Sharing Information about the Environment

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

• critical thinking
• communication
• digital literacy
• global citizenship
• reflection

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description:

Year 3, Science

Students learn to:

• compare characteristics of living and non-living things and examine the differences between the life cycles of plants and animals (AC9S3U01).

Year 3, English

Students learn to:

• identify the audience and purpose of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts through their use of language features and/or images (AC9E3LY03)
• recognise how texts can be created for similar purposes but different audiences (AC9E3LY01).

Year 4, Science

Students learn to:

• explain the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers within a habitat and how food chains represent feeding relationships (AC9S4U01).

Year 4, English

Students learn to:

• identify the characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text (AC9E4LY03).

Relevant parts of Year 3 Science achievement standards: Students classify and compare living and non-living things and different life cycles.

Relevant parts of Year 3 English achievement standards: Students read, view and comprehend texts, recognising their purpose and audience. 

Relevant parts of Year 4 Science achievement standards: Students identify the roles of organisms in a habitat and construct food chains.

Relevant parts of Year 4 English achievement standards: Students describe the characteristic features of different text structures.

NSW Syllabus outcomes: Stage 2 

A student:

• reads and comprehends texts for wide purposes using knowledge of text structures and language, and by monitoring comprehension (EN2-RECOM-01)
• compares features and characteristics of living and non-living things (ST2-4LW-S).

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Digital Literacy, Literacy

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability 

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low - guide discussions and support understandings

UN SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

• digital devices for research
• poster paper
• sticky notes
• Student Worksheet

This lesson was created in collaboration with The Biodiversity Council.

Special thanks to our content partner, The Conversation and to The Garry White Foundation, The Hugh D. T. Williamson Foundation, Wedgetail and The James Kirby Foundation for their generous financial support.

What Makes a Species ‘Threatened’? Teaching Biodiversity and Species Protection

Quick summary: Learn about biodiversity and threatened species with Ecologist Thomas Nixon. You will learn what biodiversity is and how it is regulated in Australia, and you will look at some specific case studies that show what is being done across the country to protect our unique biodiversity.