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Australian Animals Teacher Information Home >> Student Task >> Teaching and Learning Resources

** Teacher Information ** We need to encourage students to experiment with language so they become comfortable and confident using English in all its forms as often as possible. Australia is a very well known country. It is very popular for foreigners and local Australians to want to see and interact with our native wildlife, jump kangaroos and touch a koala. This unit of work harnesses their interest in animals and explores language opportunities that this topic provides. From simple exercises naming and identifing the animals, to developing vocabulary and pronunciation skills in presentations to others. It is important to use avariety of learning outcomes, through the use of literacy strands such as speaking and listening, reading and writing and technology and Enterprise strands, such as IT (PowerPoint etc). So teaching others abut this topic will help the classrom to work together and summaries their findings for easier learning intake.

 Evan, S (2011). Koala Picture, [image]. This is a suggested Australian Animal program lesson schedule. It gives a brief outline of all the tasks and activities we recommend for any teachers wanting their students to learn a little more about Australian Animals. The tasks are divided into stages rather than steps so you can mold them into your own lessons. We have also provided you with approximate duration and session times that run over the course of two weeks.
 * Suggested Program Lesson Schedule **


 * Stage/Day Number Task Approx duration time **
 * Stage 1 || Introduce Australian animals to children using the smart board to watch and listen to the classical story “Wombat Stew”. Brainstorm and discussion popular animals for research. || 1 hour ||
 * Stage 2 || Children will be given 2x research template worksheets to complete. One consists of a working journal to write down learning outcomes and feelings towards the subject.

|| 1 hour ||
 * Stage 3 || Library and Computer room privileges for students to find and locate the research project information on the worksheet template and begin Powepoint presentation. || 2-3 sessions, all 1 hour length classroom lessons ||
 * Stage 4 || An excursion to the local Zoo. Finding additional information, photos of animals and exploring the range of other animals || One full day excursion ||
 * Stage 5 || Computer room privileges to work together on the final presentation of the subject. Adding information and picture research. || 1-2 sessions, all 1 hour length -classroom lessons ||
 * Stage 6 || Powerpoint Presention Day

|| Give a few days 2-3 to get through all groups. ||

=__**Extended Stage Details;**__= Start with indroducing the Australian animals to children by using the smart board, cd-story book etc to watch and listen to the classical Australian story of “Wombat Stew” written by Marcia K. Vaughan . If you are new to Wombat Stew and have never read the book before, or you'd like to know it more thoroughly, we encourage you to take a look at Wombat Stew Teaching Notes By Rita Bishop to help you understand the book more indepth and help you generate ideas on how to present it to the class. Using the mind-map activity, create a brainstorm with the students on the Smartboard and discuss with the class the variety of popular Australian animals to research about. Print off a copy of the mind-map for each student to have. Let children also use other resources available in the room to identify other animals which are not in the story book. For example; posters, search engines, text books. Wombat Stew Written by Marcia K. VaughanIllustrated by Pamela Lofts > ====**(refer to the worksheets)**==== > > > > The above PowerPoint is an example for both teachers and the students to know what is expected in their final presentation. All the information gathered from research and the zoo should all be included in this presentation. By viewing an example students will know what they have to aim for to get high marks. For teachers' to show an example, it's easier for them to explain the task given. By using PowerPoint, this gives students experience with technology and makes it fun and creative for them to all get involved.
 * 1) ====Place the class into groups of about 4-5 children in each. Hand out a research worksheet and explain that they will be researching __one__ Australian animal and teaching their findings to the class by making a powerpoint and presenting it on the Smartboard. All children will need to be able to identify their chosen Australian Animal before moving on to the next stage. You should have a document your students and the animal they have chosen. They must of the complete learning worksheet in class otherwise it is set as extra homework. Those students who have complete their worksheets early can colour in this Wombat Stew Colour-in Worksheet worksheet. Please note that the competition is no longer valid.====
 * 1) ====Use 2-3 lessons for groups to work with the resourses at school computer labs or libruary sessions to research their choosen Australian animal. Always supervise your students when they are on the Internet. Research worksheet is to be completed before moving ont the next stage. The children can use the resources Google, Ask and Yahoo! engines to help find information on the Australian animal they have chosen to study. Once students finish worksheets and have researched their animal efficiently, you can permit them to start creating their powerpoint!====
 * 1) ====The Zoo excursion! For those who are living in Perth, check out Perth Zoo as that's most likely where you'll be heading!Permission forms will need to be provided to each student, signed by their parent or guardian and returned to you and with excursion policies in place. Once at the zoo, split children up into groups and assign them to a fellow teacher or school guardian. Students are to take with them a note book, pen, research worksheet and stay in their groups throughout the day. Each group is to have at least 1 camera so that photos can be taken of the students at the zoo and with the animal they have been researching in class. The worksheet are to be updated and any other information gathered to be jotted down on them. Take as many photos as possible to add to their final powerpoint presentation. Having fun is the key! Remember to be sun smart, wear sunscreen and enforce the rule "No hat, no play"! So bring spare hats in case anyone forgets their own! This is a link to file students will use to document findings on the excursion: [[file:Zoo research paper-1.doc]]====
 * 1) ====Help with presenting a finished Powerpoint of your own as an example, so children will understand requirements. Children are to work in their groups in the computer rooms under supervision. Powerpoint will be used and children must include their research and zoo findings, photos of themselves and animals (in particular, their Australian animal) and have journal reflections. Powerpoints should be completed in two sessions. This is a good sample of a PowerPoint presentation created by a pre-service teacher: [[file:Technology Pres.pptx]]====


 * 1) ==== Students will present their PowerPoint to the class and teacher by connecting it to the Smartboard or any projector. They will teach the class about the information gathered. Students will learn additional facts bout that Australian animal as well as that of others. Technologies such as the camera and PowerPoint will be explored and their understanding of information and research will be taught.The children will be given 3-5 minutes to present the research project to the class. ====

References Evan, S (2011). Koala Picture, [image]. Retrieved 09/05/2012 from; http://www.flickr.com/photos/babasteve

Wombat Stew Written by Marcia K. Vaughan Illustrated by Pamela Lofts; [image] Retrieved 16/05/2012 from; www.blogspot.com

[|Website to visit the colouring sheet; http://www.scholastic.com.au/schools/bookclub/pdf/toolkit_downloads/wombat_stew_TN.pdf]

[|Website to visit to look at Perth Zoo; http://www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/]