Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes	Part B: Scientists Work In Teams
30 minutes	Part C: Getting Ready
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by introducing the term 'entomologist' to students.

Differentiation -

Where students have completed previous lessons in this unit:
- Invite students to work in pairs to record everything they know about what an entomologist does. They can record these ideas as a mind-map or in note form.
- Once complete, each pair can team up with another pair to share and compare their ideas.
Where students have not completed previous lessons in this unit:
- Invite students to work in pairs to undertake research online or in books to find out what they can about the role of entomologists. They can record these ideas as a mind-map or in note form.
- Once complete, each pair can team up with another pair to share and compare their ideas.

Step 2.

Finally, invite students to share their ideas with the class. You can use the following information to clarify student understanding:

Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. An entomologist is a scientist within this field who studies insects. As part of their work, entomologists need to make choices about how to record their finds: they can ‘catch-and-release’ their insects or ‘catalogue’ them.

Part B: Scientists Work In Teams

Step 1.

Explain to students that it is important to understand that entomologists do not work alone. Instead, there is actually a whole team working to understand microhabitats.

Take a moment to brainstorm with students who else might help them to discover in the field. The aim of this activity is to help students recognise that there are often many people, not all of who are entomologists, helping to find new wildlife and that a team effort is required. If there is nothing, you could act out the following situation (describing everything that could go wrong) to stimulate ideas:

“I’ve got such a great job as an entomologist. I get to hike around in the bush to see what I can find. You will never believe what happened to me one day. I was out in the field for a day trip, looking great in my camouflage gear, and sitting and checking on one of my pitfall traps. Inside the trap, there was an awesome insect - one I had never seen before in real life! As I was scrambling to observe it, taking photos and measurements, it jumped away from me. I started to chase after it so I could put it back in the box when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a quick, sharp movement. I took a second look and there was a snake right beside me! I quickly left all my notes, observations and photos and equipment and moved back to a safe spot until the snake moved on.”

Step 2.

There are several different roles involved in finding new species. Explain the different roles below, and divide the class into groups of four. Direct groups to Table 1 of the Student Worksheet and invite them to work in their groups to write/ draw role descriptions in this table.

Depending on time, you could assign groups with one role to develop, or groups could develop all the roles.

It’s important to stress the need to work together. You could prompt students by encouraging groups to act out the scenario above; this could help them identify the tasks that each role could take on.

The table below lists the suggested tasks for each role:

Reporter

Recorder

Observer

Catcher

The reporter takes notes of everything.

Watches the catcher operate the insect collection method and takes notes.

Watches the recorder and takes down any interesting notes.

Presents the information back.

The recorder does all the writing and drawing of the caught animal.

What does it look like (size, colour, shape, legs)?

Where was it living/ what is its habitat?

The observer is the ‘second eyes’ of the catcher. Keeping an eye on the:
- Whole habitat
- Safety of the team
- The caught animal
- Time

Helps the recorder with any extra information (of how it fits in with the habitat).

Operates the insect collection method. Uses it safely and correctly.

Need to think about the safety of the:
- Caught animal
- The rest of the team.

Making sure that the habitat is not jeopardised in any way.

Step 3.

Still working in their respective roles, ask groups to brainstorm the equipment they need to complete their task. Students can record their ideas on Table 2 of the Student Worksheet.

Once complete, bring the class together to check off the equipment with the list below.

Reporter

Recorder

Observer

Catcher

Pen
Paper
Pencil
Clipboard

Pen
Paper
Drawing pencils
Ruler
String
Clipboard

Magnifying glass
Magnifying box
Pen
Paper
Clipboard
Watch

Insect collection method

Shovel (leave no trace)

Part C: Getting Ready

Step 1. Differentiation:

If students have completed previous lessons in this unit:

Refer students back to their questions on the topic from the first lesson, the collection method design challenge and birds-eye map from the second lesson. Invite students to remember the questions they developed about the habitats in the schoolyard and to think about how they could plan their own bush blitz in a way that could help to answer some of these questions, for example could you conduct it at different times of the day, or could you repeat your bush blitz in different seasons?

If students have not completed previous lessons in this unit:

Have some large (A1 or A2) pre-printed birds eye maps of your school grounds (with key habitats) for groups of four. Ask the students to close their eyes and imagine the school grounds as you tell them a story. Walk them through the school grounds, visiting each habitat through a visualisation, for example: “You walk into the school grounds, at the start of your day, in your bare feet. The concrete underneath you is cool. You move onto the grass and move over the field. You see your friends playing by the tall gum trees. As you move closer, it becomes prickly under your feet from the dry leaves. With your friends, you move back over the grass, over the concrete to the playground and the bark beneath you feels crunchy and uneven”.
Once complete, invite students to name the microhabitats in the story. Ask students what key features were in each habitat visited (e.g., leaf litter, flowers, bark, soil).
Now showcase the various species collection methods that can be used to study organisms in microhabitats. Distribute or display this sheet and invite students to read through it.
Depending on what collection method/device you have available, you can share which of these students will be using in their own research. Spend some time ensuring students know how it works and what safety issues there are relating to this method/device (e.g. potential harm to collected species).

Step 2.

Watch this clip (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/do-it-yourself-bioblitz/) from National Geographic (from 01:47 to end) to understand the purpose of a bio blitz.

Once complete, invite students to reflect on what they observed in this clip and what they understand a bio blitz to be.

Note: Explain to students that the terms 'bush blitz' and a 'bio blitz' mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably. In this lesson, we will be using the term 'bush blitz'.

Step 3.

Invite students to look at their birds-eye maps of the school grounds and explain that they will be carrying out a bush blitz of each habitat to search for the creatures living there before moving onto the next identified habitat to discover what lives there.

Step 4.

Discuss species collection methods and the equipment needed with students. If students have completed the previous lesson, ask students to revise the way they will use the equipment and make sure they have the right equipment.

Step 5.

Go over the roles in the group. Discuss how the students are going to stay safe and respect the habitat and the animals found therein. Inform students that our focus is on observing animals only, meaning students will only use ‘catch-and-release’ techniques. Demonstrate how to pick up an animal using the collection methods safely without hurting or killing the insects.

Whenever an animal is found, place the magnifying box over it and gently use your fingers or leaves to coax it in before securing the lid. Use the magnifying box to study the animal and take notes.

You should also review any risks and hazards you may encounter (use the Assessing Outdoor Hazards And Risks to guide you), and remind students of your outdoor learning guidelines, such as:

Always stay in sight or earshot of your teacher so they don't have to yell.
Listen to the warnings about muddy paths or low-hanging branches.
Stay together.
Have a clear time-frame for completing your task (the teacher can give students alerts such as "15 minutes left").
Before starting, take a moment to allow your body to transition to an outdoor setting. Consider spending one or two minutes just sitting and listening to nature or observing the nature around you.

Step 6.

Distribute worksheets for the recorders and reporters of each group. An opportunity for taking photos with mobile devices is acceptable if you wish to bring in this angle.

Step 7.

Establish the requirements of students in that they spend, ideally, 15 minutes in each habitat and ‘leave no trace’. For example, if a group pulls over a log, it will be returned to where it was. Remind students that these are the homes of animals and we want only to make drawings (or take photographs) and nothing else. Stress the importance of getting hands dirty, getting low, being slow, and using quiet voices. Do not underestimate this - often students will get so excited about their discoveries and quickly lose this ability!

Part D: Habitat Exploration

Step 1.

Head out to habitat one to start the blitz.

Step 2.

Students should spend around 15 minutes in each area. Encourage students to discover every possible microhabitat there. For example, a gum tree might have leaf litter underneath, but the bark may also be a haven for different animals, as well as the leaves. Remind students that at this stage, we are only observing animals (including recording the number of each animal observed), taking note of what they look like, and making sure students release them afterwards. After each 15 minute block, reflect with students on what they found easy/hard. Use these reflections to help them conduct a bush blitz of the next area more thoroughly.

Part E: Reporting Back And Identifying Species

Step 1.

Return to the classroom.

Step 2.

Ask each group to report back on what they found in their bush blitz. For example:

What creatures did each group find?
Where did they find them?
Which types of animals were the most common (i.e. what did you see the most of)?

You may wish to have students compare the different microhabitats they discovered and the creatures they found there. Did different groups find the same animals? Were the same animals found in different microhabitats?

Differentiation -

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to record their reflections about this lesson using the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What did you enjoy or not enjoy today?
What did you find most surprising or interesting in this activity today?
Over 90% of animals on earth are invertebrates. There are so many that we haven't even discovered them all. Would you like to be an entomologist on the forefront of discovery? Why or why not? What would you need to overcome to achieve this?

Differentiated Learning

Extension -

Invite students to do this for their home environments. Students could then compare and discuss the differences between school and home.
Students could repeat this activity each day in a week, looking in the same locations, to see what they find. Alternatively, repeat the process at different times of the day or year (e.g. morning and afternoon, or in different seasons).
Write a report to showcase what you find in each school habitat. It should include the species name (using the iNaturalist app to help), colour, shape and size, as well as any unusual features/facts.
Log onto Australian Citizen Science Association (biocollect.ala.org.au) to see if the results can add real-life data to any of the organisations close to your school or area.

Provisions for Learning Support –

As a class, students can start to build a terminology wall for key terms using images and words to represent them.
Use iPads to show the detail of the animals found.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Backyard Bush Blitz - Microhabitats in the Schoolyard

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