Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

35 minutes	Part B: Invertebrates In The Schoolyard
5 minutes	Reflection

Part A: What Are Invertebrates?

Step 1.

If you want to teach this lesson outdoors, lead students to your outdoor learning space. Take a moment to review these Outdoor Learning Tips, including identifying any potential hazards and how to avoid the impacts of hazards.

Step 2.

Begin this lesson by inviting students to suggest what they already know about invertebrates (if students have completed this lesson they will be able to draw on some of their prior learning).

Explain that there are two main types of animals; invertebrates and vertebrates.

Vertebrates: Humans have a backbone and a skeleton on the inside - you can feel your bones through your skin. A skeleton is useful because it means we can grow big and strong.

Invertebrates: Invertebrates are animals that don’t have a backbone or a bony skeleton. Some invertebrates are soft and squishy, such as jellyfish or octopus. Some have a shell to give their soft bodies some protection. Others have a skeleton on the outsides of their bodies; this is called an exoskeleton. This helps to protect their soft, squishy insides, a bit like armour. But unlike armour, they can’t just get the next size up when they grow; instead, they have to shed the old exoskeleton and grow a new one.

Share the following images with students (also available here):

Step 3.

Share the Vertebrate Or Invertebrate? Images with students. Work as a class to classify each animal as either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. Ask students to provide justifications for their suggestions (e.g. I see… I know…).

Answers are available on the final page of the document.

Step 4.

Explain to students that many invertebrates are the creepy crawlies we find in the garden, such as insects, spiders, and slugs and snails. These are great invertebrates to focus on because you can find them everywhere!

Part B: Invertebrates In The Schoolyard

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now be going on an invertebrate hunt in their schoolyard. Explain to students that they will not be touching them but for any invertebrate that is not dangerous, they can get down close and examine it.

Each student will need some paper and a pencil. Explain to students that they will be drawing what they see.

Differentiation for Year 2 - Before you go, use the Scientific Drawing Guidelines to show students what a good one looks like. Although the drawing doesn’t need to be as detailed as the example in the guidelines document, explain that it would be useful to record things like the number of legs, the shape of the head and body, whether you can see any wings, the colours, and anything else they find interesting or important. Explain that it doesn’t matter what their drawings look like; what is important is how much information about the invertebrate they include in the drawing. The guidelines are something to aim for.

Step 2.

Head outside! Once you start looking you will notice invertebrates everywhere. When you find one, gather students around and before you start drawing, invite students to watch the invertebrate you have found closely and to think about the following:

What do you think this invertebrate is? (E.g. ant, beetle, snail - this invertebrate key could help).
What do you think it is doing?
If it is travelling, where do you think it is going?
Imagine this invertebrate could speak, what would it say?
How does it move? Can you copy its movements?

Step 3.

After you have spent some time studying the invertebrate it’s time to draw it. Settle students on the ground close to where they observed the invertebrate. Encourage them to think about the features of the invertebrate they observed (i.e. does it have a shell? How many legs does it have? What colour is it?) and to record these features in their drawings.

Depending on age and ability they could also add:

A label/name of invertebrate
Their own name
Date
Where in the schoolyard it was found (i.e. outside the library)
Measurements

Explain to students that this is exactly what scientists do when they observe and record information about an animal!

Step 4.

Invite students to share their drawings with a classmate, comparing and contrasting their observations and drawings. Students may be compelled to make adjustments to their own drawings following this sharing; you could allow students time to do this.

Extension

You could repeat the observation and drawing stages of this lesson as many times as you like, trying your observations at different times of the day, during different seasons and in different locations to see if you find different invertebrates, thinking and talking about the reasons for these differences (i.e. different food and shelter sources and needs).

Each student could make their own invertebrates series/book by compiling their drawings.

Reflection

Share the following clip with students, explaining that it features the voice of Jess Marsh who is a scientist who studies spiders in Australia:

Jess Marsh, Kangaroo Island Invertebrate Scientist - The importance of invertebrates (https://vimeo.com/537480061)

Invite students to share one thing they learned about invertebrates from this clip. Older students could record their answers on the Student Worksheet.

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?

Finding Invertebrates

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