Backward Design - UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE

Title: LIVING THINGS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

CONWAY

Year Level: ONE Teacher: MRS

Focus Curriculum Area (s): Science, English, Arts

Duration: TERM 2, WEEKS 2-5

STAGE 1: Curriculum Links

General
Capabilities
(GP)

Crosscurriculum
Priorities
(CCP)

Aboriginal and

Year Level
Content
Descriptors

Literacy

Numeracy

Ethical Behaviour Personal and Social

TSI

Asia and Australias

Engagement with
Histories and
Asia
Culture
ACSSU211 Living things live in different places
where their needs are met.
ACSSU017 Living things have a variety of
external features.
ACSIS024 Pose and respond to questions, and
make predictions about familiar objects and
events
ACSIS025 Participate in guided investigations
to explore and answer questions
ACSIS029 Represent and communicate
observations and ideas in a variety of ways
ACELT1586 Recreate texts imaginatively using
drawing, writing, performance and digital forms
of communication.
ACAVAM108 Create and display artworks to
communicate ideas to an audience.

ICT
Intercultural

Critical and Creative

Thinking

Understanding

Sustainability

Year Level
Achievement
Standards

Describes changes
within the local
environment
Recognises the
different places of
living things
Questions, predicts
and participates in
guided investigations

Knowledge

Skills

Living things live in different places where their needs

are met (ACSSU211)

Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer

questions (ACSIS025)

Living things have a variety of external features

(ACSSU017)

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a

variety of ways (ACSIS029)

Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing,

performance and digital forms of communication
(ACELT1586)

Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS213)

Pose and respond to questions, and make predictions about

familiar objects and events (ACSIS024)

LEARNING OUTCOMES: What relevant goals will this unit of work address? Draw these out of the content
descriptors and the achievement standards.
-

Recognise common features of living things (body, head, tail)

Identify different habitats in the environment (Beach, playground)

Recognise and compare the different places living things live (water, soil)

Understand what happens when habitats change

Participates in investigations in the environment and poses relevant questions

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Task description:
Using paper mch or playdough, students will create a living organism they have discovered over the past 6 lessons to
display in the classroom. Students can use arts and crafts to decorate their organism and using imaginative text, write a
short story on their chosen creature.
Requirements:
1. Over a span of 6 lessons, students will investigate different habitats and living things around the school and
participate in interactive activities with peers.

2. Identify a living organism to study.

3. Use resources such as the internet, books and observations from investigations to gather information about their
chosen organism to study.
4. Using paper mch or playdough, individually construct the organism that was chosen and decorate using arts, crafts
and paint.
5. Write a short imaginative blurb on the living organism using the following four questions:
- What living thing have you created? (butterfly, bird etc)
- Give them a creative name.
- Where would you find them? And what does their habitat look like?
- What are their interests?
6. Complete summative assessment by sixth lesson.
7. Display completed work around the classroom to show peers and parents.
8. Use rubric to assess and report on students achievement.
Assessment Criteria:
- Can identify environments specific to certain living things.
- Recognise and describe the common features of living things.
- Poses questions and participates in discussions about living things and their habitats.
- Explores and makes predictions on living environments
- Uses imagination to create illustrative story on living creatures.
- Experiments with a range of man-made materials and technologies to create artworks.
- Records and compare observations with others.
Assessment recording template:
- Rubric
Feedback:
- Teacher to provide feedback when the opportunity arises, give out gold stars and provide feedback on work.
-

Round table discussion to approach the task (Readman & Allen, 2013)

Self-assessment:
-

Learning journals write down 1 thing that you have learnt this lesson

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 3: PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION

What

events will help students:

Experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential questions in the unit?
How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?
Achieve the desired results identifies in Stage 1?
Equip students to complete the assessment tasks identified in Stage 2?
Learning Experiences

Introduction to living things in their habitats. What is a habitat?

What is a living thing? Brainstorm on the whiteboard
Watch short video clips on YouTube:
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1226773/this-cockatoorocks
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/30204/animals-that-likewet-weather
go back to brainstorm, do they have anything to add?
Go outside the classroom and investigate different areas where
living things might be found.
Take a camera, gloves, magnifying glass and zip lock bags to
collect evidence.
Once returned to the classroom, report on what evidence was
collected
Use the two websites to play games and find out more
information and complete KWL chart
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1389147/where-do-frogslay-their-eggs-includes-spoken-instructions-

Assessment For/As Learning

(Formative Assessment)
- Diagnostic assessment
use to gather evidence of
whether students
understand the topic.
- Self-assessment - learning
journals to write one thing
learnt from the lesson
-

Resources
IWB

Learning journals, write

down one more thing
learnt from the lesson.
Checklist/ anecdotal
records

Camera
Gloves
Magnifying
glass
Zip lock
bags

K-W-L chart
Learning journals

IWB
KWL chart

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/animals/classifyinganimals/
4

Using the computers and books in the classroom read about a

living thing that is interesting
Quiz on living things

Short quiz worksheet

Learning journals

Computers/
iPads
Quiz
worksheet

Using paper mch or playdough, design and create a living thing

such as a butterfly or bird
Take out arts and crafts to finish project and complete a short
imaginative blurb on the living thing answering the following
questions:
- What living thing have you created? (butterfly, bird etc)
- Give them a creative name.
- Where would you find them? And what does their habitat
look like?
- What are their interests?

Observation notes
Learning journal
Observation notes
Learning journals

Arts and
crafts
Arts and
crafts