Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students are asked to invent their own animal using their knowledge of anatomical features. They learn about living and non-living things and how they can be classified. Students are then asked to recreate their animal using the online tool; Build your wild self.

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

Learning goal:

  • Students recognise that the features that animals have are needed for their survival.
  • Students understand the ways that these features are used for the survival of these animals.
  • Students choose appropriate art materials to produce a complex illustration exploring animal features.

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.

General Capabilities: Critical and creative thinking.

Topic: Biodiversity

Year levels: 3 and 4

Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor

Time required: 45 mins

Learning areas addressed: Science, The Arts (Visual Arts).

Level of teacher scaffolding: Lead students in a discussion around animal features, making notes on the board.

Resources required: Choice of art materials, internet for online tool Build your wild self.

Keywords: Adaptation, evolution, animals, features, invent.

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

Why are there so many different animals?

Write on the board a list of all the animals that your students can think of. Discuss what type of features these animals have? How do they differ? Are the features important for the animal to live?

Invent an animal

Ask your students to close their eyes and imagine a pretend animal. What might it look like? Is it scaly and scary like a dragon? Of does it have a long horn like a unicorn or a rhino?

Does it have lots of eyes or two noses? Think about some of the following things to help your students to imagine their animal:

  • Does it have fur or feathers or scales?
  • Does it have ears?
  • Does it have teeth or a beak?
  • Does it have claws or paws or toes?
  • What colour(s) is it?
  • Where does it live? Does it live in an old log or in a tree? 

Draw a picture of your animal

Once the students have an idea of an animal, ask them to start drawing it. While they are drawing, ask them to think about what the an

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: How do you recognise if something is a living thing?

Invent an animal

kookaburra-biodiversity-heroStep 1: Close your eyes and imagine a pretend animal. What might it look like? Is it scaly and scary like a dragon? Of does it have a long horn like a unicorn or a rhino? Does it have lots of eyes or two noses? Think about some of the following things:

  • Does it have fur or feathers or scales?
  • Does it have ears?
  • Does it have teeth or a beak?
  • Does it have claws or paws or toes?
  • What colour(s) is it?
  • Where does it live? Does it live in an old log or in a tree?

 

Draw a picture of your animal

Step 2: Draw your animal on a piece of paper. Add in the following information:

  • Name your animal. Is your animal a combination of two real animals? For example to cross a lizard and a horse you might get a LIZORSE.
  • What sort of things does it eat and drink?
  • What sort of noises does it makes?
  • When does it sleep? Does it sleep during the day or the night?
  • What type of environment does i
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