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Science / Year 1 / Science Understanding / Biological sciences

Curriculum content descriptions

Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)

Elaborations
  • recognising common features of animals such as head, legs and wings
  • describing the use of animal body parts for particular purposes such as moving and feeding
  • identifying common features of plants such as leaves and roots
  • describing the use of plant parts for particular purposes such as making food and obtaining water
ScOT terms

Plant structure and function,  Animal structure and function

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Work sample Year 1 Science: Minibeast habitat

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 1 Science. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

Downloadable

How is water used?

In this lesson, students investigate the variety of ways water is used by plants and humans in four workstation activities.

Online

Education - Return to 1616 Ecological Restoration Project

This is a comprehensive education package based on of the world's most exciting ecological restoration projects that is happening right now in Western Australia! It features interactive virtual tours, 3D skulls, videos, real-action inquiry projects, research projects, native animal educational card games and activities, ...

Interactive

Sites2See: Forests

Online resources for Primary teachers, parents and students to celebrate and engage with the International Year of Forests 2011. Features selected links to games, information, videos and interactive resources for the study of trees and forests and broader issues of biodiversity and sustainability.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a kookaburra

Watch a wild kookaburra being fed by hand. Don Spencer handles an injured kookaburra that is being nursed to health. It will be set free once it is well again. See where kookaburras make their homes. Listen to their laughing call.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a flying fox

Take a close look at the flying mammal called the flying fox, or fruit bat. Watch these furry flyers as they leave their roosts to find food. Discover how and why they climb trees. See how these animals fly like birds but are not birds.

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For the Juniors: Breathing under the water

What would it be like to breathe under water? See the equipment humans use to help them swim under water. Find out about the special features fish have that help them 'breathe' under water.

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Pet Superstars: Guide dog puppy in training

Meet Ella and the puppy she is helping to train as a guide dog. Find out what it takes to teach Dusty what he needs to know for a very important job.

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For the Juniors: Where does honey come from?

Discover where honey comes from. Learn how and why honey is made and how we get different types of honey. See what daily life is like in a bee colony.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a goanna

Take a close look at the largest of Australia's lizards, the goanna. It is also called a monitor lizard. Observe (look carefully at) these scaly reptiles as Don Spencer describes their features.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a swan

Join Don Spencer as he observes (looks carefully at) a black swan. Discover a surprise under this bird's black outer feathers. Watch how differently the swan moves on land and in water.

Interactive

Environmental and Zoo Education Centres – primary school resources

A collection of digital resources for primary school teachers and students to support teaching and learning from home, with a particular focus on geography, science and history. The resources were developed by Department of Education teachers from 25 Environmental and Zoo Education Centres in NSW and include Google Sites, ...

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a sugar glider

Don Spencer shows us a small mammal called a sugar glider. Take a close look at its big eyes and furry tail. See it glide through the air from tree to tree. Watch the sugar glider eat. Learn how it got its name.

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For the Juniors: Keeping cool in hot weather

Have you ever wondered why your face turns red when you run around? Discover what's going on under your skin when this happens, and how this helps you keep cool. See some of the clever ways that animals keep cool, too.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 3: Discover flower power!

Can you imagine a world without flowers? Flowers add colour, scent and beauty to our world. But why do plants make them? Discover the real purpose of flowers and how they do their job.

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Pet Superstars: Ferreting around

Meet Will and his two pet ferrets, Lemony and Snicket. Learn how Will cares for these two animal acrobats. Find out about some challenges he faces in having ferrets around the house.

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Pet Superstars: Guinea pig superstar

Meet Larissa and her guinea pig called 'Superstar'. Learn how Larissa cares for her guinea pig pets and what her dream is. Find out what makes Superstar a superstar pet.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing an echidna

Join Don Spencer as he looks closely at an echidna. Observe the body parts and covering of this unique Australian mammal. Find out what the echidna eats. Watch it move around in its natural habitat.

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Pet Superstars: Alpacas: No hump but spits like a camel

Meet Kai the alpaca, an animal that is a bit like a camel. Listen as Cassandra talks about the alpaca's fleece (body covering), how it lives in herds and what it eats. See the two types of alpaca breed: Huacaya and Suri. How are they different? The clue is in their fleece.

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For the Juniors: Fish from the ocean to table

Have you ever eaten fish for dinner? This clip tells the story of how fish come from the sea to your plate. See how fish are caught, bought and sold. Watch a fish being cut into fillets and find out what happens to the bits we don't eat.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a wombat

Take a close look at two different types of wombats in this short clip. Don Spencer introduces a Common Wombat called Winifred, then shows us a Hairy-nosed Wombat foraging in the desert.

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For the Juniors: Why do cows make milk?

Have you ever wondered why cows make milk? In this clip you will learn the answer to this question. You will also see how cows are milked in a large dairy. Join Bill, a dairy farmer, as he tends to his herd of dairy cows.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a shark

Don Spencer shows us one of the world's most fearsome creatures, the white pointer shark. Take a close look at the shark's teeth and jaws. Discover how the shark moves so quickly underwater.

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For the Juniors: Exploring under the sea

Dive into the busy and colourful world of the coral reef. Explore some of the many animals that live in the shallow waters of the reef. See how they catch food and make their homes there.

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For the Juniors: Hand-milking cows

Discover how people milked cows before milking machines existed. Do you think you could milk a cow by hand? Watch this short clip to find out how it's done. Look at the special features (parts) of cows that store their milk and release it during milking.

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Pet Superstars: A pig in high heels?

Meet Trotsky the pet pig. Look at him carefully and find out more about pigs as pets. See how Trotsky is looked after and why he is a much-loved family pet.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a platypus

Meet one of the world's most amazing creatures. Listen as Don Spencer describes the features of a platypus. Watch a platypus clean itself and then swim under water to search for food. See what type of animal the platypus catches and feeds on by the water's edge.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing an emu

Join Don Spencer as he describes the emu, one of the biggest birds in the world. Watch emus searching for food and taking care of their eggs. Discover what makes the emu different from most other birds.

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Pet Superstars: The beagle: A nose that always knows

Meet Junior, a beagle who sniffs out all sorts of things, especially treats. Listen as Josie tells us about life with her pet dog. People say that beagles have the most amazing sense of smell. Does Junior? Find out.

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For the Juniors: A poem about taste

Imagine what life would be like if you couldn't taste anything. This rhyming poem will help you think about the importance of our sense of taste.

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Pet Superstars: Can you train a blue-tongue lizard to do tricks?

Meet Coco and Yoshi, two blue-tongue lizards. Isabel says they make great pets. Find out what Isabel likes about them and how she cares for them. Discover how she gets Yoshi to complete a daring trick! See how a snail helps!

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a kangaroo

Take a look at Australia's most famous animal, the kangaroo. Don Spencer feeds a female kangaroo that has a young joey in her pouch. Observe (look carefully at) how kangaroos stay alert in case of danger.

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Pet Superstars: This cocky rocks

Meet Max and Cocky, his pet sulphur-crested cockatoo. Discover how Max handles his cheeky pet. Find out what body part he uses that has earned him the title 'the destroyer'.

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Sam the Lamb: what is wool?

This short video, narrated by Sam the Lamb and a group of young woolgrowers, explores where wool comes from, how it grows and how it protects sheep in all kinds of weather. Viewers will discover what wool looks it, how it feels and how woolgrowers harvest their sheep’s woolly fleece each year…and how it grows back again.

Downloadable

Unit for Reception to Year 2 Butterflies: Engaging with nature

This unit of work engages students in preparing butterfly gardens in their schoolgrounds. It explores the characteristics of living and non-living things, features of caterpillars and butterflies, the lifecycle of butterflies, survival requirements, and the characteristics of butterfly gardens. The unit includes worksheets, ...

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a cockatoo

Meet Charlie, a pet cockatoo. Watch other cockatoos in the wild as they climb, fly and walk around. Discover the reason for the name of the sulphur-crested cockatoo.

Online

Cats, Dogs and Us: Lesson plans (years 1-2)

This teacher resource is an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) resource designed to encourage students to examine the physical characteristics and natural behaviours of cats and dogs, and discuss the various ways we live with and care for cats and dogs around the world. It consists of five lesson plans, three ...

Online

Carbon is child's play

Carbon is all around us and makes up every living thing. This unit investigates the basic science of carbon in living things and build awareness of the science of the carbon cycle and its importance to our daily lives and the planet. The unit includes PDF resources and video quiz challenges for teachers and student and ...

Interactive

NSW ecosystems on show

This resource highlights fifteen natural ecosystems found in New South Wales. Each resource has been designed for students investigating ecosystem types in NSW, providing a greater understanding of their location, function, how they are impacted by human activity and how schools and communities can work to protect them. ...

Online

Habitat investigations

This is a detailed plan for teaching a unit on habitats. It includes a unit outline, overview and aim, learning outcomes, inquiry questions, background information about habitats, lesson plans and a guide to assessment. The lesson sequence is based on the inquiry based 5Es approach to teaching Science, with a focus on investigations ...

Online

Planting fruit and vegetables

In this sequence of lessons students grow a plant from seed, capturing each step and decision as an algorithmic process and recording data for future learning.

Downloadable

The Manual: Butterfly Gardening in South Australia

This Manual assists teachers and students establish butterfly gardens in their schoolgrounds. It provides information about butterfly lifecycles, habitats, adaptations, and requirements to live. The manual also provides local Indigenous perspectives of butterflies, along with useful links to websites. The manual accompanies ...

Online

Getting the buzz on bees and other beneficial insects

We’re going to investigate insects! Explore your outdoor surroundings to see if your habitat is home to bees and other beneficial insects. Use the field guide to help you get the buzz on bees and other local insects. OUTCOMES: For children to look closely for beneficial insects outdoors and identify those which are present; ...

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For the Juniors: Making a rain gauge

How do you feel about the rain? This clip explains why rain is so important to farmers. You will see how to make a rain gauge and use it to measure how much rain falls. Farmers measure rainfall so they know when to do different jobs on their farms.

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For the Juniors: Where Does Bread Come From?

Do you know where your bread comes from? Discover how many other foods can be made from wheat flour. This clip tells the story of wheat from the farm to the factory. See how the big machines in a flour mill make flour from grains of wheat.

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Day in the life of a wombat

Wombats have lovely large noses like dogs, but they're different from dogs' noses. How are they different? They also have hard heads and sharps nails to dig their homes with. What are their homes called? What do they do with most of their day?

Video

Termites: Destroyers or recyclers?

Be amazed by what these young scientists find out about termites. Discover where termites live and what they eat. You may be surprised to find out that they are not actually ants, and that they are blind! This video was a finalist in the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science School Prize competition.

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For the Juniors: Growing apples

Do you like eating apples? This clip shows where apples are grown. Learn how the apple farmer (orchardist) looks after the apple trees so they can grow lots of healthy fruit.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a koala

Join Don Spencer as he talks about one of Australia's most popular animals. Observe koalas as they walk, climb and jump to find food in the bush. Discover why koalas rarely drink.

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For the Juniors: Using and storing water on a farm

Can you imagine a farm with no water? What might happen to the animals and crops? This clip explains how important a water supply is for farmers. You will see some ways that farmers store water, which is especially important when there is limited or no rain.

Interactive

How does your garden grow?

This Stage 2 resource grew from a conversation between young students questioning why they could still buy grapes if they were out of season. This wondering led to a discussion around when we grow certain fruit and vegetables. The original stimulus was extended to cover planting for the seasons and factors that influence ...

Online

Sow a seed, grow a feed

Engage young learners’ senses as they grow food from a seed. They can learn about caring for a living thing, experience the joy of watching something grow and harvesting healthy edible food. The activity provides opportunities for development of science, sustainability and maths concepts. OUTCOMES of this learning activity ...

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What am I? Amazing Australian Animals

This informative digital text about Australian animals is for teachers to read aloud to students. The text has s a question and answer puzzle format and it provides clues and information about the appearance, habitat and behaviours of the crocodile, platypus, cassowary and quoll. The resource includes a teaching sequence ...

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Life Cycle of a Frog

This digital text presents information about the life cycle of frog using a visual diagram, and it is for teachers to share with students. It includes labels, arrows and technical vocabulary. The resource includes a teaching sequence related to the Big Six components of literacy development (oral language, phonological ...

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Emperor Penguins

This informative digital text about emperor penguins is for teachers to read aloud to students. The text is an information report that describes how these penguins survive in the freezing cold climate of Antarctica. The resource includes a teaching sequence related to the Big Six components of literacy development (oral ...

Interactive

Garden detective: explore an Australian garden

Search for small creatures in an Australian garden. Find animals such as a scorpion, a lacewing and a cicada. Have a close look at their body parts. Return all the animals to their habitats. This learning object is one in a series of two objects. The series is also packaged as a combined learning object.

Interactive

Garden detective: Australian garden

Search for small creatures in an Australian garden. Find animals such as a scorpion, a lacewing and a cicada. Have a close look at their body parts. Identify groups of creatures that have similar body features such as wings or number of legs. Return all the animals to their habitats. This content is also suitable for use ...

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Male and female thylacines, 1841

This is a 36 cm x 55 cm hand-coloured lithograph of a pair of thylacines (‘Thylacinus cynocephalus’), commonly called Tasmanian tigers, against a background of small bushes and an open plain.

Online

Primary science: authentic contexts

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'authentic contexts' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers engage their students' interests, ...

Online

Primary science: scientific inquiry

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'scientific inquiry' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers facilitate the procedures ...

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Zygomaturus fossil skeleton

This is a colour photograph of a 'Zygomaturus tasmanicus' fossil skeleton. The skeleton is a museum specimen and has been braced with metal rods. It is displayed in a standing posture.

Online

Cats, Dogs and Us: Education pack (years 1-2)

This education pack is an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) resource designed to build students' understanding about the special place domestic cats and dogs have in people's lives. The pack consists of a teaching guide, a student magazine and five student worksheets focusing on topics such as the physical characteristics ...

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Ngan'gi seasons calendar

This is a seasonal calendar developed by the Ngan’gi people of the Northern Territory in collaboboration with CSIRO. The resource contains an introduction, a richly illustrated calendar and related links. The introduction includes information about the people’s wish to document traditional knowledge of their Daly River ...

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Gooniyandi seasons calendar

This is the Mingayooroo - Manyi Waranggiri Yarrangi, Gooniyandi seasons calendar developed by people of the Gooniyandi language group of the Kimberley in collaboration with CSIRO. The resource consists of an introduction, a richly illustrated calendar and related links. The introduction contains information about the people’s ...