Lesson summary
This lesson is designed to be completed independently by students.Â
Students will begin with reflective writing using two quotes as a stimulus. They will then read through an article and answer comprehension questions to determine their understanding. Following this, students will reflect on information in the article to develop their own set of questions and will work through activities to ensure that their questions are written as conceptual, open-ended questions. Next, they will choose one open-ended question to research and they will then write a letter to a person of their choice to explain their question and their research findings.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- recognise a range of ways Australian animals respond to bushfires
- understand the value of asking questions, particularly in science
- recognise a range of different types of questions
- understand how to develop questions.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- analyse a range of texts
- develop questions appropriate to scientific inquiry
- conduct research independently
- write a letter explaining the findings of your research.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
Year 7 Science:
- Identify questions and problems that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (ACSIS124)
Year 8 Science:
- Identify questions and problems that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (ACSIS139)
Year 9 Science:
- Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (ACSSU176)
- Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically (ACSIS164)
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)
- Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically (ACSIS198)
Year 7 English:
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources (ACELY1723)
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas (ACELY1725)
Year 8 English:
- Interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts, and use evidence to support or challenge different perspectives (ACELY1730)
- Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures and language features to understand the content of texts (ACELY1733)
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of content and the credibility of sources, including finding evidence in the text for the author’s point of view (ACELY1734)
- Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)
General capabilities: Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking.
Resources required
- Device with internet connection for research
- A pen
- A workbook or paper to write on
- Article: Animal response to a bushfire is astounding
Tips for parents and carers
For many people in Australia – including and especially young people – the bushfires were and continue to be a source of considerable anxiety and stress. This is particularly true for those who were immediately impacted by the fires.
If you need further support for students please refer to:Â https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/bushfires-and-mental-health/
Additional info
Learning@Home resources are designed for parents and teachers to use with children in the home environment. They can be used as stand-alone activities or built into existing curriculum-aligned learning programs. Our Learning@Home series includes two types of resources. The first are fun and challenging real-world activities for all ages, the second are self-directed lessons for upper primary and secondary students. These lessons support independent learning in remote or school settings.
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