that reflects them as a learner (Multiple Intelligences).
Mix - pair - share, what do you know about frogs? Where do they live? What do they eat? How do frogs grow?
Write or draw an explanation of the lifecycle of a frog.
Explanation text type: Pre-data collection
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is,
- to find out what students know about frogs
- to gather a pre data sample of a life cycle explanation text of a frog. The students will re-do one at the end of the explicit teaching of a life cycle explanation text
LI: To identify and name the text of a life cycle
Look at the samples of text shown to you by your teacher.
Think, pair, share - what type of text is this? What did you learn or find interesting? What do you notice about the text?
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to introduce students' to a life cycle explanation text.
Resources
The following websites have samples of explanation texts.
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/
Jenny Eather website:
www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Frog-Lifecycle-listen-and-Read-Explanation-Book-6076609/
Teaching tips
View a range of sample texts so students have the opportunity to compare and identify similarities and purpose of each.
LI: To identify, name and label the structural features of an explanation text
Look carefully at the samples of text of the life cycle of a frog.
As a class we will explore, identify and label the structural features of this text and discover the purpose of each structural feature. Share your ideas with the class.
With a partner reconstruct the explanation text of a frog's lifecycle, pasting the information into its structural feature box. You can use the class labelled model to assist you.
LI: To identify the language features of an explanation text
As a class we will identify and locate the language features used in this text type. Highlight the language features as they are located. Complete the language feature retrieval chart with your class.
Features of an explanation text
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to identify and name the structural and language features of an explanation text.
Resources
Retrieval chart to record the structural and language features of the text.
Structural features of an explanation text: Focus Frog life cycle. Display a sample of this text next to the retrieval chart.
Feature | Purpose |
Title | To inform readers what the explanation is about |
Identifying statement | Main details of the subject/topic |
Explanation sequence | Describes how or why something happens |
Summary statement | Concludes the explanation |
Language features
Mode | Example | Effect |
Connectives (linking words) | first, soon, next, after, finally | Words to indicate time and sequence |
Action verbs | ||
Present tense | ||
Signal words | and, then | To show cause and effect |
Voice - third person | the frog, the tadpoles, they, |
Template for students to reconstruct the explanation text:
The format of this will be differentiated to cater for students learning abilities. Pictures may accompany text.
Feature | Example |
Title | |
Identifying statement | |
Explanation sequence | |
Summary statement |
Teaching tips
The locating and naming/labelling of structural features will be done as a whole class using a whole class model.
Give Year 1/ 2 or buddy up kindy with year 1 students a copy of the text to highlight the structural features. Use different coloured highlighters for each section/part.
LI: To identify similarities and differences of explanation texts
With a partner or in a small group compare and contrast the urban water cycle and the life cycle of a frog.
What do you notice about these two texts? How are they similar? How do the they differ?
Record your thoughts in a Venn diagram to show similarities/differences.
These two texts are examples of explanation texts.
LI: To define an explanation text
Think, pair, share - what is an explanation text? Contribute to a class definition.
Defining an explanation text
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to define what an explanation text is.
Resources
Two sample texts; urban water cycle and the lifecycle of a frog.
Venn diagram template.
Teaching tips
The comparing and contrasting of explanation samples can be done as a whole class, in small groups or with a partner depending on students' abilities.
Create a class display showing similarities/differences between the two text types.
An explanation is used to tell how or why something happens.
Display class composed definition.
LI: To identify the importance of correct sequence in an explanation text
As a class experiment with re-arranging the order of the structural features of the life cycle of a frog explanation text.
Does it matter what order the structural features go in? why?
What does this tell us about explanation texts?
Importance of sequence/order of features
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to understand the importance of the order of the features of an explanation text. This will give them the success criteria to write their own explanation text in applying appropriately.
Resources
Print off and laminate individual structural feature cards of the life cycle of a frog; title, identifying statement, explanation sequence (each step on a different card) and summary statement.
Teaching tips
Re-arrange the order of the structural features 2 or 3 times, jumbling up the identifying and summary statement as well as the order of the explanantion sequence. Invite students to share their thoughts on the rearrangement. Posing questions - Can we order it like this? Why or why not?
LI: To name the text type of an information text and locate topic specific words
Listen as your teacher reads the big book about the life cycle of a frog.
What type of text is this? Why? What did you notice about the way the text/ information has been put together or ordered?
Look at the words that have been bolded? Why has the author done this?
As a class we will locate all the words that are in bold print and discuss the meaning of these words.
What could help us to find the meaning of these words? Is there part of the book that may help us?
Focus Big Book Text - Life cycle of a frog
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate to students that information books can be written in the form of an explanation text.
Resources
Big Book - Life Cycle of a Frog
Teaching tips
Only read to pages 1 to 17 of text.
This is an authentic opportunity to
- focus on the conventions of print - bolded print for topic specific words (students have a prior understanding of bold print informing the reader to say the words/text louder)
- and the use of a glossary; a feature of information texts to define the meaning of the terms (where it is found and its purpose)
LI: To identify the structural features of an explanation text in an information text
As a class locate and label the structural features of the big book explanation text.
LI: To co-write an explanation text of the life cycle of a frog.
Examine the text and each feature. We will write the title, identifying statement and summary statement as a class.
Watch as your teacher models the writing of the first explanation sequence using the visual image. With a partner write a sequence explanation for your visual image.
As a class put the explanation text together and use time words/connectives to link the explanation sequence stages.
Modelled writing of an explanation text
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to
- transfer their understanding of explanation structural features to identify and label parts of an explanation/information big book text
- share in the writing/composing of a class explanation text on the life cycle of a frog
Resources
Tags to label the structural features in the Big Book; Title, identifying statement, explanation sequence and summary statement.
Pictures for each step of the explanation sequence for students to use to write their stage explanation with a partner.
Teaching tips
Mixed ability pairs so more able students act as peer tutors with the writing of their explanation sequence.
Display the class composed explanation text with labels for structural features and language features such as connectives to link stage sequence.
Think, pair, share, square,
Record your group's responses for each question on a separate post-it note and place it on the class retrieval chart under the question headings.
The purpose of an explanation text
Purpose
In this activity students identify the purpose of explanation texts, the audience and where they can be found in real life settings.
Teaching tips
Each group of 4 records their answers to each question on a separate post-it note. As each group reports back to the class they will place their post-it note under the question headings in the retrieval chart.
LI:To write an explanation text that includes the structural and language features
Write your own explanation text of a frog's life cycle.
Use the structural and language feature charts to help you with the structural order and key words to link ideas.
Individual writing of an explanation text
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to transfer their understanding and knowledge of explanation texts to write their own.
Resources
Pictures of the frog life cycle, explanation template and the langauge and structural feature charts on display as the success criteria for students.
Teaching tips
Refer students to the structural and language feature charts as the success criteria.
'Role Play writers' - sequence pictures, verbally articulate the life cycle/ write key words or a simple sentence.
Experimental writers - write title, a simple identifying statement sentence, sequence or draw pictures of the life cycle and write 1 or 2 sentences for each stage and a simple summary statement sentence.
Early writers - write title, 1 or 2 compound sentences for the identifying statement, sequence or draw pictures of the life-cycle and write 2 or 3 sentences for each stage and 1 or 2 compound sentences for the summary statement.
Students' post data writing samples will be compared with their initial pre-data sample and analysed. This analysis will be presented as part of action research data/evidence on the impact of explicit teaching of explanation texts on students' literacy outcomes.
LI: To demonstrate understanding of learning to others an a creative way
We are going to have the opportunity to perform our explanation of the life cycle of a frog at our unit assembly.
You will need to think about props, costumes and speaking roles for each part.
Performing the life cycle of a frog
Purpose
For students to share their understanding of explanation texts by performing the life cycle of a frog to an audience.
Resources
Posters, props, costumes and life cycle/ explanation script.
Teaching tips
Choose speakers for the following parts
- Title
- Identifying statement
- Explanation sequence
- Summary statement