Life Cycles of Australian Animals

Life Cycles of Australian Animals Activities and BLMs Text by Denise Pilinis    Teaching framework designed by Charlotte Forwood and Sharon McCormac...
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Life Cycles of Australian Animals

Activities and BLMs

Text by Denise Pilinis    Teaching framework designed by Charlotte Forwood and Sharon McCormack Edited by Cameron Macintosh    Designed by Jennifer Johnston

Titles in the series (set 2)

Koala

Little Penguin

Redback Spider

Red Kangaroo

Author Greg Pyers

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

1

Koala Introduction Koala looks at the life cycle of the koala and provides information about its habitat, diet and predators. The text also explains how koalas are adapted to survive in their environment and describes threats to their survival.

Australian Curriculum links This text links with the Australian Curriculum in Biological Science at Years 1 to 3.

Understandings • Koalas are unique Australian mammals, with physical features and behaviours that enable them to live and survive in their habitat. • Koalas are marsupials, and changes occur throughout the life of the koala as it reproduces and grows. • Although koalas are not an endangered species, they will disappear in some areas if their health and habitat are not protected.

Vocabulary adaptations, caecum, cloaca, digestive system, endangered, eucalypt, habitat, joey, mammal, marsupial, pap, pneumonia, predators, sanctuary, sternal, suckle, teat

Focusing Discussion questions Have students complete these questions orally to focus on the text. Literal: • Why are koalas classed as marsupial mammals? (Their young develop in a pouch.) • Why do the young of marsupials need to live in a pouch? (Their young are born at an early stage of development and need to continue growing in the mother’s pouch.) • How do a koala’s physical features and behaviours enable it to meet its needs and survive? (Its fur helps to keep it warm, it curls up in tree forks to take shelter from bad weather, its digestive system enables it to eat gum leaves, it has claws and thumbs to help it climb, it sleeps and rests for most of the day because gum leaves provide little energy, it is good at jumping from tree to tree, which keeps it away from predators on the ground.) • What are the main stages in the koala’s reproductive cycle? (Koalas mate in September; a joey is born 35 days after mating; the joey crawls into the mother’s pouch; at 22 weeks the joey begins to eat solid food called pap; at 27 weeks it leaves its mother’s pouch and spends most of its time out of the pouch; from 36 weeks the joey leaves the pouch and lives on its mother’s back; at 48 weeks the joey makes short journeys away from the mother and eats gum leaves but continues to suckle; the joey usually leaves its mother at about one year old when a new joey is born.) • What are the main threats to the koala population? (Loss of habitat due to eucalypt forests being cleared, traffic, disease, predators such as dogs)

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

2

Koala Inferential: • Why isn’t a koala a bear? • Why do koalas live in gum trees? • How does a joey change in its appearance as it grows? • Why do we need to protect the koala’s habitat? • What would you do if you saw an injured koala? Evaluative: • What do you think is the most fascinating fact about koalas? • Why do you think overseas tourists like to visit sanctuaries to see koalas?

Engaging Learning experience 1

Koalas are unique Australian mammals, with physical features and behaviours that enable them to live and survive in their habitat.

Resources

• Pages 4–25 of Koala • BLM 1 • A class chart with two headings: ‘What I think about koalas’ and ‘What I wonder about koalas’ • Pieces of paper in the shape of gum leaves to make a fact mobile, enough for four per student

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • • •

Comprehending Recording facts Locating and interpreting relevant information Expressing and developing ideas Summarising

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Making connections Analysing Reflecting Drawing on prior knowledge

Activity

1 Discuss students’ experiences with koalas. As a class, complete the class chart, recording students responses to the two headings – ‘What I think about koalas’ and ‘What I wonder about koalas’. 2 Ensure students understand the meaning of the term ‘adaptation’. Discuss the connection between the koala’s physical features and behaviours with its ability to live in its habitat. 3 Show students the lotus diagram on BLM 1. Discuss the meaning of each subheading. Ask students to share one or two facts they know that explain how each physical feature or behaviour enables the koala to live in its habitat. Model writing facts that link the physical feature or behaviour with its survival technique, e.g. Koalas have sharp claws to help them climb trees. Koalas have thick fur to keep them warm.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

3

Koala

Going further

1 Have students record facts to complete the lotus diagram on BLM 1. Remind students to gather information from the text and photographs. 2 Students share and compare their lotus diagrams with a partner. Have them cross-check their information to ensure they have all the information they need. 3 Ask students to consider how the koala’s survival might be affected if it were forced to live in a different habitat, e.g. Ask, What if a eucalyptus forest is cut down? What if a koala’s claws were damaged when crossing a road to find suitable trees to live in? 4 In pairs, students write facts from their lotus diagrams for four subheadings each on pieces of paper in the shape of gum leaves to create a fact mobile about koala adaptations.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to locate and record relevant information and to make links between the koala’s adaptations and its survival in its habitat.

Learning experience 2

Koalas are marsupials, and changes occur throughout the life of the koala as it reproduces and grows.

Resources

• Pages 4–25 of Koala • BLM 2

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Researching factual texts Reading and interpreting information Recording facts Creating texts

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Organising Interpreting and analysing information Applying knowledge Sequencing

Activity

1 Ask students to explain stages in the life cycles of other animals that they may know. Ask, What changes occur to the mother and/or baby during the process? Why is the reproduction and growth of an animal called a life cycle? 2 Ensure students understand the meaning of the term ‘marsupial’. Ask, What other animals are marsupials? 3 List the key dates for stages in the koala’s reproduction and growth as referred to in the text. (See BLM 2) Ask students to predict what happens at each date using their prior knowledge or recollections from the text. Record students’ ideas. Ask, How does a joey change as it grows?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

4

Koala Going further

1 Divide the class into pairs. Distribute BLM 2. Explain to students that they are to work in pairs to research the main stages in the reproduction and growth of the koala to create a cyclic timeline. Have them use other resources, such as books, information posters and websites as recommended by Library Place at Pearson Places. Explain to students that different resources may have different dates, as dates are somewhat ‘approximate’. Have students suggest why this may be the case and what strategies they can use to overcome this issue. 2 Have students cut and paste their completed information boxes into a circular shape to represent the cyclic nature of the reproductive and growth process. Have students add diagrams to accompany their writing.

Assessment

Display students’ cyclic timelines. Assess the accuracy of students’ information. Consider which timelines communicate the information clearly, and why. Discuss the research process and strategies that made researching easier, e.g. looking for key words or phrases, locating information in time sequence, using indexes.

Learning experience 3

Although koalas are not an endangered species, they will disappear in some areas if their health and habitat are not protected.

Resources

• Pages 26–29 of Koala • BLM 3

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Thinking skills focus

• Making connections • Applying knowledge • Thinking creatively

Activity

1 Ask students if they have seen road signs warning of koalas in the area. Ask, Why do you think these signs are beside the road? Read pages 26–29 of the text. Ask students to draw on their understanding of the text to offer reasons why koalas and their habitat need to be protected.

Comprehending Interpreting and analysing information Creating texts Expressing and describing ideas

2 Record students’ ideas. Ask, How can people help to look after koalas and their habitat to ensure they do not become endangered?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

5

Koala Going further

1 Tell students that in Australia, September is Save the Koala month. Have students suggest ways they can tell people that koalas and their habitat need to be cared for and protected. Tell students that they are to create posters to inform people about the koala’s shrinking habitats and other threats to its survival and to persuade them to care about koalas and their habitats. 2 Discuss slogans that could be used in their posters, e.g. Koalas do not live in our backyard, we live in theirs. Healthy koalas need healthy habitats. Koalas need their forests more than we need their trees. Our eucalypt forests are our koalas’ homes. Watch for koalas crossing the road. 3 Discuss the features of an effective poster, e.g. clear writing and lettering; colours that attract attention and stand out; a catchy, precise slogan; clear diagrams or illustrations. Have students use BLM 3 to plan their poster. Have them create a large version of their poster and then display the posters around the school.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to understand and be sympathetic to the plight of the koala. Assess their ability to produce a clear and effective poster using key elements as identified.

Reflecting Look back at students’ statements and questions on the ‘Things I think about koalas’ and ‘Things I wonder about koalas’ chart. (See Learning Experience 1) How effective was this text in confirming your thoughts and knowledge about koalas? How effective was this text in answering your ‘wonderings’ about koalas? What might you ‘think’ to yourself about koalas the next time you see one in a zoo, a sanctuary or the wild?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

6

Koala

BLM 1

Name ______________________________________________________________

Dark fur

Rump

Jumping from tree to tree

Digestive system

Claws

Koala adaptations

Thumbs and paws

Sleeping and resting

Pouch

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

77

Koala

BLM 2

Name ______________________________________________________________ Complete the sentence starter in each box about the life cycle of the koala.

The first one has been done for you. Now, cut out the squares and paste them onto another sheet to create a cyclic timeline about the life cycle of a koala. Draw pictures to add information to your life cycle.

When the joey is born, _________





September is the start of the breeding season. Koalas mate from the age of two or three. Thirty-five days after mating, a female koala gives birth to a joey.

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ At 22 weeks, __________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

At 27 weeks, __________________

At 36 weeks, __________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

At 48 weeks, __________________

When the joey is one year old,

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0



______________________________



______________________________



______________________________



______________________________



______________________________



For the first few months, ________

88

Koala

BLM 3

Name ______________________________________________________________ Design a poster that tells people about koalas and persuades them to care about koalas and their habitat. Tick each key poster feature as you include it in your poster. Memorable slogan



Clear, neatly written slogan

Eye-catching illustrations or diagrams Effective use of colour





Interesting layout





Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

99

Little Penguin Introduction Little Penguin looks at the life cycle of the little penguin and provides information about its habitat, diet and predators. The text also explains how little penguins are adapted to survive in their environment and describes threats to their survival.

Australian Curriculum links This text links with the Australian Curriculum in Biological Science in Years 1 to 3.

Understandings • The little penguin is a flightless bird, and the only penguin that breeds in Australia. • Little penguins have adaptations that enable them to live and survive in their habitat. • Changes occur throughout the life of the little penguin as it reproduces and grows.

Vocabulary bray, breeds, brood, courtship, egg tooth, incubate, krill, moult, predator, preen, propel, regurgitate, rookery, streamlined, trill

Focusing Discussion questions Have students complete these questions orally to focus on the text. Literal: • Describe a day in the life of a little penguin. (Little penguins set off from their nests on the beach, swim in the water, eat fish and return to the rookery at dusk.) • Describe a rookery. (A rookery is a group of nests in the dunes and rocks where penguins live in pairs in burrows with their chicks.) • How many mating partners does a little penguin have in its life? (One) • What does a father penguin do to look after the little penguin chick? (The father helps to build the burrow, helps to incubate the egg, brings back food for the chick.) • What does the mother little penguin do to look after the chick (The mother lays the eggs, helps to build the burrow, helps to incubate the egg, brings back food for the chick.) • Why do little penguins moult? (They lose their soft downy feathers and grow thick waterproof feathers so that they can survive in the sea.) • How does a little penguin eat its food? (The parent keeps the food it has eaten in a chamber in its throat and then regurgitates the food for the little penguin to eat.) • How old is the chick when it can live on its own? (Ten weeks old when its adult feathers are fully grown) • What threats are there to the health and survival of the little penguin? (Predators such as foxes, dogs, snakes, seals, sharks; oil from oil spills; plastic rubbish in the water; lack of food) Inferential: • Why are little penguins classed as birds? • Why does a little penguin need waterproof feathers? • Why do little penguins make noises and move around? • Why is looking after a little penguin chick a ‘team effort’?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

10

Little Penguin • What dangers might the parent penguins face as they walk to and from the sea? • Why is it important to keep our oceans and waterways free from rubbish? Evaluative: • In what ways does a little penguin family resemble a human family? In what ways is a little penguin’s family different from the families of other animals; for example, a kangaroo joey’s family?

Engaging Learning experience 4

The little penguin is a flightless bird, and the only penguin that breeds in Australia.

Resources

• Pages 4–29 of Little Penguin • BLM 4 • Examples of FAQ pages from websites, books, posters and information brochures

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Comprehending Locating and interpreting relevant information Recording facts Expressing and developing ideas

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Drawing on prior knowledge Analysing Interpreting Applying knowledge

Activity

1 Ask students to share their experiences of seeing little penguins at aquariums or sanctuaries. Write the words ‘little penguin’ on a chart as the answer to possible questions. Have students suggest questions about penguins to which the answer is ‘little penguin’, to assist them in recalling facts from the text, e.g. Q: What bird cannot fly and lives in the sea? A: Little penguin Q: What bird regurgitates its food to feed its young? A: Little penguin. Record students’ questions. Discuss reasons why the ability to ask questions is an important part of research. 2 Explain to students that many books, websites or information sheets provided by tourist places that feature animals (such as the Phillip Island Nature Park) have FAQ pages to give information in a precise, brief manner. Show some examples. 3 Distribute BLM 4. Explain to students that they are to work in pairs to research and record answers to at least six of the FAQs. Students record the questions and their answers on another sheet.

Going further

Have students check and edit their answers. Have them decide on a way to present their FAQ research, e.g. as a tourist information panel, in a brochure, as a mock-up webpage, or as an excerpt that could have been included in the book Little Penguin.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to formulate questions. Assess their ability to locate, select and record relevant information to answer literal questions. Assess the elements of the presentations of their FAQ page.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

11

Koala

Learning experience 5

Little penguins have adaptaions that enable them to live and survive in their habitat.

Resources

• Pages 4–25 of Little Penguin • BLM 5

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Researching factual texts Reading and interpreting information Recording facts Summarising

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Interpreting Analysing Comprehending Describing

Activity

Ask, What two types of habitat do little penguins live in? Look at the map on page 29 of the text, showing where little penguins live. Ask, What temperature would the water be in the areas where little penguins swim? Display a large picture or poster of a little penguin. Ask, What features do little penguins have that enable them to swim in their ocean habitat (adaptations)? Record students’ answers on sticky notes and place sticky notes around the picture as labels. Model writing sentences that link the body feature with its purpose, e.g. The little penguin has flippers so that it can propel itself throught the water as it swims.

Going further

Distribute BLM 5. Remind students to use all the space in the shape to draw a little penguin. Have them use books, posters and charts as factual reference to copy from when drawing. Have them label the parts as listed and then write sentences explaining how each physical feature enables the little penguin to survive.

Assessment

Assess the accuracy and clarity of students’ information. Assess their ability to link the animal’s adaptation with its survival in its habitat.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4033 0

12

Little Penguin

Learning experience 6

Changes occur throughout the life of the little penguin as it reproduces and grows.

Resources

• Pages 4–29 of Little Penguin • BLM 6 • A family photograph album as an example of a visual record of growth and change

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Comprehending Interpreting and analysing information Creating texts Expressing and describing ideas

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Making connections Applying knowledge Thinking creatively Creating

Activity

Ask students if they have a family photograph album or collection of photographs from the day they were born. Show an example. Ask, What changes can you see when you look at the photographs? Talk with students about changes to their personal growth and development from birth until the present day. Ask, What did your parents do to look after you when you were first born? How has that changed? What can you do for yourself now? How has that changed?

Going further

1 Reread pages 8–15 and 24–26 of the text. Discuss the various ways little penguin parents care for the chick and how the chick changes as it grows. Ask, How does the little penguin change in appearance? 2 Distribute BLM 6. Explain to students that they are to create a little penguin family album, drawing images to show how the little penguin changes from pre-hatching to adulthood. Have them complete the sentence starters using factual texts and photographs.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to locate, interpret and analyse factual information and record relevant facts. Assess their ability to interpret factual information visually.

Reflecting What are some of the fascinating facts you recall about little penguins? Why do you think animals, including humans, have different life cycles? Why do you think there are differences in the way ‘animal’ parents look after their young?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

13

Little Penguin

BLM 4

Name ______________________________________________________________ Choose at least six questions to answer on another sheet. When you have checked your answers, work with a partner to design a FAQ poster that includes your FAQs and answers. You can add diagrams, maps or drawings to add information. • Where do little penguins live in Australia? • Why do adult little penguins go into the sea during the day? • What do adult little penguins eat? • What do little penguin chicks eat? • How tall is a little penguin? • What noises do little penguins make and why? • How many partners does a little penguin usually have during its life? • How many eggs does a female little penguin usually lay? • How long does it take for a little penguin egg to hatch? • What does the father little penguin do to help look after its chick? • Why do little penguin chicks moult? • How old is a little penguin when it is left to survive on its own? • Why do little penguins move in a large group when they come out of the water at night?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

14 14

Little Penguin

BLM 5

Name ______________________________________________________________ 1 In the shape below, draw a large diagram of a little penguin. Label its flippers, webbed feet, streamlined body, white belly and thick waterproof feathers.

2 Write a sentence to describe each of the following physical features and explain how the little penguin uses these features to help it survive. Flippers: ____________________________________________________________________ Webbed feet: ____________________________________________________________________ Streamlined body: ____________________________________________________________________ White belly: ____________________________________________________________________ Thick waterproof feathers: ____________________________________________________________________

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

15 15

Little Penguin

BLM 6

Name ______________________________________________________________ Draw a picture for each stage of the little penguin’s life, and complete the sentences.

Here I am before I was born.

Here I am on the day I was born.

I was inside ______________________

I got out of the egg by _____________

_________________________________ _________________________________ My parents _______________________

My parents_______________________

_________________________________ _________________________________

Here I am at feeding time.

Here I am at 3 weeks old.

My parents _______________________

Now I can ________________________

_________________________________ _________________________________

It looks like I am moulting. Now I am 10 weeks old and I am an adult. That means ______________________

Now I can ________________________

_________________________________ _________________________________

My parents _______________________

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4037 8

16 16

Redback Spider Introduction Redback Spider looks at the life cycle of the redback spider and provides information about its habitat, diet and predators. The text also explains how redback spiders are adapted to survive in their environment and describes threats to their survival.

Australian Curriculum links This text links with the Australian Curriculum in Biological Science at Years 1 to 3.

Understandings • There are physical and behavioural differences and similarities between male and female redback spiders. • Changes occur throughout the life of the redback spider as it reproduces and grows. • Redback spiders have physical and behavioural adaptations and live in places that meet their needs.

Vocabulary abdomen, antivenom, brood, clutch, fang, fertilise, hatchling, invertebrate, predator, scavenging, sperm, spiderling, spinnerets, venom

Focusing Discussion questions Have students complete these questions orally to focus on the text. Literal: • Where do redbacks live? (Across Australia in dark, dry places such as outdoor toilets, sheds, wood stacks and under dry fallen leaves) • What predators do redback spiders have? (Other redback spiders, wasp grubs, other spiders such as white-tailed spiders, birds, insects such as praying mantises) • Why do female redbacks build a web? (To trap their prey and store their egg sacs) • What are egg sacs? (White or yellow balls of silk thread that hold the eggs) • What usually happens to a male spider during the reproductive process? (The female kills and eats him.) • How do spiderlings leave the web and travel to a new home? (They make their way to a high point, the breeze pulls a thread of silk from their abdomens, they drift into the air until the thread catches onto an object, they land wherever the wind takes them.) • Why are redback spiders cannibals? (Because sometimes they eat each other – the female may eat the male, the mother may eat the spiderlings or the spiderlings may eat other spiderlings.) • Are redbacks dangerous to humans? (Yes. People can get bitten when they accidentally put their fingers into a web. They need an antivenom to prevent illness or death.) Inferential: • Do redback spider parents care for their offspring? • In what different ways does the redback spider use the silk thread it produces? • Why do you think redback spiders can lay so many eggs so frequently?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7

17

Redback Spider • What differences are there between male and female redback spiders? • Should people be frightened of redback spiders? Why or why not? Evaluative: • What is the most interesting aspect of the redback spider’s life cycle? • Would you prefer to be a male or female redback spider? Why? • What should you do if you see a redback spider? • What should you do if you get bitten by a redback spider?

Engaging Learning experience 7

There are physical and behavioural differences and similarities between male and female redback spiders.

Resources

• Pages 4–29 of Redback Spider • BLM 7 • Cards with facts from the text describing similarities and differences between male and female redback spiders

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Comprehending Locating and interpreting relevant information Recording facts Comparing and contrasting

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Organising Interpreting Analysing Making decisions

Activity

1 Talk with students about the physical appearance and behaviour of the female and male redback spider. Lay the fact cards on the floor. Have students organise the facts into three piles – same, male only, female only. Have them justify their reasons for the placement of the cards. 2 Ask students to suggest other similarities and differences between male and female redback spiders. Ask them specific questions about the similarities and differences between male and female redback spiders to assist them in recalling facts from the book, e.g. Which redback spiders live in dark, dry places? Which redback spider makes an egg sac? Which redback spider makes a web? Which redback spider scavenges scraps of food? Which redback spider lives for only six or seven months? Which redback spider is found across Australia? Which redback spider eats its ‘mate’ during reproduction?

Going further

1 Distribute BLM 7. Explain to students that they are to work in pairs to create a Venn diagram about the similarities and differences between male and female redback spiders. 2 Pairs of students share their Venn diagrams with the class, justifying their placement of each fact on their diagram.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to compare and contrast the physical features and behaviours of male and female redback spiders and to justify their decisions.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7

18

Redback Spider

Learning experience 8

Changes occur throughout the life of the redback spider as it reproduces and grows.

Resources

• Pages 10–25 of Redback Spider • BLM 8 • A3 paper for each student

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Researching factual texts Reading and interpreting information Sequencing Explaining information

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Remembering Understanding Analysing Organising

Activity

Reread pages 10–25 of Redback Spider. Draw a large circle on a whiteboard. Ask students to recall key stages in the life cycle of the redback spider. Write the facts suggested by students onto sticky notes and have them place the sticky note on the circle line to indicate the stage of the cycle they are describing. Demonstrate skimming the text of the book to check that the information is correct. Ask, Would you describe the redback spider as living as a ‘family’? Do the parents care for their offspring? Why or why not?

Going further

1 Distribute BLM 8. Ask students to read the fact boxes and then place them in sequence on an A3 sheet of paper to create a cyclic timeline of the redback spider’s life. Have students create an interesting heading and add diagrams where appropriate, e.g. an image of a male and female redback spider, an image of the spiderlings ballooning, an image of the egg sac in the web. 2 Have students read and present their cyclic timeline as an ‘expert’ about the life cycle of the redback spider to another group who have not been reading about redback spiders. Have them answer questions from the group.

Assessment

Assess the ability of students to read and sequence facts to create a cyclic timeline about the redback spider. Assess their ability to interpret the information and explain the process to an audience.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7

19

Redback Spider

Learning experience 9

Redback spiders have physical and behavioural adaptations and live in places that meet their needs.

Resources

• Pages 4–29 of Redback Spider • BLM 9

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Comprehending Interpreting and analysing information Writing facts to support a statement Explaining

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Remembering Applying knowledge Making decisions Justifying

Activity

Play a true or false quiz about redback spiders. Say a series of true or false statements about redback spiders to pairs of students. The first to identify whether the statement is true or false and justifies their answer scores a point. For example, say, ‘All redback spiders have a stripe on their back.’ The first to answer ‘False’ (because only adult females have a red stripe on their back) scores a point. The first to 5 points wins.

Going further

Distribute BLM 9. Ask students to circle if they agree or disagree with each statement and then to complete the written response with factual evidence. Have them answer the ‘Reflecting on my learning’ question based on their understanding about the topic.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to make and justify a decision based on factual evidence.

Reflecting On page 4 the author writes, ‘This is probably the main reason why most people would rather run away from a redback than want to learn about its very interesting life cycle.’ Why do you think the author makes this comment? What do you think is interesting about the life cycle of the redback spider? What similarities are there between the life cycle of the redback spider and the koala or little penguin? What are the main differences?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7

20

Redback Spider

BLM 7

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7

different different

Female redback spiders

same

Male redback spiders

Name ______________________________________________________________

21 21

Redback Spider

BLM 8

Name ______________________________________________________________ Cut out these fact boxes and paste them in order in a circle on a large sheet of paper to create a redback spider cyclic timeline. Write an interesting heading and draw a picture of a female and a male redback spider in the centre of the cycle.



The spiderlings land when their thread catches on something. Some land in places where they will die, such as in water. Others land in places where they can shelter.



Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4034 7



The female redback makes egg sacs to hold the eggs. The sacs are held on the web with silk.



The female lays between 40 and 300 eggs in each egg sac. She fertilises the eggs with the sperm stored in her body.



The spiderlings hide from predators and build their own webs.

After 14 days, the eggs hatch. Spiderlings break through the egg sacs and swarm over the web.



The spiderlings release a thread of silk from their abdomen. When the thread is long enough, the spiderling drifts in the wind.



The male redback spider delivers a parcel of sperm to the female redback. She stores the sperm in her body. The female usually kills and then eats the male.



When they are strong enough, the spiderlings make their way to a high point such as the tip of a blade of grass.

22 22

Redback Spider

BLM 9

Name ______________________________________________________________ 1 Agree or disagree with each statement. All redback spiders have a red stripe on their back. I agree/disagree because_____________________________________________. Redback spiders can be found around the backyard. I agree/disagree because_____________________________________________. People need to be careful if they see a redback spider. I agree/disagree because_____________________________________________. Redback spiders can kill and eat prey larger than themselves. I agree/disagree because_____________________________________________. Redback spiders live in families. I agree/disagree because _____________________________________________. Make and female redback spiders spin webs. I agree/disagree because_____________________________________________. Young redback spiders look the same as their parents. I agree/disagree because _____________________________________________. It would be better to be a female redback spider than a male redback spider. I agree/disagree because _____________________________________________. 2 Answer this question to reflect on your learning: I think that I have learned a lot of new information about redback spiders. I agree/disagree because _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________.

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Red Kangaroo Introduction Red Kangaroo looks at the life cycle of the red kangaroo and provides information about its habitat, diet and predators. The text also explains how red kangaroos are adapted to survive in their environment and describes threats to their survival.

Australian Curriculum links This text links with the Australian Curriculum in Biological Science at Years 1 to 3.

Understandings • Assessing prior knowledge and formulating questions about a topic are important research strategies. (Complete BLM 10 before reading the text.) • Interpreting technical vocabulary is important when researching animals such as the red kangaroo. • There are similarities and differences between the life cycles of marsupials such as the red kangaroo and the koala.

Vocabulary antibodies, cloaca, dominant, embryo, foraging, gestation, instinctively, joey, mammal, marsupial, mate, mob, placenta, prey, secluded, suckle, weaned

Focusing Discussion questions Before sharing and discussing the text, complete Learning Experience 10 and BLM 10. Have students complete these questions orally to focus on the text. Literal: • Why do the young of marsupials need to live in a pouch? (They are born at an early stage of development and need to continue growing in the mother’s pouch.) • Where do red kangaroos live? (Across Australia’s arid/dry desert zone) • What is the length of time that a female red kangaroo is pregnant? (33 days) • How does the joey reach its mother’s pouch? (It climbs instinctively through the mother’s fur.) • What do joeys do when they are out of the pouch? (They get used to jumping on their hind legs.) • When does the joey leave the safety of its mother? (When it is old enough to have young of its own) • What are some predators of the red kangaroo? (Dingoes) Inferential: • How does a red kangaroo’s body help it to move? • What role does the mother play in raising the joey? • What role does the father play in raising the joey? • What other animals do you know whose father plays no part in raising the young? Evaluative: • In what ways does the reproductive and growth cycle of a red kangaroo resemble the human reproductive and growth cycle? • What would happen to a joey if its mother was killed by a dingo? Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4035 4

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Red Kangaroo

Engaging Learning experience 10

Assessing prior knowledge and formulating questions about a topic are important research strategies.

Resources

• BLM 10

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Recording prior knowledge and ideas Generating statements Formulating questions Sharing information

Thinking skills focus

• • • • •

Drawing on existing knowledge, experience or ideas Communicating Hypothesising Decision making Reaching consensus

Activity

1 Inform students that the animal they are going to find out about is the red kangaroo. Divide the class into groups of three or four students. Ask each group to discuss what they know about red kangaroos. 2 Distribute BLM 10. Explain to students that they are to complete a Think, Wink and Decide chart about red kangaroos as a starting point for research. 3 Ask students to work independently to do the following under each the first two headings: Think – things I now know – students write what they already know or think about red kangaroos; Wink – what I need to know – students write questions they have about red kangaroos. 4 Have students rejoin their group and share their writing. Students compare their questions and come up with a list of questions that they all agree on and write these questions under the Decide heading.

Going further

Each group shares their questions with the class. Record each group’s questions on a class inquiry chart, leaving space for answers to be written as information is gathered.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to record information, express their ideas and formulate questions. Monitor their ability to interpret factual information and make connections between their initial inquiry and their research.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4035 4

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Red Kangaroo

Learning experience 11

Interpreting technical vocabulary is necessary when researching animals such as the red kangaroo.

Resources

• Pages 4–25 of Red Kangaroo • BLM 11

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Identifying technical vocabulary Interpreting and explaining technical vocabulary Using glossaries and other vocabulary sources Writing definitions in context

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Interpreting texts Applying information Explaining Paraphrasing

Activity

1 Scan the text to locate new or interesting technical vocabulary and key words in the text. Ask, Which words did you know the meaning of before reading the text? Which words are new? 2 Discuss strategies for decoding and interpreting technical vocabulary. Ask, If you meet a new or less familiar word when reading, what do can you do? Students might suggest: read on to work out what the word means, use the glossary or a dictionary, use another resource about the same topic such as a factual text, internet website or scientific dictionary. 3 Provide students with BLM 11. Have them complete the activity, drawing on information in the text, prior knowledge or other resources.

Going further

1 Read students’ answers on BLM 11. Identify the strategies authors use to communicate information about key words, e.g. providing an immediate definition indicated by a sentence starter such as ‘This means that …’; using a labelled photograph or diagram to explain a word or concept; providing information later in the text or in a glossary. 2 As an extension, have students use technical vocabulary from the text to create a word bank, word search, class dictionary or word mobile about words related to red kangaroos.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to define and explain technical vocabulary in the text. Consider whether or not they are able to use the definitions to understand the text and communicate meanings to others.

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Red Kangaroo

Learning experience 12

There are similarities and differences between the life cycles of marsupials such as the red kangaroo and the koala.

Resources

• • • •

Pages 12–27 of Red Kangaroo Koala by Greg Pyers BLM 12 A3 sheet of paper for each student

Language and literacy skills focus

• • • •

Interpreting and analysing information Comparing and contrasting Creating texts Expressing and describing ideas

Thinking skills focus

• • • •

Applying knowledge Organising Explaining Making and justifying decisions

Activity

1 Recall the stages in the reproductive cycle of the red kangaroo. Ensure that students understand that the joey lives only in the pouch for 27 weeks as it has not developed enough to live safely outside. 2 Ask, What other Australian animals have a similar reproductive cycle? (koalas) Ask specific questions about the similarities and differences between red kangaroos and koalas to assist students to recall facts from the book and their prior knowledge, e.g. Which animal is a marsupial? (both) Which animal climbs onto its mother’s back? (koala) Which animal eats grass when it is weaned from its mother? (red kangaroo)

Going further

1 Distribute BLM 12. Explain to students that they are to work in pairs to create a compare and contrast chart about the similarities and differences between red kangaroos and koalas. Have them draw a chart with three headings on an A3 sheet of paper: Red kangaroos, Koalas, Both. Ask them to cut out the facts on BLM 12 and then to paste them under the correct heading. 2 Have pairs of students share their charts with the class, justifying their placement of each fact.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to compare and contrast reproductive cycles of the red kangaroo and the koala and to justify their decisions.

Reflecting At the end of the unit, look back at students’ ‘Think, Wink and Decide’ sheets. Ask, What prior knowledge was confirmed or rejected by your research? What new information did your research lead to? How useful was this text and other resources in your research? Why do you think it is important to consider prior knowledge and formulate questions prior to research? What unanswered questions do you still have about red kangaroos? How might you find that information?

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4035 4

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Red Kangaroo

BLM 10

Name ______________________________________________________________

Think

Wink

Decide

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Red Kangaroo

BLM 11

Name ______________________________________________________________ Red kangaroos live in the arid zones across Australia. This means that they ___________________________________________________________________ . Red kangaroos are marsupials. This means that they ____________________ ___________________________________________________________________ . Red kangaroos live in mobs. This means that they _______________________ ___________________________________________________________________ . Red kangaroos spend most of their time foraging for food. This means that they ___________________________________________________________ . Female red kangaroos mate with the dominant male. This means that they ___________________________________________________________________ . The gestation time of a female red kangaroo is usually 33 days. This means that it _____________________________________________________________ . When a pregnant red kangaroo is about to give birth, she finds a secluded place. This means that she __________________________________________ . Joeys climb instinctively into the mother’s pouch. This mean that they ___________________________________________________________________ . The first milk that the joey drinks from its mother has antibodies in it. This means that it ___________________________________________________ . Joeys are weaned at about 34 weeks of age. This means that they ________ ___________________________________________________________________ . Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4035 4

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Red Kangaroo

BLM 12

Name ______________________________________________________________ Use the statements to make a compare and contrast chart about the similarities and differences between red kangaroos and koalas. The joey is the size of a jelly bean.





✁ ✁

The young are born alive.



Eats grass when it is out of the The joey suckles milk from its pouch. mother in the pouch.



joey.





The young continue to develop in The joey leaves the pouch for a pouch. short periods of time at about 27 weeks old. The father doesn’t care for the

✁ ✁

The mother mates with the dominant male.



The young eats pap as well as drinks milk from its mother as it The mother raises the young. gets older.



The joey leaves the pouch when it They can produce young at any is strong enough to survive on its time of the year. own.



Copyright © Pearson Australia 2011 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 4035 4

✁ ✁

The joey stays with its mother until it is one year old or when the mother breeds again.



The joey stays with its mother until it can breed.



The joey uses its sense of smell to find the mother’s pouch.



The joeys are hairless when they are born. The joey has strong legs to crawl up into the pouch.



✁ ✁

The young eats grass as well as drinks milk from its mother as it gets older. They live in a group.

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Life Cycles of Autralian Animals

Reflecting on my learning Why is it important to learn about the life cycles of animals? Why do animals have different life cycles? What are some of the main features and behaviours that animals use to ensure their survival? How do humans affect the reproduction and growth cycle of animals? What were the two most interesting life cycles you learned about from this unit? Have students complete BLM 13 to reflect on their learning and new understandings about life cycles of Australian animals.

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Reflecting on my learning

BLM 13

Name ______________________________________________________________ The animal I enjoyed reading about the most was _______________________ .

Draw it in the box. Three interesting facts I learned about this animal and its life cycle are: 1 _______________________________________________________________ 2 _______________________________________________________________ 3 _______________________________________________________________

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Reflecting on my learning

BLM 13

Name ______________________________________________________________ Choose four new key words about animals and life cycles that you learned from reading these books. Explain what each word means with words or diagrams. 1 ___________________________________________ 2 ___________________________________________ 3 ___________________________________________ 4 ___________________________________________ If you met Greg Pyers, the author of these books, what two questions would you ask him? 1 _______________________________________________________________ 2 _______________________________________________________________ If you could choose another Australian animal that you would like to read about in this series, what would you choose? Why? ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________

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