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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

Quick SummaryIn Aussie Animal Adventurers, Year 3-4 students will learn about different Australian animals, their features, habitats and life cycles. They will explore how animals depend on each other and the environment to survive. They will also consider how science helps people to understand the effects of their actions and care for wildlife. During the student webinar, students will meet a Healesville Sanctuary Teacher and be able to ask questions about Australian animals and habitats.

Connect-Understand-ActThis teaching guide uses a framework called ‘Connect-Understand-Act’ (CUA). This real-world learning framework is based on research into best practice pedagogy. CUA can be used to teach constructivist approaches like inquiry-based learning, project-based learning and problem-based learning. Zoos Victoria uses CUA to educate its visitors and the community. Here is how it works:

Connect – powerful experiences that engage and inspire learners to want to know more about their world

Understand – repeated practice that transforms new skills and knowledge from working memory to long-term memory

Act – mastering what has been learnt by applying skills and knowledge in real-world contexts

What Students Will Learn Animals’ unique characteristics, habitats and life-cycles and how to group them accordingly Human impacts on wildlife How they can help save wildlife

Victorian Curriculum Links Science – Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be

distinguished from non-living things Science – Different living things have different life cycles and depend on each other and the

environment to survive Science – Science knowledge helps people to understand the effects of their actions Geography – Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the

environment, importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably

Webinar WorkshopsAs part of this Virtual Excursion package, you and your students will participate in a free 30-minute webinar, taught by a Sanctuary Teacher. The content of this online workshop supports the activities in this teaching guide. Your students will gain new knowledge and can ask lots of questions.

Webinars are offered throughout the week so you can choose one that fits your timetable.Register at www.zoo.org.au/education/zoo-education-online/virtual-excursions/

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

Learning Sequence

Connect‘Connect’ learning experiences engage and inspire people to want to know more about their world. They can be confirming (verifying a learner’s previous experience or knowledge) or disrupting (surprising/challenging a learner’s previous experience or knowledge).

1. Forest JourneyThis activity will: give students an opportunity to make connections with a forest habitat and use their senses to explore their surroundings.

Preparation: Share this image of Healesville Sanctuary with your students – https://bit.ly/2S9XlWq

Instructions:1. Explain to the students that they are going to explore a natural habitat.2. Ask students to use their sense of sight to observe the picture and ask, “What do you see?

What type of habitat is this?”3. Share students’ thoughts as a class or on a digital platform.4. Ask students to respond to the question, “What do you think might live here?”5. Prompt students to share any wonderings they have about the picture by asking:

What does it make you wonder? How does this picture make you feel? What are some beautiful things you see?

Connect 1. Forest Journey (p. 2)2. Animal Stars (p. 3)3. Backyard Buddies (p. 3)4. Little Lifecycles (p. 4)

Understand1. Student Webinar (p. 4)2. Amazing Animals (p. 5)3. Grow and Change (p. 5)

Act1. Follow My Footprints (p. 6)2. Share the Learning (p. 7)

Extension Activities (p. 8)Extra Support (p. 9)

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

Teaching Tip: Encourage students reflect on their own personal experiences when being outside in nature or seeing wildlife. You may share your own personal memories of a significant experience.

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

2. Animal StarsThis activity will: help your students to develop emotional connections to Australian wildlife.

Preparation:Open up these videos in YouTube or embed into your learning platform: Matilda the short beaked echidna – https://youtu.be/7ACW0Oh9Fkk Meet the Mountain Pygmy-possum – https://youtu.be/vjmES6iMlN4 Meet the Brush Tailed Rock Wallaby – https://youtu.be/ArJgCQU1xT0

Instructions:1. Discuss with students that Healesville Sanctuary is full of many wonderful stories about

animals big and small. Zoo Keepers care about every animal and love getting to know their different personalities by watching how they interact with each other.

2. Explain to students that they are going to listen to some stories from Healesville Sanctuary and get to know some of the animals.

3. Share the Zoos Victoria videos with your students. As students are watching, ask them questions such as, “What did you see in each video?” and “What did these videos make you think about?”

3. Backyard Buddies This activity will: help students to connect with living things andunderstand how they use the environment to survive.

Preparation: Download and distribute the Student Workbook –

www.zoo.org.au/education/excursions/virtual-excursion-aussie-animal-adventurers (look at page 1 to start)

Students will need a natural environment to observe wildlife e.g. backyard, local park/beach Ask students if they have any equipment that will help them look for wildlife e.g. magnifying

glass Students will need a way to time 10 minutes e.g. mobile phone, device, egg timer

Instructions: 1. Ask students to identify a natural environment that is safe for them to spend some time in.

They may like to do a ‘wildlife walk’ with their family if they don’t have a backyard. They are going to be observing a natural space for wildlife and animal homes

2. Ask students to read the instructions in the Student Workbook on page 1 – Backyard Buddies.3. Encourage students to walk slowly and quietly around the environment. Once they’ve found an

animal to watch, ask them to set a timer for 10 minutes and record what they see. There is room in the Student Workbook for them to write and/or draw. They could also take photos.

4. Once they have observed the environment, ask students to share their findings as a class or on a digital platform of your choice. You might like to compile your class data in a graph or table.

Teaching Tip: ‘Field Guide of Australian Fauna’ will help students identify what they saw –

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/apps/field-guide-app-to-victorian-fauna/

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Aussie Animal AdventurersYear 3-4 Teaching Guide

4. Little LifecyclesThis activity will: tune students into how animals grow and change throughout their lifecycle.

Preparation:Share the following short videos with students: Meet 'Kofi' our tree-kangaroo joey – https://youtu.be/q1SktDAgo7E Guthega Skink baby! – https://youtu.be/IRemuGwWuDM Katniss the Tassie Devil mum and her restless joeys – https://youtu.be/dNM3DHWU7aY

Instructions:1. Explain to students that Healesville Sanctuary has many wonderful stories of how animals

grow and change. Watching each baby grow and develop is a highlight of the staff who work there. The babies in these videos are only just beginning their life adventure.

2. Watch each of the videos above as a class or individually. 3. Ask students questions like:

What did you notice about the baby and its parents? How was the baby using its habitat? How did it make you feel? What questions do you have about lifecycles?

Understand‘Understand’ learning experiences involve repeated practice. Here is how you can help your students transform new skills and knowledge from short-term memory to long-term memory.

1. Student WebinarThis activity will: help students understand what makes animals special and why we should care for them and their homes. Students will also ask a Zoo teacher (their Wild Guide) any questions. 

Preparation: Webinars are offered throughout the week: Register your students for the Aussie Animal Adventurers webinar by visiting

www.zoo.org.au/education/zoo-education-online/student-webinars/ You will receive instructions to pass on to your students.

Webinar Instructions:1. Register for the webinar using the link above.2. Provide your students with the instructions and link to connect.3. Ask your students to think about what questions they have for the Zoo teacher.4. Students will need to be in a space where they can stand up and move around whilst watching

the webinar.

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2. Amazing AnimalsThis activity will: assist students to use observational skills to observe the features of Australian animals and explore how they interact with their environment to survive.

Preparation: Share these Zoos Victoria videos with your students: Leadbeater’s Possum – www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrXhALVgXiM The Tasmanian Devil – www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_G9M2sup0 Platypus Facts – www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmShThjkmdI

Instructions:1. Direct students to page 3 of the Student Workbook – Amazing Animals. They can use this

page to record their observations as they watch each video or fill it out afterwards.2. Share each of the above videos with your students. 3. On page 3 of the Workbook, students are asked to choose two of the animals from the videos

and identify the animal’s: Habitat – Where does the animal live? Features – What features are on the animal’s body? e.g. beak, fur, feathers Survival – How does the animal use its habitat to survive? e.g. food, shelter, water Threats – What dangers does the animal have in its habitat? e.g. humans, other animals

4. Ask students to share what they wrote. 5. Discuss how each animal is similar and/or different in their features and needs for survival.6. Discuss the question, “How can humans help protect this animal in the wild?”

3. Grow and ChangeThis activity will: explore the lifecycles of two Australian threatened species.

Preparation:Share the following videos with students: Act Wild for Corroboree Frogs – https://youtu.be/fEF-VwpdJJI Southern Corroboree Frog eggs released to the wild! – https://youtu.be/jOK1Dj3Dv3s Helmeted Honeyeater nest cam – https://youtu.be/hcOCpai8neg

You’ll also need page 5 of the Student Workbook – Grow and Change (www.zoo.org.au/education/excursions/virtual-excursion-aussie-animal-adventurers)

Instructions: 1. Watch the ‘Helmeted Honeyeater nest cam’ video. 2. Ask students, “What did learn about the Helmeted Honeyeater video?” and “What does the

Helmeted Honeyeater depend on to survive and breed?”3. Watch the Corroboree Frog videos.4. Ask students, “What did you learn about the Southern Corroboree Frog?” and “What does the

Southern Corroboree Frog depend on to survive and breed?”5. Ask students to complete the Venn Diagram on page 6 of the Student Workbook to compare

the two life cycles and each animal’s dependency on its environment.

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Act‘Act’ learning experiences enable people to master their skills and knowledge. Here are some suggestions for how students can apply what they’ve learnt in real-world contexts.

1. Follow in My Footprints This activity will: help students understand how humans impact on wildlife. They will apply their learning by creating a comic or story that helps people care for an animal of their choice.

Preparation: Share the following videos with your students: Lights Off for Bogong Moths – https://youtu.be/ZAcL4FKPtHw When balloons fly, seabirds die – https://youtu.be/9i41eW5TzxY

You will need page 4-5 of the Student Workbook for this activity.

Instructions:1. Direct students to page 6 of the Student Workbook – Follow in My Footprints.2. Watch the above videos with students.3. Ask students to write or draw their answers to these questions:

How are humans causing problems for this animal? What can humans do to care for this animal? What other things can humans to do care for and protect wildlife?

4. Ask students to choose a species that they’ve learnt about. They are going to pretend that they are that animal. Some questions to help student thinking might be: What are your body features? What is your life cycle? What are you good at? Are humans causing any problems for you? What are they doing? How can humans care for you?

5. Draw a story or comic strip that helps people understand and care for your animal. Here are some examples of Zoos Victoria characters to inspire your students:

Teaching Tip: Students may like to turn their ideas into something that can be shared with their family, friends or teachers, such as a short film, animation, superhero story cards or a published book! Students can share their stories with Zoos Victoria using Flipgrid (see page 8).

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2. Share the LearningIf your students would like to share their learning with Zoos Victoria and people from other schools, or find out what others have created, they can join Zoos Victoria’s Flipgrid.

Flipgrid is a free Microsoft platform specifically designed for learners to share their ideas, stories and work. Students can record their video using: Flipgrid website, using the camera on their laptop or computer Flipgrid’s app (available for Apple and Android), using the camera on their phone or tablet

Instructions:1. Decide on the level of privacy. Students can present their prototype design in front of the camera or narrate from behind the camera. Zoos Victoria’s Flipgrids are available to anyone who has the URL and password. Please refer to your school’s privacy policy. All videos will be approved by a moderator before being visible to others.

2. Here are the details for the STEM Design Challenge Flipgrid to pass on to your students:Website – https://flipgrid.com/zvprimary Flipcode for app – zvprimaryPassword – ZVexcursion

3. Students are welcome to watch the videos already in the grid. If they want to share their learning, here’s what to do (instructions are also on this webpage).

Click the green plus symbol to get started.

Students will need to log in using their Google or Microsoft password. At least one these accounts is probably already linked to their Catholic Education, Department of Education or independent school email address.

Tap the record button on the bottom to start. If students are using a web browser, they made may need to enable Adobe Flash Player. They can add fun stickers, filters, text, and more.Or if they’ve already recorded a video, they need to click on the ‘upload’ icon.

Review the video – trim, rearrange, or add more.

Take a thumbnail photo for the video. This could be a selfie or a photo of the prototype.

Students can edit their name, video title or attach a link. Then submit! They will get a confirmation email with a link to share with your class. They can also download their video.

Zoos Victoria staff will provide feedback on your students’ prototype so they can improve their design. Other people in the Flipgrid might give feedback too. Your student will get an email notification when any feedback is provided.

Teaching Tip: New to Flipgrid? Visit the Help Centre – https://help.flipgrid.com/hc/en-us

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Extension ActivitiesInstructions: Want your students to extend their learning? Here are two more activities…

Backyard BuddiesWe can look after the animals that live around us from the birds in the trees to the tiniest bees.Students might like to: Plant some native trees to attract wildlife – eucalypts and scented gum trees

are great for attracting possums, flying foxes, birds and insects Make a nest box for local possums or birds Create a ‘frog bog’ in your backyard for local frogs Provide large rocks and hollowed logs as habitat for lizards Pick up any rubbish you see when you are going for a walk Do some bird watching, using the Birds in Backyards website to help identify what you see

Fighting Extinction SuperheroesOur endangered species have many incredible superpowers, just like your favourite superheroes.Here are some superheroes ideas:1. Students choose their favourite endangered species from Zoos Victoria’s website –

www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/local-threatened-species/2. Students research to find out the animal’s superpowers e.g. poisonous skin, fast flyer, can

survive in ice, camouflage 3. Students design their own Fighting Extinction superhero poster or create a costume or mask

using any recycled materials available4. Student could act out their Fighting Extinction superhero character to their family and friends

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Extra SupportGot a question? Zoos Victoria’s Education Team is here to help you. Here is how to get extra support:

Teacher Tribe Facebook Group Our Teacher Tribe is a community who use real-world learning to enable young people to thrive as learners and conservation change-makers. Use this Facebook group to share your stories, ideas and resources with zoo staff and teachers from other schools and get support for your teaching.

Teacher Membership and Professional DevelopmentBecome a Teacher Member to receive exclusive access to teacher professional development events, unlimited entry to our three great zoos, the education e-newsletter and all the benefits of a Zoos Victoria membership.

Zoo Education OnlineWant to do another real-world learning unit with your students? Check out Zoo Education Online. We're bringing the zoo to you with learning activities, resources, webinars and live stream animals to help with real-world learning.

This program is funded by the Department of Education and Training’s Strategic Partnerships Program.

This program is funded by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.

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