Close message Due to maintenance between 17:00 to 19:00 on Thursday 30th May 2024, Scootle website may face disruption in service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Science / Year 2 / Science Understanding / Biological sciences

Curriculum content descriptions

Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030)

Elaborations
  • representing personal growth and changes from birth
  • recognising that living things have predictable characteristics at different stages of development
  • exploring different characteristics of life stages in animals such as egg, caterpillar and butterfly
  • observing that all animals have offspring, usually with two parents
ScOT terms

Animal reproduction,  Plant reproduction,  Growth (Animals),  Plant growth

Video

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.

Video

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.

Video

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

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.

Video

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.

Video

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.

Video

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.

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, ...

Online

Making a small wicking bed

Making and planting a small wicking bed is a fulfilling activity. It upcycles materials, building awareness of waste and reuse. The completed wicking bed can suit small spaces – such as a balcony – demonstrating that even small spaces can be used to produce food. Its small size allows children to take ownership of its maintenance. ...

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 ...

Online

Creating a beneficial garden: investigation

Biodiversity has been perfected by nature over millions of years where invertebrates have played an important role in maintaining a balanced, biodiverse ecosystem. Invertebrates provide services to food crops including pollination and protection from pests. This learning activity is the second part of a sequence of 3 individual ...

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 ...

Text

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 ...

Online

Creating a yarning circle: using your yarning circle

This activity provides a plan for how to use a yarning circle by introducing a yarning stick/talking stick. It is part of a sequence of 8 individual learning activities designed to support the meaningful use of yarning circles in learning environments. The outcomes of this learning activity are for children to: understand ...

Video

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.

Online

Creating a yarning circle: background

This activity introduces children to the idea of a yarning circle and its importance in First Nations Culture. It is part of a sequence of 8 individual learning activities designed to support the meaningful use of yarning circles in learning environments. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for children to: understand ...

Online

Creating a sensory garden

A sensory garden is a garden that engages all the senses: touch, smell, hearing, sight and even taste. Sensory gardens create a rich sensory experience as users directly and indirectly interact with the plants and the space. In addition to providing tips for creating a sensory garden and the best types of plants to choose, ...

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 ...

Online

Making a large wicking bed

Wicking beds are a fantastic invention, allowing crops to be watered more efficiently. Making a large wicking bed does involve a few steps and some preparation, however the benefits of this extra effort are water conservation, improved plant growth and better crops. The design of the wicking bed also provides opportunities ...

Online

Propagating from fruit and vegetable scraps

We’re going to use fruit and vegetable scraps to propagate or grow new plants! Investigating plant growth engages young learners in a hands-on science project and helps illustrate plant features and life-cycles. Your plants can even be planted into the garden to produce a future crop. OUTCOMES for this learning activity ...