Intel® Teach Program

Designing Effective Projects

Old McDonald’s FarmUnit Plan

Unit Overview
Unit Title
Old McDonald’s Farm
Unit Summary
Students investigate the effects of introduced species on the Australian flora & fauna as well as the economic effects. Students will work in groups to develop a land management plan for a rural environment. Explicit teaching will also be used throughout the unit to guide students through the process.
Curriculum Links
Interpersonal development, Science, Economics, Communication.
Year Level
Year 8 - Level 4 & 5 Victorian Essential Learning Standards.
Approximate Time Needed
Term 4 – SOSE, Science & English time allotments.
Unit Foundation
Standards/Syllabus Outcomes
Strand: Physical, personal & social learning

Domain: Interpersonal Development Level 5

Standards: Building social relationships

At Level 5 students demonstrate respect for individuality and empathise with others in local and global contexts, acknowledging the diversity of individuals. They recognise and describe peer influence on their behaviour. Students identify and use appropriate strategies to manage individual conflict and assist others in resolution processes.

Working in teams

At Level 5 students accept responsibility as a team member and support other members to share information, explore the ideas of others, and work cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose within a realistic time frame. They reflect on individual and team outcomes and act to improve their own and the team's performance.
Strand: Discipline Based Learning
Domain: Science Level 4

Standards: Science knowledge and understanding

At Level 4 students explain the characteristics of physical and chemical change, and describe the types of change/s substances have experienced. They apply the terms models and systems appropriately as ways of representing complex structures and relationships, including: the human body and its various functions, the transforming and transferring of energy, explaining the relationships that exist between systems in the environment, and explaining how the Earth and the Moon operate as a simple system within the larger Solar System. Students qualitatively describe changes in motion in terms of the forces present.

Science at work

At Level 4 students analyse a range of science-related local issues and describe the relevance of science to their own and other people's lives. Students design their own simple experiments to collect data and draw conclusions. They describe the purpose of experiments they undertake, and relate this purpose to the nature of the data that is collected. They use diagrams and symbols to explain procedures used when reporting on their investigations.
Students approach data collection systematically, and analyse data qualitatively in terms of errors of measurement. They use a range of simple measuring instruments and materials, and demonstrate understanding of their personal responsibility in using them. Students use the terms relationships and cause when discussing and drawing conclusions from the data they collect.
Students design and build simple models and write an account of the science that is central to explanation of the model.
Students describe the contributions Australian scientists have made to improve and/or change science knowledge.
Domain: Economic Level 5

Standards: Economic knowledge and understanding

At Level 5 students explain the nature of the economic problem and how economic choices involve trade-offs that have both immediate and future consequences. They explain key factors that influence the Australian economy, including the quantity and quality of factors involved in production, resource use, ownership and management, and types of businesses. Students make informed economic and consumer decisions, demonstrating the development of personal financial literacy. They describe factors that affect choice of employment and opportunities for current and future work, and explain the relationship between education, training and work opportunities. Students identify and describe ways the government influences economic outcomes at the personal, local and national level.

Economic reasoning and interpretation

At Level 5 students use the inquiry process to plan economic investigations, analyse and interpret data, and form conclusions supported by evidence. They form and express opinions on economic issues that interest and/or impact on them personally, or locally and/or nationally.
Strand: Interdisciplinary Learning
Domain: Communication Level 5

Standards: Listening, viewing and responding

At Level 5 students show respect for others' ideas by modifying their verbal and non-verbal responses. They interpret complex information and evaluate the effectiveness of its presentation. When responding, they use specialised language and symbols as appropriate to the curriculum. They consider their own and others' points of view, apply prior knowledge to new situations, challenge assumptions and justify their own interpretations.

Presenting

At Level 5 students use the communication conventions, forms and language appropriate to the subject to convey a clear message across a range of presentation formats to meet the needs of the context, purpose and audience. They provide and use constructive feedback and reflection to develop effective communication skills.
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question / How have Europeans impacted on Australia?
Unit Questions / How has the Australian environment changed because of introduced species?
How have introduced species impacted on the economic value of our land?
Content Questions / How did the introduced species get here?
How has the introduced species adapted/adopted the Australian habitat?
What is the effect of the introduced species on the local flora and fauna and farms?
How do farmers estimate the financial effect of the introduced species on their income, or the value of their farms?
What is the most effective management plan for a selected introduced species on the land?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before learning activities begin / While students work on learning activities / After learning activities end
  • KWL chart(DOC 30.5KB)
  • Gauging Needs Assessment
    (DOC 35.5KB)(formative)
  • Questioning
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  • Rubrics (multimedia presentation, brochure/ newsletter and website
  • Learning Journals/ Blogs
  • Research
  • Draft documents viewed
  • Teacher-student conference
  • Student questions to Expert Panel
  • Expert group PMI
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  • Student self-reflection
  • Wiki evaluation(DOC 39KB)
  • Group Learning Journal/ Blog Evaluation(DOC 40KB)
  • Student contribution to final EQ discussion
  • Graphs, charts, graphic organizers etc.

Assessment Summary
Students develop a KWL to demonstrate their background and understanding at the commencement of the topic. During the progress of the unit, student groups will keep a learning journal to record the work achieved each session alongside the timeline that they have developed. Interested students will be supported to develop a blog as their learning journal. Journals & draft documents will be viewed by the teacher mid term and at the end of the unit. Teacher will also conference with each group at this time. A rubric will be provided at the introduction of each task to guide student’s work – multimedia presentation, brochure or newsletter and website. Any graphs, charts, graphic organisers, planning & management documents will collected and collated as part of the final assessment, as will students’ self-reflection and their contribution(s) to the class wiki. Students’ contributions to the final discussion regarding the Essential Question ‘How have Europeans impacted on Australia?’ will also be assessed.
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Students Prior Knowledge / A working knowledge of software packages: Microsoft Office*, Excel*, PowerPoint*, publication applications.
The use of digital cameras, video-conferencing, emailing, etc.
Teachers’ Processional Learning / This unit will provide the teacher with an authentic learning opportunity to work as a co-learner with interested students to investigate the use of blogs as a reflection tool. The teacher will set up a sample blog ( using Edublog ( which students can use to model their own blog. Teacher will examine resources included on Global Teacher.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Teacher outlines the term’s work: students will work in groups of 4 or 5 to create a management plan to present to the “board of executors”. As the young Macs, they must report to the executors of Grandma McDonald’s will for approval, or the farm will revert to the rival cousins, known locally as the Young Jacks.
Teacher poses the questions: “How has the Australian environment changed because of introduced species?” and ‘How have introduced species impacted on the economic value of our land?’
The Project Based Learning may be launched with Macs Unit Introduction, a multimedia presentation prepared by the teacher.
Teaching and Learning Activities
Introductory Activity
Teacher has students complete the Gauging Needs Assessment to enable the teacher to personalise activities and learning during the unit. Teacher then asks students to spend 5 minutes completing a KWL chart on what they know about introduced species to the Australian landscape. Students then pair up, discuss what they have identified and add to their chart. Show the video (10 mins.) “The story of Rosy Dock’ or read the picture story book by Australian author Jeannie Baker. Are there further notes students can add to their KWL chart?
The teacher then describes the following scenario:
A group of young McDonalds have inherited old Grandma McDonald’s farm, a once flourishing property which has sunk into disrepair. The farm is beset with pest animals and plants, who have virtually taken over. These include blackberries, rabbits, thistles, foxes, with a river full of carp. The young Macs must develop a management plan to control the pests and to make the farm operate, so that it can continue as an asset in the family or be sold at a large profit.
  • Students in pairs use the Digital Learning Object: TLF0027“Old Bernie’s Pond” (Australian teachers should contact The Learning Federation coordinator in their state education department for details of how to access this Learning Object).
  • Using cards featuring introduced species, students divide into groups. Students become the “experts” for the introduced species on their cards. Students receive Macs Task Outline and rubrics to enable them to plan their approach to the unit.
  • Groups develop a plan to solve the problem. They include a list of tasks required to be done to a proposed timeline, and also a learning journal which they update weekly and use to record their progress.
  • Students research their particular introduced species referring to the following specific issues:
  • How the species arrived – accident or design?
  • How has the introduced species adapted/adopted the Australian habitat?
  • The life cycle of the animal or the propagation of the plant species.
  • Impact on local flora & fauna.
  • Economic impact of introduced species - farmers.
  • Authorities that have ‘control’ over this aspect of Australia’s environment.
  • Investigate management systems that have been used in the past.
  • Costs of management strategies.
Student support materials may be developed to guide student research eg and Macs Multimedia Scaffold.
Students will be introduced to wikis as a form of online publishing through a class wiki entitled IntroducedPests. The wiki will be created using wikispaces ( Students are required to include some of their research on their ‘pest’ to the wiki and are also invited to present their opinion/personal view in the discussion area on the topic ‘Introduced Pests’ in general. Student wiki contributions will be assessed using the Introduced Pests Student Wiki Evaluation
  • Class prepares for the visit of a panel of environmental experts and relevant stakeholders.
  • Teacher poses the question: “How have introduced species impacted on the environment and the economic value of the land?” Students as a class construct a KWL chart, drawing from their individual KWL chart and plan a series of questions to address areas they want to cover during the panel’s visit. Teacher and students aim to cover questions such as “What is the effect of introduced species on local flora, fauna and farms?”, “How do farmers estimate the financial effect of such species on their farms?”, and “What type of management plans successfully control the effects of particular introduced species?”
  • Several weeks into the assignment, a panel of experts visit the class. They will include representatives from environmental associations and research projects, local farmers or businesses, local government officers. Panel members’ responses to students’ questions will be taped or videoed so that they can be incorporated into student presentations. Students create a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) following their interviews & the interviewees response.
  • Several weeks into the assignment, a panel of experts visit the class. They will include representatives from environmental associations and research projects, local farmers or businesses, local government officers. Panel members’ responses to students’ questions will be taped or videoed so that they can be incorporated into student presentations. Students create a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) following their interviews & the interviewees response.
  • Various activities and excursions can be organized to enable students to connect with the topic and understand the issues eg
  • Students visit local elderly residents and interview them about their experiences of past plague conditions and/or memories of past methods of control. Such interviews may be audio or video taped.
  • Students may visit nearby land to locate and digitally photograph evidence of damage caused by introduced species. Photographs can be used in student presentations. Student support materials may be needed to guide student work eg Feral Watch.
  • Students visit an environmental project site, or a farming project where examples of good land management practice is in evidence, and talk to the people involved in these projects.
  • Students present their long term management plans to the “board of executors”, who would include their Science and SOSE teachers, as well as an invited legal expert eg retired solicitor. Student groups will need to decide what method of presentation will be most effective at communicating their plan to the executors. See sample multimedia presentation – Old McDonald’s Farm. They will also need to decide what role each member of the group will adopt during the presentation of their information to the executors.
  • Students prepare a newsletter or information brochure/publication appropriate for presenting their information to the local population or another key stakeholder group. See example – Feral Affect News.
  • Articles about aspects of the class project could be written by students and submitted to the local paper
  • Students compile the information they have researched and developed into a website – illustrating the effects of the introduction of the species and what they believe should occur now to prevent further species arriving in Australia.
Culminating Activity
  • Teacher poses the question “How have Europeans impacted on Australia?” In particular students discuss their knowledge of how the environment has changed because of introduced species, and the impact on the economic value of the land. Students compare their responses now to their responses at the start of the unit, and assess the depth of their knowledge. Do they still need to know more in order to decide what is the most effective management plan for the many introduced species in the country?
Additional opportunity: Maffra is developing a sister school relationship with WilliamstonHigh School. If there was agreement, a comparable investigation of introduced species could operate there, for example, Uncle John has left a fishing business, which is run-down, etc. Students from both schools could present their work to each other via Video-conferencing.
Accommodations for Diverse Needs
Students with Special Needs / The open-ended nature of the Problem Based Learning will cater for all students. Mixed ability groups will also provide an opportunity for all students to provide knowledge and expertise to the overall project. Students could be shown ‘The story of Rosy Dock’ video or read the book prior to the introductory session to be introduced to the topic and vocabulary before the unit commences.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Students / Use of podcasts or CDs to record the instructions and the scenario. Translate these if possible.
Gifted Students / Open-ended tasks. Student involvement in developing a strategy to solve the task.
Indigenous Groups / Indigenous students will work with the local elder to research and discuss ways in which they feel introduced species has impacted on their environment and culture. This group can use this as the focus for their multimedia presentation, brochure/newsletter and website.
Materials and Resources Required for Unit
Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)
Camera
Computer(s)
Digital Camera
DVD Player

Internet Connection

/ Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System
Scanner

Television

/ VCR
Video Camera
Video Conferencing Equip.

Other – Interactive Whiteboard, Datashow Projector

Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)
CD-ROMS
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software

Encyclopedia on CD-ROM

/ Editing Software
Image Processing
Internet Web Browser
Multimedia

Animation software

/ Digital Learning Objects
Web Page Development
Word Processing

Other

Supplies

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Guest speakers: representatives from LandCare, the McAlisterRiver Research Farm, local farmers, Animal Liberation, and a local Chemical manufacturer

Internet Resources/