MangroveWatch - Planning a MangroveWatch Investigation

Australian curriculum content descriptions:

Year 9 Science:

• Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (ACSSU176)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS165)

Year 10 Science:

• The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living things and is supported by a range of scientific evidence (ACSSU185)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS199)

Year 11 and 12 Science – Biology

• Design investigations, including the procedure/s to be followed, the materials required, and the type and amount of primary and/or secondary data to be collected; conduct risk assessments; and consider research ethics, including animal ethics (ACSBL002)
• Biological classification systems reflect evolutionary relatedness between groups of organisms (ACSBL017)

Syllabus outcomes: SC5-14LW, SC5-5WS, SC5-6WS

General capabilities: Literacy, Personal and Social Capability

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9

Relevant parts of Year 9 Science achievement standards: Students analyse how biological systems function and respond to external changes with reference to interdependencies, energy transfers and flows of matter. They design methods that include the control and accurate measurement of variables and systematic collection of data and describe how they considered ethics and safety.

Relevant parts of Year 10 Science achievement standards: Students describe and analyse interactions and cycles within and between Earth’s spheres. They design and improve appropriate methods of investigation, including field work and laboratory experimentation. They explain how they have considered reliability, safety, fairness and ethical actions in their methods and identify where digital technologies can be used to enhance the quality of data. 

Year 11 and 12 Science students:

• use science inquiry skills to design, conduct, evaluate and communicate investigations into biodiversity and flows of matter and energy in a range of ecosystems.

Unit of work: MangroveWatch – Years 9 to 12

Time required: 120 minutes

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – a moderate level of scaffolding is provided to guide students through planning for fieldwork to include logistical arrangements, risk assessments, ethical considerations, location, and practising fieldwork skills for the collection of qualitative and quantitative data

• Student Worksheets – one copy per student
• Device/s capable of enabling students to work independently
• Devices capable of presenting to the class: YouTube videos, instructions for long plot assessment, how to determine the height of a tree, practise salt marsh rapid assessment and guides/photographs for the identification of mangrove and salt marsh species
• Equipment for practising skills including tape measures, inclinometers and height poles
• Practise Rapid Assessment
• Instructions For Defining Salt Marsh Values and Threats

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• Communication
• Community engagement
• Collaboration
• Empathy
• Ethical understanding
• Global citizenship

The lessons in this unit have been developed in partnership with Earthwatch and MangroveWatch. Earthwatch is a global not-for-profit organisation that uses citizen science to empower people to save the natural world, and works with all sectors to create a society that lives in balance with nature. MangroveWatch is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on the research, education and conservation of mangrove and tidal wetland environments globally.