Year 5 Task Card Biological Sciences

Introduction

This digital task card consists of a teacher resource, student on line activities, real world tasks
for the learners and a suggested learning sequence.
This is intended as an introductory, exploratory and concluding activity.
Formative assessment can take place throughout the resource activities and the students will
give a presentation to conclude.
This resource is broken into two sections to aid in the scaffolding of information. It is
recommended that the learning manager finishes section 1 before moving to section 2.
Focus question

What are adaptations and how do they help organisms survive?

CURRICULUM LINKS
Intended Learning Outcomes - Direct from Australian Curriculum: Science

SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING

Content description
Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their
environment (ACSSU043)


Declarative Knowledge
The learner will know:

Procedural Knowledge:
The learner will be able to:


D1 What adaptations are
D2 How adaptations help with survival
D3 All living things have adaptations
D4 What factors influence adaptations


P1 Identify physical adaptations
P2 Identify behavioural adaptations
P3 Classify adaptations
P4 Identify factors that influence
adaptations



P Pr ri io or r K Kn no ow wl le ed dg ge e: :
Knowledge and experience of how to use online simulations.

Extensive experience in successful group work.

Knowledge and experience of using online apps.

Understanding of the term biology.

Suggested Classroom Application Section 1
Differentiation
Teacher to guide and scaffold throughout to cater for all skill levels
Pair up students by mixing abilities to allow for peer support for the simulation. This will free up
teacher to float around.
Lower literacy level students can write a sentence instead of a summary.
Teacher aide assistance.
Variety of delivery formats
Create a word wall of terms needed for this unit, including: Arctic, Adaptations, Desert, environment
and Features.
POSING QUESTIONS:
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate
What are adaptations?
How do adaptations form?

Why do adaptations happen?

Why dont all animals live in all environments.

Why dont penguins live in the desert or giraffes in the Arctic?


COLLECT AND REPRESENT DATA:
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate
Play Animal Adaptations and Plant Adaptations videos in the teachers resource section.
Discuss these videos with the class.
Write on whiteboard How does a change in the environment affect the different plants and
animals living in that environment.
Send class individually to the on line simulation in the learners area of the website and have
them run through the online simulation completing all the necessary components.
ANALYSE EVIDENCE
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate
Make sure learners understand the link between rainfall, grass growth and rabbit survival.
What other environmental factors would influence survival such as drought, climate change and
natural disasters etc.
RELATING EVIDENCE & CONCLUSIONS
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate
Have learners write a summary of their understandings of the simulation.
DEVELOPING FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS
Have students create a cartoon strip narrative relating to some form of adaptation; for instance
Kelly Koala had to move into an apartment because bushfire destroyed her home.

Suggested Classroom Application Section 2
POSING QUESTIONS
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate

What do you know about adaptations?
How do they help survival?
Move into classifying activity using the pre-prepared resource link labelled What could I be?.
Arrange the learners into groups of four and get them to fill out the worksheet collaboratively
identifying all of the animals by their adaptations. This activity can be implemented with a
competitive element if suitable.

COLLECT AND REPRESENT DATA
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate

Send learners to the Adaptations and Survival Learning Object on the learners area of the digital
task card. Students to work through at their own pace and answer online questions at the end.
Next, send students to the Create a Creature link in the learners area of the digital task card.
Have the students print a copy of each to form part of the formative assessment for this unit.
Highlight the importance of following the steps carefully as they will need to present their
justifications of their chosen adaptations to their peers.
Explain that they will be classifying their creature into the pre-set stations around the room which
will affect their planning considerations.
Ensure the learners print off their creature for the next activity.
ANALYSE EVIDENCE
Pre-set stations around the room labelled the following classifications: aquatic, rainforest, desert,
bushland, other (your choice).
Have learners write a sentence to justify the area of classification they have chosen for their
creature to live in.
Request learners move, with their creations, to the most relevant classification zone.
RELATING EVIDENCE AND CONCLUSIONS
The 5 Es [Primary Connections] - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate
When all learners are in place, have them give a brief presentation about their creature including
their justification as to why they selected chosen adaptations and environment for creature to live
in.
Film presentations of creatures to form part of the formative assessment for this unit
DEVELOPING FURTHER INVESTIGATONS
Investigate adaptations further with a focus on a particular species for the purpose of creating a
scientific report. For examples the different size in penguins.
Have learners listen to the adaptations song.