Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: Koalas and the treetops

20 minutes

Find Out: Life cycles

20 minutes

Take Action: Survival of the forest game

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: Koalas and the treetops

Step 1

To start this lesson, prompt students to think about how we, as humans, need other living things for our survival (e.g. trees for oxygen, plants as food, etc.).

Let students know that today, they are going to be learning about the important relationship between koalas and gum trees and exploring their life cycles. Who can think of why gum trees might be important to koalas?

Before starting the lesson, assess student understanding of the following key terms (you may like to write them on the board or just discuss.

Life Cycle - The different stages an animal or plant goes through from being born to growing up and having babies of its own.
Habitat - The home where an animal or plant lives and gets everything it needs.
Biodiversity - The variety of animals, plants, and living things in one place.
Ecosystems - A group of plants, animals, and the environment that work together like a team.
Endangered – When an animal or plant is at risk of becoming extinct
Deforestation – The destruction of forests

Step 2

Let’s get to know a bit more about gum trees - explain to the students that they are going to watch a short video that will explain gum tree life cycles as well as highlight the important role that gum trees play in Australian ecosystems.

The Aussie gum tree: why it's worth protecting - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=75wKPrLhGu4)

After the video, ask students some prompting questions to assess understanding.

Some example questions may be:

Why are gum trees important?

Does a tree have a life cycle? If so, what is it?
How long do you think gum trees live? (about 100 years and some much longer… now that's a long time!).

Step 3

Ok, time to take a look at koalas now! To do this, let’s first play this short video.

Koalas 101 | Nat Geo Wild - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI3ADcDH0Uc)

Since this video, koalas are in even more trouble and are now listed as endangered along the east coast of Australia.

You may wish to discuss and review this video afterwards with students.

It could be important to encourage students to think about why it is important to protect koalas. Some of the points you might consider include:

indicator species - their presence can tell us the health of an ecosystem
biodiversity
tourism and economy
cultural significance

Find Out: Life cycles

Now that we have looked at gum trees (plants) and koalas (animals) and learnt a bit about them we are now ready to take a closer look at their different life cycles; which are VERY different in lengths.

For example:

The average lifespan of koalas is 10 - 12 years
The average lifespan of gum trees can be up to 250 years! They become better habitats for a diverse array of species as they get into their old age, particularly from 100 years plus, as they develop nesting hollows when they drop old limbs.

Students will complete the following worksheets. Options for completion could be:

each student to complete both sheets individually
students work in pairs to finish both life cycle worksheets together and discuss as they do so.

Take Action: “Survival of the Forest” game

Step 1

To introduce this game, we need to head to an open space (the classroom may be fine if there is enough space).

Now we are going to play a game! This game will help us learn about what happens to biodiversity when we lose our trees, especially our old ones.

Step 2

First, we need to learn the rules of the game and how to play. Assign roles to each student, designating some as trees and others as animals (koalas, possums, owls, lizards, cockatoos, bats and ants). Ensure a 1:4 ratio of trees to animals (e.g., for a class of 25 students, have 5 trees and 20 animals).

You may like to print this sheet to use as a visual prompt for students.

The students who are:

trees spread out in the space and stand with their arms outstretched like branches and their legs wide like tree trunks.
animals begin moving about in the animal motion they have been assigned at random around the space.

Safety consideration: Remind students to stay in the designated area, move carefully and be aware of their surroundings to avoid collisions

Step 2

ROUND 1: Tree forest

The teacher calls the word “habitat”, prompting all the animals to run quickly to find the limb of a tree to cling onto to call home (similar to musical chairs). Each tree can hold 4 animals (one on each arm and leg).
Initially, there will be enough trees for all animals to find a home. When the round finishes, the teacher yells, “migrate” and the animals start moving about again. You could play this round a few times to get the hang of the game.

ROUND 2: Habitat loss

Designate a student or the teacher as the habitat removalist.
Remind students of the different ways a tree might be removed as habitat (deforestation, fire, heat wave, drought, etc).
When the habitat removalist calls a specific word (e.g., "Timber"), one tree is randomly selected and removed from the game.
The teacher will then call “habitat” again.
Only this time, with one less tree, the four animals who don't manage to find a tree limb will become “extinct” (sitting or laying on the ground for the rest of the rounds).

ROUND 3+: Reduced habitat

Repeat the process with fewer trees, representing reduced biodiversity.
In each round, one tree is removed, and animals move in their assigned motions to rush and find a home.

FINAL ROUND: Surviving species

Continue reducing the number of trees until only one tree remains.
The last 4 animals left are the only surviving species. Take note of which animals they are.

Step 3

If starting the game again, switch the roles of trees and animals for subsequent games.
Allow students to experience the game from different perspectives, reinforcing the ecological lesson.
Repeat the game as time permits or until engagement remains high.

Extension: To explore the importance of old-growth trees and tree life cycles, play an additional round, however, this time, the trees are to be young saplings. They are kneeling down with only two limbs outstretched to be home for only 2 animals.

You could further explore the impact of various scenarios on forest ecosystems using this game. You could try:

a fire comes through and destroys half of the trees at once
a tree planting team comes through and adds new saplings
an introduced species comes along and takes up more habitat (and/or impacts native species populations)
nest boxes are added to the trees, so a 5th student can sit down in front of the tree.

Reflection

After the game, sit students down and discuss all the reflections and learnings that they came up with from the game.

Some points you may like to discuss:

How does deforestation impact biodiversity and the interconnectedness of living organisms in ecosystems?
How do koalas depend on gum trees at different stages of their lives?
Considering this lifecycle, why do you think protecting existing habitat (old trees) is important?
Protecting koalas (who are an iconic species) and their forest homes can be a great way to protect the whole ecosystem.
In what ways do gum trees provide essential support for the survival of koalas?
How can human activities impact the interconnected lifecycles of koalas and their gum tree homes?
What might the future of koalas look like if this continues?

Sustainable Sanctuaries: Gum Trees, Koalas, and Biodiversity Bliss

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

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