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Listed under:  Science  >  Life  >  Ecosystems  >  Habitats
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Survival in Extreme Environments

In this activity, students explore the adaptations that allow animals to survive in extreme environments. Students plan and conduct a hands-on investigation to answer the questions 'Which animal will stay the coolest in a hot environment?' and 'Which animal will stay the warmest in a cold environment?' This resource is ...

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Camouflage Capers

In this activity, students investigate camouflage and model the effect of colour on the survival of organisms. Students explore the effects of camouflage on predation and the impact of changing environments on camouflaged organisms. This resource is part of a suite of activities from Queensland Museum focused on habitats ...

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Staying Alive: Australian Animal Adaptations

In this activity, students investigate how adaptations support survival in specific habitats. They consider the living and non-living (biotic and abiotic) conditions of five Australian habitats and suggest general adaptations that would assist survival in these locations. Students then work in small groups to explore two ...

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Primary Connections: Sustain the chain

In this sequence of 8 lessons, students learn about the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers with their local habitat and use food chains to represent the feeding relationships. They apply their knowledge to their school grounds through a selected context which can include working on the school ...

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Cameras in Disguise: Design Challenge

In this activity, students design a camouflaged camera that can be used to record footage of a native Australian animal. Students must consider both the behaviour of the animal and the conditions of the environment in which the animal lives to make their designed solution.

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Caring for country

In this set of learning activities, students explore how to restore native vegetation disturbed by natural events or human activity. The module includes a comprehensive teacher guide, curriculum links, materials lists, design process guides and printable student resource sheets. The resource also provides an editable module ...

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Every bird needs a home

In this set of learning activities, students investigate how habitat loss affects biodiversity. Students undertake field work and investigate the problem within the context of their school. Using a collaborative learning approach and problem-solving skills, students design a bird habitat to increase bird numbers. The module ...

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Yeast bubbles | Questacon

In this activity, students grow yeast in different physical conditions to explore how physical environments can effect the growth and survival of living organisms. The activity includes a list of what is required, suggestions of what to do and notice, questions to ask, an explanation for the underlying science of what students ...

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Exploring Cyclones

In this series of activities students explore the effect of cyclones on habitats. They investigate how cyclones can affect humans, living things and the landscape, identify how natural environmental changes may impact living things, with a focus on coral reefs. They then use data to predict future trends in cyclone activity.

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Plate Tectonics 2: Plate Tectonics and Australia

In these activities, students predict how the historical geographical location of Australia would influence flora and fauna. They then construct a map of Earth using tectonic plates, and use this map to identify the geological features and events that occur at different plate boundaries. This resource is part of a suite ...

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Spotlight On Survival: Animal Communities in an Arid Environment

This series of activities focus on animal survival in arid environments, where ecosystems are subjected to extremes in temperature and the availability of water. Students investigate the effects of patterns or rainfall and drought on the ecology and consider other challenges such as the impact of feral species or human ...

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Built To Survive Learning Resource

The Built to Survive learning resource includes five lessons that explore different habitats and the animals that survive within them. To complete each lesson students become documentary hosts, drawing on their research and following the format of the Built to Survive documentary series. The resource also includes a module ...

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For the birds | Questacon

In this activity, students design a birdbath for their garden or school. They consider the needs and physical characteristics of local birdlife when designing their birdbath, build and manage the bath, and observe the birds that visit. The activity includes a list of what is required, suggestions of what to do and notice, ...

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It’s Alive: Conditions on Earth

In this resource, students investigate and measure the conditions of planet Earth. They explore temperature, gravity and the needs of living things. Students also discuss how some conditions on Earth are constant, while other conditions regularly change, and how living things have adaptations to survive these changes.

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Biosecurity surveillance at school

This activity outlines the process to undertake a biosecurity surveillance of a school environment. The teacher guide, slides and student sheets identify some invasive pests that represent a threat to NSW agriculture including cane toads, fire ants and exotic bees. The activity could be adapted for other locations.

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Investigate: cane toads

This unit of work is designed to help students understand cane toads and their threat to the Australian environment and agricultural production. Why some animals are to be protected and others need to be eradicated. The resource includes a teacher guide, student learning journal and a PowerPoint presentation.

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DTiF in conversation with Save the Bilby Fund – Background information on the Save the Bilby Fund

Kevin Bradley, CEO of Save the Bilby Fund, and Cassandra Arkinstall, a researcher and volunteer at Save the Bilby Fund, explain why the bilby is an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and how their decline impacts other wildlife. This video gives an overview of what the Save the Bilby Fund does as they work ...

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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 ...

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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 ...