LESSON PLAN

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PART A: PREPARATION AND STRATEGIES

Year: 8
Syllabus section: SCIENCE (STAGE 4) Living World 5 A and B
Stage 4
Unit Name: Ngara
Integrated curriculum between ENGLISH, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY and SCIENCE
Lesson Topic:
Food chains and Food webs
Prior knowledge/skills required
A student:
ST3-10LW
Describes how structural features
and other adaptations of living
things help them to survive in
their environment
ST3-11LW
Describes some physical
conditions of the environment
and how these affect the growth
and survival of living things

Duration:
60 mins
Resources (Attach classroom ready resources/worksheets students will be using, including
relevant pages from textbooks)
Rebus puzzle power point
Class roll
Coloured slips of paper with key word
Either class set of ipads or class set of dictionaries
Definitions sheet
Scaffolded exemplar
Video of game explanation
Scissors
Coloured pencils
Students work books

A student:
ST3-4WS
Investigates by posing questions,
including testable questions,
making predictions and gathering
data to draw evidence-based
conclusions and develop
explanations
Quality Teaching Elements (lesson focus) - Highlight relevant items
1. Intellectual Quality
2. Quality Learning Environment
3. Significance
1.1 Deep knowledge
2.1 Explicit quality criteria
3.1 Background knowledge
1.2 Deep understanding
2.2 Engagement
3.2 Cultural knowledge
1.3 Problematic knowledge
2.3 High Expectations
3.3 Knowledge integration
1.4 Higher-order thinking
2.4 Social Support
3.4 Inclusivity
1.5 Metalanguage
2.5 Students self regulation
3.5 Connectedness
1.6 Substantive communication
2.6 Student direction
3.6 Narrative
How are Quality Teaching (QT) elements achieved in the lesson?
QT element

Indicators of presence in lesson

1.4 students have to use what they know and synthesise it into their own stories

1.4 Higher-order thinking

2.5 Students self regulation
3.2 Cultural knowledge

2.5 students have to self-regulate in a high energy environment in order to fully

participate
3.2 during the lesson there is the opportunity to link their experiences of the site
visit and the knowledge they picked up there with scientific knowledge

PART B: SEQUENCE OF ACTIVIES IN LESSON

Syllabus outcomes: (number/s and descriptor)
A student:
SC4-14LW
Relates the structure and function of living things to their classification, survival and reproduction
SCLS-17LW
Recognises features of living and non-living things
SCLS-18LW
Identifies structures of living things and their functions

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Life Skills:

Recognise some external structures of animals, eg fur, feathers, hard shells, skin and limbs
Communicate the function of some basic external structures of animals, eg limbs are used for moving

The two main groups of living things (animals and plants)

Ways that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples classify plants or animals
Features of living things

Students learn to:

Construct and interpret food chains
Timing

Lesson content

5 Mins

Rebus Puzzles

15 mins

Definitions of content specific

words
(Craven, R. 2011)

Students learn about:

Australian ecosystems
Student activity

Teacher activity

When students enter the classroom and sit

down they must answer to their name when
it is called and while they are waiting for this
process to finish they must quietly work in
their heads on the rebus puzzle on the board
as well as getting out their books/iPads.
Students look up words they have been
assigned and write/type them in their
workbooks.

Mark roll
Review answer to rebus puzzle, specifically ask
students on their thought process.

Safely store handout either by gluing into

their books or by downloading the digital
copy from their moodle or the teacher can
email it to them

20 mins

Food web stories

3 mins
Watch video instructions

Main Stream Students

Work with student next to them in pairs
Write a story involving at least 3 animals
that are interacting within an ecosystem
groups can then read out their story to other
pairs and get the pairs to attempt to draw
what they heard. Students are encouraged
to make use of the definitions sheet they
have received.
Life Skills
Students undertaking life skills can complete
the alternate sheet of paper titled Australian
Animals Worksheet
Students watch video.
Students with green slip to cut it into three
(3) those with yellow slips to cut theirs into
two (2).

15

Go outside and play game

(Abbs, J. et al. 2011)

Students play game responsibly

2 mins

Wrap up and pack up

Teacher asks class to give an example of a

food chain

Explain to students that they will be doing

definitions of words including one of the rebus
puzzle answers (this can be used as a segue
from the last section) explain to students that
the slip they will get has the word they must
look up.
Explain to students that they must write their
definitions in their work books.
Handout coloured slips.
Hand out dictionaries if necessary.
Patrol.
At the end of exercise ask for students to offer
some of the definitions they found, correct if
necessary, get students to compare answers if
necessary. Ask students to think of an example
from their site visit. Hand out sheet with
teacher definitions. Students to stick in their
definitions sheet.
Teacher hands out explanation sheet with
scaffolded exemplar. Teacher then patrols.
Teacher asks for one or two groups to share
what they have done.

Teacher puts on video

At the end reinforces the instructions by
asking questions.
Teacher tells students to undertake the
required cutting (see student column for
details)
Teacher supervises game and at the end asks
students what they noticed e.g. which animals
went extinct.
Students offer answer

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PART C: ANALYSIS AND SELF-REFLECTION
How have outcomes been achieved?
Learning outcome
Relating Animal function to their
classification

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Method of measuring and recording

Observing their food chain stories as well as other verbal feedback throughout the
lesson

Links to next lesson

In the next lesson students will have an opportunity to pick a specific Indigenous nation and see how they interact with local food
chains and food webs and how their knowledge is being used in decisions to care for country and place.
AISTL graduate standards and evidence that this lesson achieves this standard.
AITSL Standard
Evidence within this lesson
1.4
1.4 By undertaking a literacy task involving key words from the topic before
utilising those words in an activity students whose background maybe EALD are
placed on a more even footing with their peers.
4.2

4.2 Clear directions are provided for students by having them watch a visual
example of the activity they are to undertake rather than just orally
communicating to them.

WHS considerations
Students standing up and running around can be an issue it would be advisable to take the class out to the oval or another soft
grass area alternatively the game can be run as a walking game. It should be emphasised to the students that appropriate contact
is necessary for the game and that it is just a game. If students are using digital technologies safe IT use should be enforced. If
students are using scissors to cut make sure they are using them responsibly.
References
Board of Studies, NSW. (2003). Science: Years K-10: Syllabus. Sydney, Australia
Craven, R. (Ed.). (2011). Teaching Aboriginal studies: A practical resource for primary and secondary teaching (2nd ed.). Crows
Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Department of Education. (2006). Online Communication Services: Acceptable Usage for School Students policy. Retrieved from:
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/general_man/general/accep_use/PD20020046.shtml
Abbs, J. and Stavropoulos, V. (2011). Science by Doing. Australian Academy of Science.
List of Websites from which pictures were obtained for Worksheet (listed in order of appearance on worksheet):

https://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/dzdziebko/ecosystem.jpg
http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101fa09/tje50/Images%20WS/simple.jpg
http://www.mghs.sa.edu.au/internet/curriculum/science/Year9/Pics/foodweb.jpg
http://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/Biology_organism_collage.jpg
http://republicranches.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cropfield.jpg
http://www.australiananimalwelfare.com.au/app/webroot/files/upload/files/images/banner2.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Fungi_in_Borneo.jpg/300pxFungi_in_Borneo.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/The_Dingo_Finds_a_Dead_Fish.jpg/800pxThe_Dingo_Finds_a_Dead_Fish.jpg
http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/12316/imagegallery/vic-easternbarredbandicoot-large.jpg
http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article2246149.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Australian-saltwater-crocodile.jpg
http://imagecache6.allposters.com/LRG/49/4917/HQW9G00Z.jpg

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Rebus Puzzles
Food Web

Forgive and Forget

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Definitions Sheet
Ecosystem =
An ecosystem is made up of all living and non-living things in a certain area.

Food chains =
Are a set of lines which show the relationship between different organisms within an ecosystem.

Food web =
Many food chains put together showing what eats what.

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Organism =
Is any complete living thing.

Producer =
Anything that makes its own food.

Consumer =
Anything that eats food.

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Decomposer =
Decomposers break down dead organisms like dead plants and animals.

Predator =
An animal which kills and eats other animals.

Prey =
Any animal which is killed and eaten by other animals.

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Carnivore =
Any organism which eats animals.

Herbivore =
Any organism which eats plants.

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Australian Animals Worksheet

Step 1: Pick an Animal from Australia, for example a Dingo.
Step 2: Draw a picture of it. Make sure to include important details, for example Dingos have big Teeth.
Step 3: Label the three (3) features.
Step 4: List something it eats.
Step 5: List something that eats it.

Example of a Dingo
It eats Bandicoots.
Fungi eat it.

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Ecosystem
Food Chain
Food Web
Organism
Producer
Consumer
Decomposer
Predator
Prey
Carnivore
Herbivore

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