Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students demonstrate their prior learning by contributing to a mural. They draw and cut out different elements that they would find in an ecosystem and place them on the mural.

Learning goals:

  • Students will use a basic concept of scale when they paint their images and use location to place their images on the mural.

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 1 Science

  • Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)
  • Living things live in different places where their needs are met (ACSSU211)

Year 2 Science

  • Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030)

Syllabus Outcomes: ST1-10LW, ST1-11LW. 

Topic: Biodiversity

Year levels: 1 and 2

Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor

Time required: 45 mins

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

Level of teacher scaffolding: Prepare surface for the mural.

Resources required: Art materials including scissors and paste.

Keywords: Mural, ecosystem, art, scale

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

Students are familiar with many elements in their local environment. Keep the mural throughout the unit of work. As students learn more, they can add further elements to the mural. It is best if the mural is not filled up immediately.

Create a mural

Provide a large area on a wall covered with paper. Draw a slope, towards the bottom of the page a depression for a pond and on the other side of the pond, some flat land. A cloud and the Sun could also be included. The only part that might be coloured in is the pond and maybe the sky.

Explain to students they will create a mural of a local forest with a pond. Find the slope, pond and flat land. Student's can look at the photo on the 'Student Worksheet' if they are stuck for ideas.

Plants – ask six students to draw/paint a large plant and cut it out, the rest of the students can draw/paint a small plant. Discuss what a big and a small plant might look like on the mural. When the plants are finished and cut out, they

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Student Worksheet

Take a look at this photo. What types of things might live here? 

You are going to make a mural showing all the different things that live in this ecosystem.

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