Useful websites ABC Science – Catchment Detox Game: Department of the Environment: EcoKids: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: Queensland Wetlands Program: Healthy Waterways: Middle School Science Resources: The Biology Corner: Department of the Environment – Water education resources: Water Science School – water quality resources and photo gallery (USA): Stream Scene – Measure the health of a freshwater stream - water quality monitoring game: WetlandCare Australia (good images of wetlands): Some informational videos about ecosystems which includes rivers, mangroves, reef systems: Wetland Link International: Useful books Discover and Learn About Australian Wetlands and Waterways, Slater, Pat (Ark Australia Habitats and Ecosystems, Steve Parish, 2002.) Wetland Rehabilitation Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Catchment, WetlandCare Australia: East Point Mangrove Boardwalk: An Educational Resource Kit for Primary and Junior Secondary Teachers, Greening Australia NT Inc. Engaging with Nature: Freshwater Quality Monitoring: Teacher Information Pack:
Lesson 6: What types of wetlands are there? Duration: 50 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – Wetland diversity As an introduction, watch the YouTube clip ‘Wetlands: Keeping our planet alive and well’ (See ‘useful web sites’ for the link). Discuss the different wetlands seen, how they are connected across the landscape and why they are important. Discuss with students whether the local area has any of these types of wetlands. As a class, read Reef Beat Poster 2 ‘Wetland diversity’ (2006). Add new words to the word wall and discuss what some of the similarities and differences are between the types of wetlands. Activity – Mini information reports Individually or in pairs, have students create a small PowerPoint presentation or a mini information report on a specific type of a wetland e.g. salt marsh, mudflats, billabongs, rivers, lakes and dams etc. Have information posters e.g. Reef Beat 2006 Poster 2 ‘Wetland diversity’, books and Internet research available for students to access. Key focus questions may also help students to write their PowerPoint presentation or mini information report. For example: Describe your wetland type/what are its features? Find a photograph of your wetland type. Give examples of this wetland type can be found either locally, in Queensland or in Australia. What living things can be found at your wetland type? Find some interesting/unusual about your wetland type. Students present their information report to the class and display/add to the wetlands information tree diagram and also vocabulary onto the word wall. The collated reports or PowerPoint presentations can also be made into an information book/display on wetlands that could be used in other classes or placed in the library. OPTIONAL extra activity – Local wetlands Use the information collected in Lesson 2 about local wetlands. As a class, add to this list using new knowledge of wetlands. In groups or individually, have students classify the local wetlands into types and compare/discuss their decisions about how they classified the different wetlands and what made them choose those classifications. Review with students the scientific vocabulary pertinent to this lesson. (See Resource 1– word bank for suggested terms). Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal (See Resource 2 – Student reflections for examples of sentence starters you can use to guide student reflections).
Lesson 11 and 12: What is a food web? Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – What is a food web? As a class, look again at the GBRMPA Reef Beat 2006, poster 5 – ‘Aquatic Food Webs’. Read the poster together, adding words to the word wall and discussing interesting facts e.g. the role of mangroves and fish that move from saltwater to freshwater. Watch the YouTube clip ‘Animals of the wetland’ as an introduction to wetland food webs: Discuss what food webs are, drawing students’ attention to the fact that food webs are several food chains linked together into a web. As a class, write a definition of a food web. Using the food chains written down in the introductory activity of lesson 9, as a class, draw a food web for a specific wetland. Ask students to identify the four levels of the food web – Source > producer > consumer > decomposer Add to the food web definition, the thoughts on the role of each of the four levels and the importance of each role in the cycle of life. Display this definition. Activity – Creating food webs In pairs or groups, ask students to draw their own food web from a specific wetland using the lists of animals from the posters created in Lesson 7 and 8. Students may need to refer to books or the Internet for research. Some wetlands may not have large food webs, while others will have very extensive food webs. Make sure all wetlands from Lesson 7 and 8 are represented with a food web. time for students to share their food webs with the class, identifying the four levels of their food web. Complete a futures circle with the class (see Resource 6 – Futures circles) and discuss the impacts of both natural and artificial events on food webs. Add events to the list made in the food chain lesson (Lesson 9) or start a list if necessary. Discuss further how events then impact the wetland, the local environment, the wider community, businesses, tourism, the reef and other far reaching effects. Students could go on to complete their own futures circle for a different event. Review with students the scientific vocabulary pertinent to this lesson (See Resource 1– Word bank for suggested terms). Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal (See Resource 2 – Student reflections for examples of sentence starters you can use to guide student reflections).
Citizen science participation Opportunities to monitor student learning Resources Optional Lesson: Can you create a wetland? Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes Suggested learning sequence Note: The duration of this lesson will depend on if the class draws or builds a model of a wetland. Building a model will take a lot more time and organisation, but could be incorporated into other KLAs such as arts and mathematics if time permits. Introduction – Review Do a walkthrough of information already gathered on wetlands – TWLH chart, concept maps, word wall, information tree diagram, Reef Beat posters, student presentations on wetlands, food chains and webs and science journals. Encourage students to comment on their learning or add information to the displays they may think important. Read the GBRMPA Reef Beat 2006, poster 4 – ‘It’s all connected’. Discuss the water flow – from source to sea. As a class, draw a rough sketch of a local waterway – from source to sea. Activity – Drawing or building a wetland If building model of a wetland Split the class into groups and decide which group will build which wetland. Each group should build a different wetland. In groups, find different items around the school that could represent different parts of the wetland. Students may need to research their wetland via a book, posters or the Internet first. Students should discuss and draw as to how they are going to construct the wetland before they begin. Construct the wetland. Depending on the needs of the class, this may be done over a number of lessons or during other KLA time. Label parts – groups should discuss and prepare labels for the different parts of each wetland. Students should also represent a food web in their wetland. If drawing a wetland This can be done individually or in pairs. Assign each student, or pair of students, a wetland. Students will need to investigate their wetland via books, posters and the Internet to draw a cross- section of their wetland. Students will need to label all the parts of the wetland and also represent the food web of their wetland.
Lesson 19 - 21: Reflections and assessment task Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – reflections and task introduction As a class, reflect and record what has been learned in the original TWLH chart. Explain to the students that they are going to begin their final assessment report. Present them with the task sheet and the Guide for making judgements (Resource 7 – Student task sheet and Guide for making judgements). Read through the task and Guide for making judgements together and identify all the requirements of the task. Discuss available resources (identify all the work done throughout the unit that will help the students complete the task). Set out a plan for time management and resource management. Activity – Prepare reports Allow students time to research and prepare their report. Students may need scaffolding for different of the report; this will depend on the needs of the class. How much time students are able to spend preparing their report will depend on the needs of the class and the length of time available in the school term. Opportunities to monitor student learning Resources