Appendix 2

LESSON PLAN 2

CONTEXTUAL DETAILS

Name: Brooke Parsons School: Lockleys North PS

Year Level : 6 Date: Term 1, Week 7 (Lessons 6 & 7
No. of Students: 26 of unit)
Location: River Torrens Estimated Duration of Activity:
120 mins

AREA OF LEARNING Science

TOPIC Ecosystems

BROAD OUTCOME During this lesson students will identify interrelationships

at the river by using the knowledge they have gained
earlier in the unit of work. They will collect and/or observe
samples for further discussion and investigation when
they return to the classroom.

SPECIFIC LEARNING Life Systems

OUTCOME / S 3.5 - Explains the interrelationships between systems
within living things, and between living things in
ecological systems. They relate these ideas to the health
of individuals and to threats to the sustainability of
ecological systems.

PREPARATION / ORGANISATION
Gain school approval for excursion
Gain parent consent for students to attend excursion
Organise parent volunteers to attend the excursion
Collect information from the council/s about the River Torrens
Go to river to map out/ survey plant and animal life
Determine best route to walk to river
Create worksheets
Determine groups to work together at river
Allocate groups to areas of the river
Write task list for students

RESOURCES
Clipboard & Worksheets
Task list
Petri dishes/plastic containers
Handheld microscopes/magnifying glasses
Digital Camera
CONTENT PROCESS RESOURCES
What do I want the students What will I do? What will the students do? What materials
to learn? What skills and strategies will we use? will be used?
Knowledge? Skills? What behaviour management strategies will I use?
Attitudes
Engagement / Introduction :
(to occur in classroom before leaving)
Remind students of the purpose of the
excursion;
-to put into practice what they have been
learning about ecosystems
-to identify interrelationships
-to observe animals and plant life
-to collect soil samples for investigation

Exploration / Development :
Allocate students to an area

Identify Provide students with their task list Task list

interrelationships -to photograph the area they are
observing Petri
Observe samples -to look around and see what animal/plant dishes/plasti
life there is c containers
Collect samples -to predict any interrelationships
-to observe animals and record their Handheld
Record findings findings on the ‘Report Plan’ worksheet microscopes/
(Appendices 3 & 4) magnifying
-to collect a sample of soil and complete glasses
their ‘Soil Sample’ worksheet (Appendix
5) Camera

Provoke thought by asking; Clipboard &

Could an ant and a plant be interrelated? Worksheets
Why/Why not?
What about worms and plants?
How are birds related to plants? Or aren’t
they?

Reflection / Review/ Sharing :

(to occur in classroom) Journal
Students to complete a journal entry (in
dot point form) of their findings and any
information they want to remember

Remind students that the information

they collected will be used during the
next science lesson

Assessment
(See Appendix 8)
Participates in observing, collecting samples and investigating during excursion to
the river
Students work samples
Appendix 1
LESSON PLAN 1

CONTEXTUAL DETAILS

Name: Brooke Parsons School: Lockleys North PS

Year Level : 6 Date: Term 1, Week 2, (Lesson 2 of
No. of Students: 26 unit)
Location: Classroom Estimated Duration of Activity: 60
mins

AREA OF LEARNING Science

TOPIC Ecosystems

BROAD OUTCOME During this lesson students will be involved in a class

discussion about similarities and differences between
habitats, environment and ecosystems. Students will then
be able to explain these difference and similarities. By the
end of this lesson students will begin to describe the
components of an ecosystem and how they work together.

SPECIFIC LEARNING Life Systems

OUTCOME / S 3.5 - Explains the interrelationships between systems
within living things, and between living things in
ecological systems. They relate these ideas to the health
of individuals and to threats to the sustainability of
ecological systems.

PREPARATION / ORGANISATION
Have a good understanding of the differences and similarities of habitats,
environment and ecosystems.
Prepare some questions to provoke the students thinking and maintain their
discussion

RESOURCES
Blank butcher’s paper
The butcher’s paper/interactive whiteboard notes of students ideas about what an
ecosystem is and their questions (from previous lesson)
Book - Ecology: A practical introduction with projects and activities
CONTENT PROCESS RESOURCES
What do I want the students What will I do? What will the students do? What materials
to learn? What skills and strategies will we use? will be used?
Knowledge? Skills? What behaviour management strategies will I use?
Attitudes
Engagement / Introduction :
Recap on prior knowledge lesson
Ask the students to remember what was
shared with the class about habitat,
environment and ecosystems, have them
share this

Determine Exploration / Development :

differences and Ask students if a habitat and an ecosystem
similarities are the same? Why/Why not?
between habitats,
environment and Ask students if the environment and an
ecosystems ecosystem are the same? Why/Why not?
Ecology: A
May need to read p.5 titles ‘Habitats’ and p.6 practical
‘Environment’ in book introduction with
projects and
activities

Prompt student discussion by asking;

What is an ecosystem made up of?
What is the environment made up of?

For both of these questions record students

responses on butcher’s paper/interactive Previous class
whiteboard notes
Butcher’s paper
Read p.8 titled ‘Ecosystems’ in the book
Ecology: A
practical
introduction with
projects and
activities
Develop students understanding of systems,
explain how they are made up of components
that all work together. Use school as an
example and ask students to think of all the
components and how they work together.
Discuss. School components include;
Principal Teachers
Students SSO’s
Buildings Tables
Chairs
Appendix 1 cont’d

CONTENT PROCESS RESOURCES

What do I want the students What will I do? What will the students do? What materials
to learn? What skills and strategies will we use? will be used?
Knowledge? Skills? What behaviour management strategies will I use?
Attitudes
Identify and Once they’ve grasped this then move to an Ecology: A
describe ecosystem. Think of all components and how practical
components of they work, refer to book. Ecosystem introduction with
ecosystems components include; projects and
Animals Trees activities
Plants Insects
Soil Dead Matter
Water

Assessment
(See Appendix 8)
Participates in class discussion
Appendix 6
LESSON PLAN 3

CONTEXTUAL DETAILS

Name: Brooke Parsons School: Lockleys North PS

Year Level: 6 Date: Term 2, Week 4 (Lesson 12 &
No. of Students: 26 13 of unit)
Location: Classroom/ Computer Room Estimated Duration of Activity: 90
mins

AREA OF LEARNING Science

TOPIC Ecosystems

BROAD OUTCOME By the end of this lesson students will understand human
impacts and threats on ecosystems. In particular those
caused by pollution, developments, introduced plant life
and clearance of vegetation.

SPECIFIC LEARNING Life Systems

OUTCOME / S 3.5 - Explains the interrelationships between systems
within living things, and between living things in
ecological systems. They relate these ideas to the health
of individuals and to threats to the sustainability of
ecological systems.
Earth & Space
3.1 - Describes the characteristics that sustain life on the
earth and changes to these characteristics and their
impact over time.

PREPARATION / ORGANISATION
Become familiar with threats to ecosystems
Design worksheet
Book computer room
Ensure websites used for lesson are still active

RESOURCES
Butcher’s paper
Worksheet
http://www.rivers.gov.au/ramblers/rivram_reasons.htm
http://www.watercare.sa.gov.au/wll/himp-entry.html
http://www.watercare.sa.gov.au/wll/tact-entry.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/text/ecosystems.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0519
http://www.rowa.org.au/pr_ttrs_pollution.php
CONTENT PROCESS RESOURCES
What do I want the students What will I do? What will the students do? What materials
to learn? What skills and strategies will we use? will be used?
Knowledge? Skills? What behaviour management strategies will I use?
Attitudes
Engagement / Introduction :
Have students think back to their visit to the
river and everything they have learned about
ecosystem.

Tell the students that ecosystems can be

threatened, through human impact.

Identifies threats Ask the students to brainstorm their Butcher’s paper

to ecosystems understanding of how ecosystems could be
threatened. Record this information on
butcher’s paper/interactive whiteboard.

Prompt students thinking by asking;

If the plants aren’t there, who is threatened?
How come the plants might not be there?
What about the types of plants?

Exploration / Development :
Provide the students with some websites that http://www.rivers.
provide information on ways that rivers can gov.au/ramblers/r
become threatened. ivram_reasons.ht
m

http://www.water
care.sa.gov.au/wl
l/himp-entry.html

http://www.water
care.sa.gov.au/wl
l/tact-entry.html

http://library.thin
kquest.org/11353
/text/ecosystems.
htm?tqskip1=1&t
qtime=0519

http://www.rowa
.org.au/pr_ttrs_p
ollution.php
Appendix 6 cont’d

CONTENT PROCESS RESOURCES

What do I want the What will I do? What will the students do? What materials
students to learn? What skills and strategies will we use? will be used?
Knowledge? Skills? What behaviour management strategies will I use?
Attitudes
Provide students with the worksheet to Worksheet
complete during their research (see Appendix
7).

Describes how to Interact with students during their research

preserve an by asking;
ecosystem What have you found that threatens rivers?
How does that threaten rivers?
What could you do so that isn’t a threat
anymore? Is that realistic/possible?

Reflection / Review/ Sharing :

Class discussion where students can share
their findings. Ensure students cover all
aspects detailed on worksheet; threats,
impacts and how to remove threats.
Assessment
(See Appendix 8)
Names humans impacts and threats to ecosystems
Describes how to preserve an ecosystem