Lesson: Exploring ecosystems — Examining North Keppel Island (4 and 5 of 6) / 180 minutes
Content descriptions / Science Understandings
Biological sciences
•Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment: matter and energy flow through these systems
Science Inquiry Skills
Questioning and predicting
•Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically
Planning and conducting
•Plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods, including field work, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods
•Select and use appropriate equipment, including digital technologies, to systematically and accurately collect and record data
Processing and analysing data and information
•Analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships between variables and identifying inconsistencies.
•Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence
Evaluating
•Evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specific ways to improve the quality of data
•Critically analyse the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems
Communicating
•Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations
General capabilities / Literacy
Students will:
use and develop an understanding of science language specific to this lesson. This will include:
otechnical vocabulary and everyday language used in a science contexts (e.g. ecosystems, quadrats, field data, biotic, abiotic)
oprocedural vocabulary (e.g. collect, analyse, discuss)
ovisual representations (e.g. tables, graphs)
oconventions and symbols (e.g. ˚C, pH, Lux)
•create print and visual materials accurately and purposefully.
Numeracy
Students will:
•use practical measurements, collect, represent and analyse first-hand and second-hand data from investigations and research on ecosystem interrelationships and dynamics
•identify trends and patterns from numerical data on population sizes and changes.
Critical and creative thinking
Students will:
•pose questions, make predictions, speculate and solve problems related to ecosystem dynamics and populations
•analyse and evaluate evidence and summarise information.
Personal and social competence
Students will:
•make responsible decisions
•work effectively in teams
•follow procedures and work safely.
Cross-curriculum priorities / Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Students will identify the fact Kanomi lived on North Keppel Island for 4000 years and the effect this may have had on the ecosystem
Lesson objectives / Students will:
•understand appropriate methods used to collect field data
•construct conclusions based on analysis of data.
Evidence of learning / Can the student:
•utilise field methods to collect data?
•present and analyse data and make valid conclusions?
Resources / Find and prepare
Sheet — Collecting data
Sheet — Simple guide to quadrat sampling
Sheet — Analysing field data
Sheet – How to Conduct a Quadrat
Learning area specific language (metalanguage) / quadrat, transect, biotic, abiotic, turbidity, conductivity, pH
The Australian Curriculum: Scienceincludes a glossary of definitions of language specific to the science learning area. (Select Download.)
Definitions of science terms are also available from the C2C: Science glossary.
1 of 6
Andrew Gill (NKIEEC)
Teaching and learning sequenceOpening the lesson
Teaching strategy used
Interactive teaching: Whole-class discussion / Discuss with the group the cultural walk completed yesterday. Looking at the aerial map of NKI
Focus questions:
What physical parts of the land may indicate the boundaries of the Kanomi?
What knowledge of the land could Kanomi contribute to ecological studies?
Body of lesson
Teaching strategies used
Interactive teaching: Whole-class discussion / Discuss with students the range of methods used to study the environment.
Focus questions:
Why do scientists study the environment?
What sort of information would scientists want to find?
What kind of data could a scientist collect from a reef community?
How would this data help to determine the health of the reef?
How would this data help to determine the impact of factors affecting the reef?
Explain to students that in this lesson they will be given the chance to model ways scientists assess the health of an ecosystem.
Remind students of the two sites the reef flat and the rock flat that were used to collect abiotic data earlier in the unit. Discuss with students the observations and data that was collected and differences that were observed between the two sites.
Interactive teaching: Cooperative learning / Focus questions:
What differences in abiotic data were observed?
What differences were noticed in your descriptions of the flora of the site?
Were there any other pieces of information that might be important in a comparison between the two sites?
Explain to students they will utilise field methods to investigate the biotic conditions of the sites.
Refer to How to Conduct a Quadrat activity sheet.
Complete How to Conduct a Quadrat activity within the longhouse
Ask students to re-form the groups from the previous activity involving the collection of abiotic data.
Open to thework booklet sheetCollecting data and work through Tasks 1-3 as a class.
Discuss the work booklet sheetSimple guide toquadrat sampling and required equipment to each group.
Move the class to Site 1 reef flat.
Read through and demonstrate sampling described on the sheet Simple guide toquadrat sampling. Complete Task 4 of the sheet Collecting data
Check for student understanding and conduct data collection recording results according to Task 5.
Move around the site to ensure students are on task and are conducting data collection correctly.
Upon completion, move students to Site 2 rock flat and repeat the collection methods.
Upon completion, return to the longhouse, ensuring all collection equipment is returned.
Interactive teaching: Whole-class discussion / Theodore Staff
Explain to students that this information will be collated and analysed to help answer the focus question posed at the start of the class.
Focus questions:
What information would the quadrat data supply?
Why did two groups focus on animals and site data?
What other information may have been needed to answer the focus question?
How accurate is the data that you collected?
Ask students to complete Task 6 of Collecting data
Explain to students that they will be using second-hand data to analyse a site at North Keppel Island
Organise students into groups and distribute the sheets Analysing field data
Read through these as a class and ask students to work through the sheets.
Upon completion, discuss the students’ responses.
Focus questions:
What collection methods might the students have used?
What were the key indicators that highlighted the health of the sites?
What other information could be collected to develop a broader understanding of the sites?
What other items would you include in a report to communicate your assessment?
Closing the lesson
Teaching strategy used
Interactive Teaching: Whole class discussion / Discuss with students the need to collect accurate and valid data.
Focus questions:
What is meant by the term ‘accurate data’?
What is meant by the term ‘valid data’?
How would you consider the accuracy of the data we have collected and worked with in this lesson?
How might you collect more accurate data?
Would you consider the data we have worked with today valid data?
How could we improve the validity of the data?
1 of 6
Andrew Gill (NKIEEC)