The aim of this integrated unit of work is for the students to investigate the plight of a local endangered species. This topic has been specifically chosen and developed as the learning content is relevant to the lives of these students as they live in the environment that the Yellow-bellied Glider is known to inhabit. It is hoped that this significance for the students will allow for engagement with the learning activities and help them to learn by incorporating an integration of background knowledge with new content. This topic will allow the students to achieve success by synthesising the information needed to create their communication piece and will allow them to make a meaningful connection to their community outside of their classroom and school.
It is our aim that by the conclusion of this unit the students will have a deeper understanding of living things and how to explain the distribution of a species of animal and the impact of human activity on their distribution. Students should also be able to appreciate the importance of science and technology in their lives and show a willingness to improve the quality of their local environment. Students should consequently develop an environmental conscience in respect to issues that are related to their local environment and be willing to promote their knowledge with their family and community. This topic will also allow the students to become aware of the indigenous perspective and the significant relationship between their local natural environment and the Aboriginal people in the past as well as contemporary times.
Students will use a range of representations to document and communicate methods, techniques, findings, ideas and information, including digital technologies as appropriate. Students explore a design task and develop a design brief that identifies simple design criteria. They will continue to generate and develop ideas and begin to use creative thinking techniques, including brainstorming and sketching. Throughout the unit students, in groups, will develop and apply a structured plan to produce their solutions for information and products. Students will use design criteria and feedback to explain how their project design could be adjusted and improved to meet requirements of the design brief.
The students will investigate this topic through the integration of learning outcomes and content across the curriculum areas of Science and Technology, English, Human Society and Its Environment, and Mathematics. We have chosen to take an integrated approach to this topic as the learning content meets the specific objectives across more than one key learning area. Integration will allow for sufficient learning time across the term so that the students cover a limited number of planned learning activities in sufficient depth to allow for a deeper understanding of the topic by each student whilst meeting the learning objectives and time requirements of each of the Key Learning Areas that have been integrated.