YOUR TASK THIS TERM:
Assessment Information
So far this Term you have looked at Australia’s wetlands and addressed how important this habitat is for native birds, frogs and other forms of water life. You have addressed the fact that a variety of frogs are now in decline worldwide and that Australia has at least 37 of 220 species which are in trouble. You've researched how human activities have reduced the habitats available to frogs and as a class we decided it was time to help our local frogs survive. You and your team are now being asked to create a 'wetland' habitat on the school grounds that would be suitable for our local frog species.
As you go through the activities and gather ideas for your assessment remember that when you are creating the frog pond it must;
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be on school grounds
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use local plant species
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cost no more than $500
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not be greater than 30cm deep
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be partially shaded
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be in a safe area within the school
CREATING A HABITAT
IN THIS SECTION
1
Your task is to:
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Walk around your schoolyard and identify two possible sites to construct the wetland habitat.
Keep in mind that there are three main features necessary to construct this kind of habitat.
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A water source
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Flat ground near the water source where a shallow pond can be dug out
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Clay type soil that will hold the water
TASK ONE
2
Use the Year 5 resource booklet to fill out the table "Wetland Locations and Reasoning"
Throughout this table you, along with your group, you need to look at the locations that you chose from Activity One and write the information on each site in the booklet. You need to put your heads together and make a group decision about which site would be best.
Be sure to have backing evidence to support your chosen location!
TASK TWO
3
Your task is to research what types of plants your group would use around the Frog Pond.
You may use Google to help you but each member of your team must have a different plant.
At the end of gathering all your evidence you must discuss as a group the different plants you have researched and choose 3 that best fit it's main purpose, to support the Frog Pond.
TASK THREE
4
In this section you need to fill out the "Brainstorm" section of your booklet.
Write the ideas you are sharing within your group in regards to what you will need to and want to include within your ‘wetland’ frog pond.
Once you have finished brainstorming you then need to draw your team’s diagram of the pond in the box on the following page. Make sure you write a rough idea of the dimensions to show size!
You and your team need to work together to give 3 detailed reasons why the class should choose your team’s design.
We will be deciding on the best design at the end of this lesson, so get designing!
TASK FOUR
5
You must create a poster that showcases the winning team’s ideas. From these posters, we will have a class vote and the winning design will be sent home to advertise to the parents and community what we will be engaging in over the next few weeks.
TASK FIVE
6
This step is the final step before we begin to create our Frog Pond.
Read through the document below as a class in groups and take notes of anything that might need to be adapted into our plan for constructing the Frog Pond.
TASK SIX
7
Turn to the final page in the Year 5 booklet.
Look back and evaluate the process we took and the effectiveness of our Frog Pond.
TASK SEVEN
TECHNOLOGIES STRAND
Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding:
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Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use (ACTDEK023)
In this section inparticular you will be looking at:
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comparing tools, equipment and techniques to select those most appropriate for a given purpose.
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills:
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Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
In this section inparticular you will be looking at:
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analysing and modifying design ideas to enhance and improve the sustainability of the product, service, environment or system.
CROSS CURRICULUM:
SUSTAINABILITY
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Actions for a more sustainable future reflect values of care, respect and responsibility, and require us to explore and understand environments.
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Designing action for sustainability requires an evaluation of past practices, the assessment of scientific and technological developments, and balanced judgments based on projected future economic, social and environmental impacts.
In this section inparticular you will be looking at:
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representing and communicating design ideas using modelling and drawing standards including the use of digital technologies, for example scale; symbols and codes in diagrams such as pictorial maps.
REMEMBER:
A schoolyard with a diverse landscape offers much more to you and the community than the typical barren schoolyard. Many of the benefits of establishing habitats are obvious while others are less obvious yet very important. Some of the benefits include: the diverse schoolyard landscape offering many teaching and learning opportunities in Science, English, Mathematics, History, and Art.
The process of planning, implementing and using a habitat project provides you with a unique hands-on learning experience which experts say is an important part of learning.
Setting goals will establish what you want to accomplish and set parameters for the project. For instance, throughout the guide, using native plants is strongly advocated. Throughout this unit you will make contact with our local community by developing a flyer, doing a presentation and inviting others to participate.
The coloured sections below inform you of the content descriptors and specific elaborations that you will be addressing throughout the following tasks. The list of numbers provide you with a step by step guide that you will be following with your fellow peers and within your group. This list encourages you to engage in the planning phase and then address any changes that you could undertake to create the most suitable habitat for and future amphibians that call our final creation home. Once each group has created a design and implemented and final adjustments you will be asked to present to the class and explain your design and why we should vote for your idea. GOOD LUCK!
