Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students apply their learning by taking over a patch of garden and transforming it into a habitat. They decide how to safely remove weeds, cover the ground with some mulch and plant species that can attract the animals they want.

Learning goals: 

  • Students learn how to prepare an area to be planted, that weeds must be removed and the soil covered in mulch.
  • Students discover plants can be selected that will make a habitat for particular animals.  

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 3 Science

  • Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)

Year 3 English

  • Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4 Science

  • Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive (ACSSU073)

Year 4 English

  • Interpret ideas and information in spoken texts and listen for key points in order to carry out tasks and use information to share and extend ideas and information (ACELY1687)

Syllabus Outcomes: ST2-10LW, EN2-1A, EN2-6B. 

Topic: Biodiversity

Year levels: 3 and 4

Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor

Time required: Over a few weeks or months.

Learning areas addressed: Geography, Science, Mathematics.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Help to obtain tools, plants and mulch. Keep students safe while working outside.

Resources required: Writing materials, gardening tools and gloves, plants and mulch.

Keywords: habitat, patch, action, plants, garden.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Introduction

This only needs to be a small project. Restructuring a garden bed outside the student’s classroom would be perfect.

The habitat project can be done with a zero budget and still have amazing results. This activity can also be even more interesting if students can access some of the school’s gardening or other budgets.

One of the native grasses that make an excellent habitat in school grounds is Poa. These have fine leaves, are safe to fall on, grow into very thick clumps and can attract an amazing number of animals once they are established. They are also survivors when neglected.

See what other schools are doing by exploring a case study here.

Zero cost habitat

Step 1: Pull apart a Poa to create tubes

It will take a few months for the plants to establish themselves in tubes before they can be planted.

1.  Obtain 30 to 60 old potting tubes.

2. Obtain potting mix, compost or loose soil with compost to fill the tubes.

3. Dig up one or two large

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