Curiosity box - biodiversity

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: This lesson is designed as a tuning in activity. In this activity students will look at objects in a biodiversity curiosity box and participate in in-depth discussions around these objects, making connections between objects and the wider world. Students will then be asked to identify questions about biodiversity that they would still like answered and design an investigation to answer these questions.

We’ve taken elements of this lesson and adapted them for remote learning. You can find this activity here.

Learning goals:

Students explore biodiversity.
Students build their thinking and questioning skills.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

This lesson can be used with all the learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Time needed: 60+ minutes.

Level of teacher scaffolding: High – collect resources for curiosity box, facilitate and guide discussion around objects in curiosity box, help students to identify further questions for investigation.

Resources required: Box/tub/bag with objects or images relating to biodiversity (see table on teacher worksheet), internet access, student worksheet.

Key words: Biodiversity, curiosity box, discussion, questions.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: The aim of this activity is to engage student curiosity in biodiversity and to encourage students in rich, high order thinking around this topic. By participating in this activity students will develop their own ideas, build their knowledge, attitudes and values through in-depth learning experiences around biodiversity.

Teacher content information:

Cool Australia Presents Biodiversity from Cool Australia on Vimeo.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1. Begin by clarifying student knowledge on biodiversity. Engage students in a class discussion around the following questions:

What is biodiversity?
Where is biodiversity?
How important is biodiversity?
What is happening to biodiversity?

Use the your curiosity box (see below) to stimulate discussion and ideas, and record student answers (consider using Padlet).

Suggested outline for class discussion:

1. Select one object or image from the curiosity box. Begin your d

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: What don't we know about biodiversity?

Reflection questions

What questions does this activity leave you with?

How can you answer these questions? Where can you find the information needed to answer these questions? Does Google have the answers?

What are the answers to these questions?

What more do you want to learn about this topic?

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Activity: Curiosity box – biodiversity

Activity Introduction