Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes – Part A: A true scientific drawing
20 minutes – Part B: A true scientific issue
15 minutes – Part C: A truly effective image
60 minutes – Part D: Project - Developing a real-life image
15 minutes – Reflection

Part A: A True Scientific Drawing

Step 1.

Ask the class to think about and discuss the Thought Starter: “What is a true scientific image of an animal?”. Encourage your class to list three ideas in response to the Thought Starter on the Student Worksheet.

Step 2.

Now project this image. Chances are, this is what your class pictured in Step 1.

While looking at this image, invite students to consider the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Where have you seen images like these before?
Do you trust that they are scientifically accurate?
Do you enjoy looking at these sorts of images? Do you find them helpful, or kind of boring?
Do they give you a real image of an animal?

Step 3.

Now direct your class to the video below.

The art of science and the science of art - Ikumi Kayama (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX8sqJYj06I)

Next, invite students to answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What does a scientific drawing do?
How can a drawing convey more than a photo?
A picture speaks 1000 words - why?

Step 4.

You will now lead your class through a short activity where they make their own scientific illustrations. Although examples are included below, you may choose a topic that your class has been studying recently. Topics for sketching include:

Cells (looking at cells under a microscope).
Insects or preserved animals (using a hand lens, ruler and stereo microscope if necessary).
Leaves (using a hand lens and ruler).

Distribute copies of the Scientific Drawing Instructions to pairs or small groups of students to help guide the drawing process.

Part B: A True Scientific Issue

Step 1.

Have students compare the two images below (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Ask your class to consider the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What are these animals? (Suggested response: Left - Diadem leaf-nosed bat, Right - Koala).
Which image do you like better?
Which image would you want on your wall at home?
Which of these animals would you donate money to?

Students can share their answers in a class discussion or work in pairs to answer these questions using the Student Worksheet.

Step 2.

Direct your class to the clip on this page about the endangerment of ‘ugly’ Australian mammals.

Ask your class whether they agree or disagree with the video, that ‘ugly’ Australian mammals deserve the same amount of funding and protection as the ‘cute’ animals.

Step 3.

Now ask your class to analyse some information regarding endangered Australian animals. Project this page, which shows the many different species that World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia is protecting. Explain to students that while this organisation is supporting Australian animals (and animals from overseas too), there is not an ‘ugly’ animal among them.

Step 4.

Now distribute the Extinction of Australian Mammals Article to pairs of students and invite them to read it.

Step 5.

Encourage your class to reflect on the ideas communicated in the article, video and images. Ask questions similar to:

Koalas are iconic and adorable, but are they more important than other Australian mammals?
Why don't notice the plain or ugly Australian mammals as they become critically endangered or extinct?
Is there a real issue here?
Can you describe it?

Step 6.

Invite students to reflect on this article, the video and the images in this section of the lesson, and answer the following questions in the Student Worksheet:

'Do you think there is a real issue here? Justify your answer'.

Part C: A Truly Effective Image

Step 1.

Now that your class has identified an issue, they need to think of ways to solve this problem. Ask your class to share or discuss ideas, but try to lead them towards the following idea:

An effective way to communicate an issue is through a picture, but what picture and how should we share it?

Step 2.

Ask your class to have a look at these Powerful Images - Examples, (also available on the Student Worksheet) and invite students to think about how each is powerful when it comes to sending a message. Students can record their responses on the Student Worksheet.

Step 3.

Now ask students to explore ideas related to ‘cute’ animals, using koalas as an example. Ask your class to think about why we care about cute animals. What makes them cute?

Direct your class to Kawaii Art Examples whereby the real image of an ‘ugly’ bat has been transformed using kawaii art (images also available on the Student Worksheet). Invite students to think about and decide which image would be more effective to conserve an animal. You could invite students to raise their hands to vote for their choice, and encourage students to justify their choice (e.g. Why would this image be more effective in conservation efforts?).

Step 4.

Now allow your class a little bit of time to have a go making their own ‘cute’ images from unlikely animals. To keep this activity very simple, ask your class to focus on the following two ‘rules’:

Use simple shapes drawn wider than usual and rounded at the edges.
Draw eyes as black circles with white dots in them. Place these far apart on the animal's face. You could also add pink dots for cheeks, just outside of the eyes.

Give your class the following animals to try and redraw (images of these animals available on the Student Worksheet). Alternatively, you can let them choose their own animals or choose one related to a previous topic in class.

Warthog.
Elephant seal.
Aye-aye.

Step 5.

Once complete, engage students in a class discussion around the differences between their kawaii art example and a true scientific image of an animal, i.e. What does a true scientific image need to do? Prompt students with the following ideas:

A true image needs to communicate important information about the animal. Important information may include:
- Anatomy of the animal.
- How or where the animal lives.
- Issues or threats facing the animal due to human impact.
Do you think it is possible for a single image to communicate all of this?

Part D: Project - Developing a True Image of an Animal

Note: In this section of the lesson, students will be tasked with researching a ‘plain’ or ‘ugly’ endangered/critically endangered Australian mammal and communicating its true image through an effective artwork. This activity can be completed in groups or independently. See the worked example at the end of this section as a reference for the following steps.

Students can work independently or in pairs to conduct their research; however, you should encourage students to work independently when creating their artwork.

Step 1.

Direct your class to this website in order to choose an endangered or critically endangered animal. Alternatively, you may choose to pre-select one or a few of these mammals for your class to investigate.

Step 2.

Allow your class to conduct independent research for their chosen mammal. You should encourage your class to read widely and actively learn about their chosen mammal in order to obtain a good understanding of the ‘true image’ of the animal. Students should decide for themselves what information they need to collect (and what information to include in their artwork), but make the following suggestions if they need help or guidance:

Current and past conservation status.
Implementation of Conservation/Protection Policies or procedures (including government funding).
The existence of charities or foundations.
Habitat.
Threats.
Percentage loss of populations (e.g. population numbers have dropped by 50%).
Unique characteristics or abilities.

The article regarding the Bramble Cay melomys from Part 2 of this lesson may be a useful reference for students to show how much information is necessary.

Step 3.

Once your class has developed a good understanding of their mammal, ask them to define in words its 'true image’. Students may be able to do this in a sentence or two, or as a few short dot points. Encourage groups to share ideas and discuss their thoughts before narrowing down what is most important.

Once they have determined the ‘true image’, ask them to think about how they could portray this in one or a series of images. You could prompt students with the following ideas:

Incorporating the threat into their artwork, similar to the polar bear images in Part C of the Student Worksheet. Examples:
- The animal has lost its home due to habitat destruction.
- The animal has lost its food source due to climate change.
- Animal numbers are subject to increased levels of predation due to introduced species (e.g. feral cats).
Specific scientific drawings indicating unique features or functions:
- E.g. facial morphology of leaf-nosed bats linked to enhanced echolocation abilities.

Step 4.

Students can choose the type of artwork they want to create, selecting from the following mediums:

Abstract collage.
Series of paintings.
Infographic.

Remind students to consider which materials, techniques and art-making processes would be best suited to the animal and information they are trying to present.

Step 5.

On completion of this task, you could work with students to create a gallery walk of student work:

Remind students to be kind, helpful and specific when providing feedback. In addition, encourage students to reflect on how each artwork conveys both its scientific content and its artistic conventions.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to reflect on each of the following ideas and explain how this task may have changed their views on these ideas (reflection questions also available on the Student Worksheet):

A picture speaks 1000 words.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Differentiated Learning

The activities within this lesson can be run individually, in pairs or in groups, depending on the capability of your class and available materials. The sketching activity in Part A can be extended to include more detail or complexity, or completed as an instructional step-by-step whole-class task. The project in Part D can also be broadened or limited to suit the level of your class where you may allow students to choose a topic freely, or select one particular animal that all students will investigate.

Extension - You may choose to extend this task to look more closely at why we need biodiversity. You could direct your students to watch the video below and have a discussion about other reasons we need to maintain biodiversity. This may be an activity you choose to include during Part B or Part D of your lesson, or a task you could set for students to complete at home.

Ugly Cure (https://youtu.be/y8OUo3FkNBo)

Provisional Learning Support - Depending on support requirements, students who require learning support may be placed in pairs or groups and receive additional scaffolding. You may choose to target various elements of this lesson to match student strengths and/or interests as a way for students to connect with and engage in the task.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

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

STEAM - A 'True' Image of an Animal

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