Australian Animals Screen

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs �Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

Australian AnimalsDeveloping an Information Report

Timeline8-10 weeks as an integrated program.

Learning AreasEnglish: Texts and contexts (Everyday texts, School) (Outcomes 2.4, 3.4), Language (Outcomes 2.7, 2.8, 3.7, 3.8), Strategies (Outcomes 2.11, 2.12, 3.11, 3.12)

ScienceLife systems (Outcome 1.5)

Essential LearningsIdentityStudents reflect and communicate with others developing a sense of belonging to learning teams.

ThinkingStudents use a wide range of thinking modes and develop metacognitive awareness.

CommunicationStudents develop skills to communicate in a range of models to achieve identified outcomes.

EquityMulticultural perspectiveThe diversity of knowledge and experiences with animals is valued.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perspectiveAustralian animals to Indigenous people is acknowledged.

ContextThis topic is part of the broader orientation in the New Arrivals Program, to Australia, which aims to build socio-cultural, environmental and English language knowledge.

The understandings about Australia in this program include:- Which animals are

native to Australia?- What are the

characteristics of some Australian animals?

- Which Australian animals are in danger of extinction?

ESL Scope and ScalesWorking within Scales 2–7

BandPrimary and Middle Years

Year LevelsYear 4–7 New Arrivals Program

Evidence• Oral and written

recount.• Oral and written

information report.• Response to

reflection activities.


Building the Field

Modelling/Deconstructing

Independent Construction

Joint C

onstructio

n

• Examine purpose and structure of information reports.

• Deconstruct a model information report, highlight text structure and language features.

• Activities to reinforce structure of a report.• Language based activities.

• Individual independent construction of an information report on an Australian animal to be presented as an oral presentation with peer and self assessment.

• Whole class reflection: Human graph.

• Research an animal and construct a report with visuals and reference list as a:- whole class- small group.

• Reflection on the process.• Assessment of the text using

checklist.

Continue building the fiel

d

Teaching and Learning CycleAustralian Animals – Developing an Information Report

• Connect to prior knowledge.• Develop simple concept map

of Australian animals.• Read stories and poems about Australian

animals.• Read reports and watch videos about

Australian animals and extend vocabulary.• Develop a description of an Australian

animal.• Excursion to Zoo or wildlife

park and develop a recount.


Overview of language taught in the teaching, learning and assessing program

A summary of the language mostly pertaining to a description as taught in the following teaching, learning and assessing program.The metalanguage that students may need in order to discuss the above language features is bolded.

Text in context LanguageGenre Field Tenor Mode

• Explore purpose, intended audience, structure and language features of an information report.

• Oral and written reports.• Stories have a similar purpose

across cultures. • Note taking.• Description.• Recount.

• Note taking structure: - subheadings- dot points / numbers.

• Recount structure:- orientation- events in sequence- reorientation.

• Report structure:- introduction with

classification- paragraphs dealing with

specific aspects.• Language to build cohesion:

- reference items- articles- pronouns.

• Language to expand information: - linking and binding

conjunctions- conjunctions between

sentences.

• Noun groups with numbers and describers.

• Verbs:- action (doing)- mental (thinking)- verbal (saying)- relational (being).

• Circumstances and clauses: - place (location).

• Everyday and technical vocabulary:- nouns - nominalisations.

• Speech functions: - question (wh, yes/no)- statement (simple and

compound). • Modality:

- possibility.• Interpersonal meaning:

- feelings, attitudes, opinions.

• Verbal elements: - pronunciation- fluency- listening quietly.

• Facts and opinions.

• Primary tense:- timeless present- simple past.

• Subject verb agreement.• Foregrounding:

- human – pronoun- non human – topic words.

• Coherence: - link between introduction,

body, conclusion - topic sentences.

• Print conventions:- handwriting- punctuation - spelling patterns.

• Visual literacy:- labels to pictures- layout- diagrams, tables, graphs- reference to visual texts.


Building the FieldIn Building the Field, the main objective is to connect with the prior knowledge of the students, develop cultural understandings and the everyday and technical language related to Australian animals and information reports.

Activities

The activities on the left column will provide particular development in these areas

Supplementary and extension activities. Comments are in italicsGenre Field Tenor Mode

Connect to prior knowledge• Brainstorm and list the names of animals.• Put animal names in alphabetic order.• Copy English words and write in first

language/s.• Group animals according to own

categories (eg with fur, with 4 legs, can run).

• Make a chart of animals under various categories (eg location, action).

• Using commercial and student pictures of animals, create a Venn diagram (eg animals in my country and animals in Australia).

• Use charts to compose sentences about animals.

• Reference items (eg this, it).

• Everyday vocabulary: - names of

animals, birds, fish

- categories (eg animals, birds, fish).

• Location (eg in the farm, in the zoo, in the sea).

• Common action verbs (eg fly, crawl, hop).

• Simple statements.

• Simple present tense.

• Punctuation.• Visual literacy:

- labels for pictures.

With beginners: • Orally identify pictures of animals in

English and own language.

Use bilingual dictionaries if appropriate for students.

Supplementary activities:• Make a booklet illustrated by

students, using model English sentence structures (eg This is a ... It can … ).

• Unjumble simple sentences about animals.

Extension activities:• Introduce technical vocabulary (eg

mammal, marsupial, reptile).• Group pictures of animals using

these categories.


Activities



Australian Animals • Alphabet chart:

- label pictures of Australian animals- build up an alphabetic chart of

Australian animals.• Games:

- bingo (eg match pictures/words of Australian animals to names)

- toss the ball (eg student A tosses soft ball to student B who says name of an Australian animal).

• Human graph:- stand in a line to show how much

you think you know about Australian animals (from a lot to a little)

- tell the person next to you one thing you already know about Australian animals.

• Concept map:- on sticky notes, write 2 things you know

and one question about what you want to find out

- stick notes on to large sheet, grouping them in logical ways

- provide headings for each group at the end of the process (eg appearance)

- identify which of the questions are still unanswered.

• Nouns (eg names of animals, birds, fish).

• Technical vocabulary (eg classification, appearance, behaviour, diet, prey, reproduction, habitat.

• Verbal elements:- pronunciation.

• Speech functions:- questions–wh

(eg Where do … live? What do … eat? What kind of babies do … have?).

• Visual elements:- link picture to

oral/written words.

With beginners:• Sort word/picture cards in alphabetic

order.• Copy names of animals on an

alphabet proforma.

Students can support each other to identify animals during bingo game.

Extension activities:• Review procedural language.• Students follow instructions to make

bingo cards together.• Variation for bingo: Say Australian

animals with a describer (eg fluffy koala, smooth platypus).

Use BSSOs to help scribe for students.

Provide technical terms for the groupings after commonsense grouping. This allows students prior learning to be acknowledged.

Building the Field continued...


Activities



Build cultural knowledge • Read a range of poems and stories from

different cultures.• Read stories and poems about Australian

animals (eg Possum Magic, Wombat Stew, Giant Devil Dingo) and Aboriginal legends involving animals (eg How the Parrot Got Its Colours).

• Notice importance of Australian animals in Aboriginal stories and culture.

• Learn songs and rhymes about Australian animals (eg Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree).

Story vs factual tests• Review purpose of stories and poems.• Review features of story books.• Discuss the purpose of different types of

factual books/texts.• Discuss structural features of how factual

books are organised.• Predict audience, genre and language

for range of titles (eg Kangaroos, My Pet Kangaroo Hoppy).

• Stories have a similar purpose across cultures.

• Purpose of different genres.

• Technical vocabulary (eg author, illustrator, illustration, cover, title page, page, index, contents).

• Culturally specific terms (eg Aboriginal legend, Dreaming stories).

• Awareness of different Aboriginal groups.

• Other cultural knowledge (eg gumtrees).

• Awareness of target audience.

• Punctuation: - capitals - full stops- exclamations- speech marks.

• Spelling patterns.

• Visual literacy:- layout of title

page to suit genre and audience.

Extension activities:• Write sentences or shape poems

about Australian animals using action verbs (eg emus running, green frogs croaking).

• Variation on Wombat Stew:- write a different Wombat Stew

recipe- cook stew- write up the cooking activity as a

procedure.• Research importance of Australian

animals in Aboriginal culture.

Extension activities:• Match title cards with genre name

cards.• Photocopy covers of books and

make posters with short book reviews explaining the purpose, type and content of book.


Activities



Build scientific knowledge• Read Big books—scientific texts:

- What is a mammal? - What is a marsupial? - What is a reptile?- What is a bird?

• Identify technical/scientific vocabulary.• Ask questions about texts (eg Do … lay

eggs? Can a … swim? Does a … swim or fly? Where does a … live?).

• Use graphic organiser to classify Australian animals (eg mammals, marsupials, reptiles, birds), reviewing features of each group.

• Note taking:- use concept map to identify information

needed about Australian animals.- watch video of Australian animals- write two or more new facts on sticky

notes and add to concept map- use headings to support note taking

(eg ‘mediated journal’—Little Book with headings on each page).

- build a word bank chart from notes

Animal SizeSkin

covering Colour Movement

• Use information from matrix chart to construct compound sentences.

• Note taking lay-out (eg sub head-ings, dot points or numbers).

• Technical vocabulary (eg mammal, marsupial, reptile, omnivorous, carnivorous, herbivorous, vegetarian).

• Everyday vocabulary (eg size, skin covering, movement, diet).

• Questions and statements.

• Visual literacy (eg how illustrations support meaning in text).

• Print conventions.

• Spelling patterns.• Primary tense:

- present (eg It lives, They swim).

Supplementary activities:• Match question card with answer

card.• Use pictures to group and paste

under headings.• Use a taxonomic structure to

correctly label animals.

Extension activities:• ‘My favourite animal’ oral statements

(eg My favourite Australian animal is … because I like/because it’s ….).

• Write the sentences and share with a partner.

• Human graph: - Would you like to be a …or a …?

(eg a kangaroo or a kookaburra).- decide, move, justify your decision

to the person next to you.

Include labelled pictures or labelled diagrams in note-taking activity.

Continued...


Activities



Description • Language activities:

- build up noun groups by labelling drawings or pictures of Australian animals with adjectives (describers), numbers, classifiers.

- complete cloze activity blocking out describers, verbs or reference items

- highlight noun groups in a descriptive text.

• Description text:- read model of a short description (eg

What am I?) - work in small groups to compose similar

brief descriptions to read to class- take turns guessing the animal from the

description- draw an animal from a description.

• Decide if statements are true or false.

• Reference items (eg they, it, that, them).

• Structure of ‘What am I?’ description.

• Types of verbs:- relational (eg

have, are)- action (eg fly).

• Noun groups with numbers and describers (eg long sharp claws, soft grey speckled fur, three toes).

• Statements using simple and compound sentences.

• Verbal elements:- pronunciation- fluency.

• Present tense.• Subject verb

agreement.• Print

conventions:- punctuation- spelling.

• Visual literacy:- label pictures.

• Foregrounding:- pronoun (eg I).

Extension activities:• Compile a table of comparatives (eg

long, longer, longest, fluffy, fluffier, fluffiest).

• Write sentences using comparatives.

Supplementary activity:• Write and/or illustrate descriptions of

silly/imagined characters.

True or false. What am I?

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs �0Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

Activities



Preparation for excursion to Zoo or Wildlife Park• Discuss and predict what students will

experience.• Use Mind Journey strategy to prepare

students for the excursion by visualising expected behaviour, and anticipated experiences.

• Prepare a mediated journal with headings on each page (eg Food).

• Write questions to be answered including 3-2-1- reflection strategy:3 statements2 questions1 interesting.

• Verbs:- mental (eg

think).• Topic words.

• Modality: - possibility (eg

maybe we will, we might).

• Questions:- Yes/No

(eg Will we ..? Can we …?)

- Wh questions (eg Where will..? When will …? How do …?).

Supplementary activity:• Build a Zoo wall or enclosure pen

out of paper bricks each brick has a word on it. One row could be verbs another describers or structural headings, or nouns.

Continued...

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs ��Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

Activities



During excursion• Record the trip with digital camera or

video.• Complete mediated journal.• Informal talking, naming, asking and

answering questions.

After the excursion• Use photos to compile a class record or

watch video of excursion.• Vocabulary activities:

- add to word lists or zoo wall- match every day language with

technical terms.• Review understanding:

- each student writes a question using information learnt on the excursion, for a class quiz

- sort information about animals- add information to a class concept map.

• Reflect on excursion using a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) chart in groups then share responses.

• Review facts and opinions.• Review structure and language of a

recount.• Prepare and present oral and written

recount.

• Recount structure:- orientation- events in

sequence- reorientation.

• Linking and binding conjunctions.

• Verbs:- action (eg saw,

touched)- saying (eg said,

told)- mental (eg

liked)- relational (eg

had, was).

• Technical vocabulary (eg night–nocturnal, food–diet, gum tree–eucalyptus tree, poisonous–venomous, squeezes–constricts, boy–male, girl-female).

• Ask and respond to wh and yes/no questions.

• Feelings attitudes and opinions:- describers

(eg nice, soft)- verbs (eg like,

enjoyed).• Verbal elements:

- pronunciation- fluency.

• Primary tense:- past (eg arrived,

saw, touched).• Coherence:

- link between introduction, body, reorientation.

The mind journey strategy can be used again now as a way of recalling the experience of the excursion, tapping into all the sensory input and peripheral learning that took place. Various recollections of sights sounds, smells and tactile stimuli will prompt memory to recall the learning that took place both consciously and unconsciously.

Extension activities:• Match answers to questions about

excursion.• Discuss how you would feel if you

were a kangaroo in the zoo, bush, park.

• Invent a new breed of Australian animal describe and draw it.

• Propose what would happen if….- emus could fly- there were too many kangaroos.

• Design and make a jigsaw of an Australian animal.

• Discuss conservation issues.


Vocabulary lists built from excursion to Cleland Widlife Park

Nouns Describers Verbs action

Verbs saying

Verbs relational

Verbs mental

furwingspouchfeathersparrotsbirdseedsflowersbottlebrushnectarmammalreptilepreylizardbonespossummuscleslightair snakepoisoncamouflage

marsupialnocturnalmuscularcarnivorousomnivorousherbivoreeucalyptuspoisonoustired

heldshowedclosedrancreptwalkedwentlistenedwaitedatedrankwashedlookedreadopenedclosedheardsawsleepsleptdrewwrotepushedpulledsatshedchangedrodeconstrict

talkedspokesaidwhisperedtoldcalledshoutedsang

havehadwaswereareisam

enjoyedlovedlikedthoughthopedwantedknewguessed


Information Reports

Differentiated Texts

Emus Koalas Echidnas

Emus are Australian birds.

They have feathers and lay eggs.

They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly.

Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes.

They have a large, oval shaped body. They have a small head and a long, thin neck. Their beak is short and pointy. Their feathers are black, brown and white. Adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more.

Emus are only found in Australia and can live in most areas.

Emus can run very fast. As much as 50 kilometres an hour.

Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers.

The hen lays 6–12 large dark green eggs in a nest.

The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm. They usually hatch after 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass.

The male protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles.

Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat, feathers and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics.

Koalas are Australian animals.

Koalas are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk.

Koalas look like bears but they are marsupials. That means they are mammals that have a pouch.

Koalas have fluffy brown and grey fur. They have large, black, flat noses and small eyes. They have short legs and arms with strong claws on their hands and feet which are used for climbing.

Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and they only eat these kinds of leaves. They only live in Australia. They spend most of their time at the top of gum trees.

Koalas only have one baby at a time. It is born without fur and is very tiny so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back.

Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia.

Echidnas are mammals. They are also monotremes because they lay eggs. They are called spiny ant eaters.

Echidnas have sharp spines on their back and tail. They are brown and have a long nose on their small head. They have four short legs and strong claws.

Adult echidnas can grow between 35-55 centimetres long and weigh up to 5 kilograms. Tasmanian echidnas are black.

Echidnas live in bush land. They hide under bushes, between rocks or in hollow logs.

Sometimes they make burrows to hide in. They only live in Australia.

Echidnas eat ant and termites. They dig into the ants’ nest with their sharp claws and lick up the ants with their long sticky tongues.

Female echidnas lay only one egg at a time. When the tiny baby hatches it is as big as a jelly bean. A tiny baby echidna is called a puggle. It stays in its mothers pouch until its spines grow. Then it lives in the burrow


Continued...

Information Reports


Emus Koalas Echidnas Lizards

Emus are birds because they have feathers and lay eggs. They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly.Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes. They have a large, oval shaped body, a long, thin neck, a small head and a short, pointy beak. Their feathers are black, brown and white. The adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more.Emus are only found in Australia and live mainly in bushland and grassy areas. However they are very hardy birds and can live in most places. They can run very fast with their powerful legs even up to 50 kilometres an hour. They often travel a long way each day looking for food. Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers.The male emu builds a nest of small sticks and leaves then the hen lays between 6–12 large dark green eggs. Usually female birds look after the eggs but emus are different. The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. This usually takes about 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass.

Koalas are Australian animals.They are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk.Koalas are also marsupials because they are mammals that have a pouch. Koalas have soft brown and grey fur on their round bodies and white fur on their chest. It is thick and warm. They have fluffy ears, large, black, flat noses and small eyes. Their mouth is also small.Large sharp claws on their feet and hands are used for climbing trees. They also have sharp teeth for chewing leaves.Koalas live in eucalyptus trees in the bush. They only live in Australia. Koalas are nocturnal animals so they sleep in the high branches most of the day and are awake at night-time eating and moving around.Koalas only eat gum leaves and they usually don’t need to drink water because they get enough moisture from the tender young leaves.Female koalas only have one baby at a time. The tiny baby crawls up into the mother’s pouch. It is born without fur so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back.Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia.

Echidnas are mammals. They are also monotremes because they lay eggs. They are called spiny ant eaters.Echidnas have sharp spines on their back and tail. They are brown and have a long nose on their small head. They have four short legs and strong claws.Adult echidnas can grow between 35-55 centimetres long and weigh up to 5 kilograms. Tasmanian echidnas are black.Echidnas live in bush land. They hide under bushes, between rocks or in hollow logs.Sometimes they make burrows to hide in. They only live in Australia.Echidnas eat ants and termites. They dig into the ants’ nest with their sharp claws and lick up the ants with their long sticky tongues.Female echidnas lay only one egg at a time. When the tiny baby hatches it is as big as a jelly bean. A tiny baby echidna is called a puggle. It stays in its mothers pouch until its spines grow. Then it lives in the burrow.

Lizards are animals and they belong to the reptile family. There are many different types of lizards. Goanna, frill necked, gecko, blue tongue and thorny devil are all types of Australian lizards.Some lizards such as skinks are tiny but many are large. Goannas can grow up to two metres long. Lizards usually have long tails. Most lizards have four legs so they can move very quickly. They can run and climb. There are some lizards called legless lizards that don’t have any legs. They slide and move like snakes. Lizards have scaly skin which is smooth. They also change their skin when they grow.Lizards have cold blood so they lie in the sun to keep warm. If it is too hot or too cold they hide under rocks or leaves for protection.Lizards have two small holes on their heads that are used for hearing. Some lizards have hard tongues which are used like teeth, but others have long thin ones.Lizards live in rainforests, deserts and they can be found under rocks and in trees. Some lizards can change their colour because they need to hide. This is called camouflage. Lizards use camouflage as protection from their enemies.


Continued...

Information Reports


Emus Koalas Echidnas Lizards

This kind of camouflage helps protect them from predators. The male also protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles. The young emus stay with their father for about a year before they leave to go and find a mate.Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics.

Lizards eat insects, plants and tiny animals like snails, slugs and mice. Some lizards eat birds’ eggs. Gekos hunt insects at night and they are the only lizards that make a noise. Blue Tongue lizards eat plants and small animals during the day. Lizards lay eggs but when the eggs are hatched they parents don’t look after the babies. The young lizards must find their own food.


Modelling/Text DeconstructionIn Modelling/Deconstruction, the main objective is to develop students’ understandings of the purpose, structure and language features of the information report genre.

Activities



Purpose and audience• Use extracts from recounts and reports

to identify genre, discuss purpose and audience.

• Read a range of reports and reflect on purpose, audience.

Deconstruct reports• Identify and discuss:

- structure of reports- use of bold print, headings- type of words that start the sentences - linking and binding conjunctions- types of verbs used- whether facts or opinions included- tense- print conventions - some spelling patterns - use of diagrams, labels, tables, graphs.

• Cloze activities.

• Purpose of a report.

• Structure:- introduction with

classification- paragraphs

dealing with specific aspects.

• Conjunctions (eg and, or, so, but, when, because, after).

• Verbs:- action (eg

sleeps, eats)- relational (eg

has, is).

• Intended audience.

• Factual sentences.

• Primary tense:- present (eg

lives, eats).• Foregrounding:

- topic words (eg snakes).

• Punctuation (eg capitals, full stops, commas).

• Visual literacy (eg diagrams, labels, tables, graphs).

Students have individual copies of the same text to highlight identified features.


Lizards

Complete cloze activity

Lizards are ............................ . Lizards are reptiles.There are ....................... different kinds of lizards.Lizards have ....................... blood. They have ........................... skin.Lizards have ............. holes. Most lizards have ................. legs.Lizards .................. hard tongues. Lizards have ..................... tails.Lizards .................... in the bush. Lizards live under .................. and in trees.Lizards ............. insects, ................ and tiny animals. .......................... can climb.Lizards change their .......................... when they grow.Some lizards can change ................... to hide. Lizards can crawl ................... run.They move very quickly. Lizards .............. eggs.

Can you write these words where they belong.

can lay colour eat rocks

and skin Lizards scaly many

animals lots cold plants live

ear four have long


Cut into sections. Sort and paste in correct sequence or match sections to headings of the report.

Koalas

Koalas are Australian animals.

Koalas are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk.

Koalas look like bears but they are marsupials.

That means they are mammals that have a pouch.

Koalas have fluffy brown and grey fur.

They have large, black, flat noses and small eyes.

They have short legs and arms with strong claws on their hands and feet which are used for climbing.

Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and they only eat these kind of leaves.

They only live in Australia.

They spend most of their time at the top of gum trees.

Koalas only have one baby at a time.

It is born without fur and is very tiny so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk.

When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back.

Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia.

Appearance Title Diet

General Classification

Behaviour

Reproduction

Habitat

Special features


Sort information

Emus have two, long, strong legs and large feet with thick toes. They have a large, oval shaped body, a long, thin neck, a small head and a short, pointy beak. Their feathers are black, brown and white. The adults can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh 60 kilograms or more.Koalas have soft brown and grey fur on their round bodies and white fur on their chest. It is thick and warm. They have fluffy ears, large, black, flat noses and small eyes. Their mouth is also small.Female koalas only have one baby at a time.Emus eat berries, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, plants and even insects like grasshoppers.Emus are birds because they have feathers and lay eggs. They are the largest bird in Australia but they cannot fly.Koalas only eat gum leaves and they usually don’t need to drink water because they get enough moisture from the tender young leaves.The male sits on the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. This usually takes about 8–10 weeks. The young chicks have brown feathers with white stripes which make it hard for them to be seen in the grass.The tiny baby crawls up into the mother’s pouch. It is born without fur so it stays in the mother’s pouch drinking milk. Large sharp claws on their feet and hands are used for climbing trees. They also have sharp teeth for chewing leaves.They can run very fast with their powerful legs even up to 50 kilometres an hour. They often travel a long way each day looking for food. Koalas are an endangered species in some parts of Australia.This kind of camouflage helps protect them from predators. The male also protects the young chicks from enemies such as dingoes and eagles. The young emus stay with their father for about a year before they leave to go and find a mate.Koalas are also marsupials because they are mammals that have a pouch. Emus have been farmed since about 1970 for their meat and also for oil which is used for making cosmetics.Koalas are Australian animals.When the baby is big enough to come out of the pouch it rides on the mother’s back.They are mammals because they have fur and feed their babies milk.Emus are only found in Australia and live mainly in bushland and grassy areas. However they are very hardy birds and can live in most places. Koalas live in eucalyptus trees in the bush. They only live in Australia. Koalas are nocturnal animals so they sleep in the high branches most of the day and are awake at night-time eating and moving around. The male emu builds a nest of small sticks and leaves then the hen lays between 6–12 large dark green eggs. Usually female birds look after the eggs but emus are different.

EmusClassification:

Appearance:

Food:

Location:

Reproduction:

Care for young:

Other intersting facts:

KoalasClassification:

Appearance:

Food:

Location:

Reproduction:

Care for young:

Other intersting facts:

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 20Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

Activities



Follow up activities• Make a chart of structural and language

features to display in class.• Match chunks of information to structural

headings. • Cut two reports into sentences

strips. Sort and match sentences under headings to form two separate information reports about two animals.

• Discuss sections of the report and identify:- order of information - conjunctions between sentences- use of reference items.

• Create a glossary by matching meanings to technical words.

• Write simple sentences using action and relational verbs and starting with topic words.

• Join beginning and end of sentences emphasising recognition of verb types.

• Cohesion:- reference items

(eg it, they, themselves)

- conjunctions between sentences (eg However, As a result).

• Noun groups:- number (eg all

koalas, some koalas, most koalas).

• Verbs:- action (eg eats)- relational (eg

has).

• Spelling: - words with

same spelling pattern

- words with same sound pattern.

Use both common terms as well as technical language for headings (eg appearance—looks like, behaviour—what it does, habitat—place it lives, diet—prey food, reproduction—having babies).

Supplementary activities:• Use an oral activity to organise

sentences into structure:- predetermine locations in class for

each section of report- each student reads aloud

information on a sentence strip- as a class decide where the student

should move to- each group decides order of

sentences- paste strips on large structural chart- as a class, check order.

• Reflect on process of sorting oral or written sentences using “Sticky“ questions:- What clues did you use?- Where did you get stuck?- How did you get unstuck?

Add to glossary regularly.

Matching facts to proforma

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 2�Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

• Lizards are animals.

• Lizards have scaly skin.

• Lizards are reptiles.

• Lizards live in the bush.

• Lizards have hard tongues.

• Lizards can climb.

• Most lizards have four legs.

• Lizards have ear holes.

• Lizards lay eggs.

Lizards – Match beginings and ends of sentences

NAPNew Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 22Australian Animals Developing an Information Report

• Lizards eat insects, plants and tiny animals.

• Lizards have cold blood.

• Lizards have long tails.

• They can move very quickly.

• Lizards can crawl and run.

• Lizards change their skin when they grow.

• Lizards live under rocks and trees.

• Some lizards change colour and hide.

• There are lots of different kinds of lizards.

Lizards – Match beginings and ends of sentences continued...


Activities



• Teach and practise process of nominalisation in text. Identify use in texts.

• Introduce modal words and identify in texts.

• Check subject-verb agreement by matching beginning and end of sentence (eg It …lives in, They … live in).

• Complete cloze exercises where missing word is either action or relational verb including both attribute and classification/definition (eg Koalas are mammals. Koalas have thick fur).

• Learn action rhyme mnemonic to remember the structural features.

• Create own rap/mnemonic to remember the structural features of an information report and

• Nominalisation (eg move—movement, reproduce—reproduction, describe—description, classify—classification).

• Modality:- possibility (eg

Koalas can …. Koalas might … Koalas will...).

• Subject verb agreement (eg It lives. They live).

Actions and rhyme to remember structural features:

- Title: tap head. Say tap tap title- Classification: clap. Say clap clap

classification- Description: do a little dance- Appearance: make a smiley face.

Say app app appy appearance- Behaviour: bend. Say bend bend

behaviour- Habitat: hop hop. Say hop hop

habitat- Diet: drinking action. Say d d diet- Reproduction: roll hands. Say roll

roll reproduction- Interesting facts: point finger in.

Say interesting facts. Fold arms when saying facts.

Mnemonic rhyme


LizardsLizards are animals and they belong to the reptile family.

There are many different types of lizards. Goanna, frill necked, gecko, blue tongue and thorny devil are all types of Australian lizards.

Some lizards such as skinks, are tiny but many are large. Goannas can grow up to two metres long. Lizards usually have long tails.

Most lizards have four legs so they can move very quickly. They can run and climb. There are some lizards called legless lizards that don’t have any legs. They slide and move like snakes. Lizards have scaly skin which is smooth. They also change their skin when they grow.

Lizards have cold blood so they lie in the sun to keep warm. If it is too hot or too cold they hide under rocks or leaves for protection.

Lizards have two small holes on their heads, that are used for hearing.

Some lizards have hard tongues which are used like teeth, but others have long thin ones.

Lizards live in rainforests, deserts and they can be found under rocks and in trees.

Some lizards can change their colour because they need to hide. This is called camouflage. Lizards use camouflage as protection from their enemies.

Lizards eat insects, plants and tiny animals like snails, slugs and mice. Some lizards eat birds’ eggs. Geckos hunt insects at night and they are the only lizards that make a noise. Blue Tongue lizards eat plants and small animals during the day.

Lizards lay eggs but when the eggs are hatched. The parents don’t look after the babies. The young lizards must find their own food.

ConjunctionsReference

wordsModality words Similies Nominalisations

butbecauseandsoalsoif

theytheironesthis

mustveryusually

like snakes

protection

conjunction

conjunction

conjunction

conjunction conjunction

modality

modality

conjunction

modality

reference

nominalisation

reference

reference

reference

manner-simile


Activities



• Make a Little Book of the organisational and language features used to write an information report about living things.

• Fill in a concept map using the information in a report.

Reflection• Conduct a 3-2-1-activity about the

content of the model report, and another one about the organisational and language features of a report.

• Speech functions:- questions- statements.

• Visual elements:- using concept

map.

Some students could make the Little Book bilingual. Some students may need the support of BSSOs.

Practise note making while completing concept map.

Name...............Nameclassification

dietap

peara

nce

reproduction

habitat

behaviour

Concept map


Joint ConstructionIn Joint Construction, the teacher and students construct a written argument together. Through this process, the teacher scaffolds the students’ choices and at the same time moves them towards independent construction.

Activities



Joint construction—whole class• Negotiate which Australian animal to

write about.• Discuss how the report will be presented

to another class (eg a booklet/Big Book/poster).

• Discuss links between presentation and audience.

• Research:- use concept map structure to identify

what we know and what we need to find out about

- use resources provided to write notes for missing information

- order information.• Writing:

- write notes as sentences on strips of paper in single sentences

- place these sentence strips on to large sheet of paper which has the structural headings as a scaffold

- read and then reflect on the placement.

• Structural headings.

• Audience. • Design features (eg colour, layout, headings, font, pictures, drawings).

Supplementary activities:• Use questions as an organisational

aid in planning what information needs to be collected for the report.

• Use a Q Matrix or Q Cube to provide a range of question starters.

Provide a selection of texts at suitable reading level, to find information. Include visual texts.


Activities



- make adjustments (eg build up noun groups, rearrange sentence placement to improve clarity and complexity of report, improve use of reference items).

• Add visual texts:- label a commercial or drawn picture of

the animal- review features of a life cycle, draw a

life cycle of the animal- review how to use and refer to visual

text.• Add references:

- teach how to record references used- write a reference list.

Evaluation• Use a checklist of features of a report in

the Little Book to evaluate the success of the report.

• Reference items (eg they, their, ones)

• Noun groups. • Present tense.• Subject-verb

agreement.• Visual literacy:

- pictures with labels

- life cycle.• Punctuation for

bibliography.• Reference to

visual texts (eg the diagram shows).

Labels can also be written in first language.

Completed report can be copied by each student. Individual variation is in colours, font size, placement of visual text.

Checklist for my written information report

Does my report have a …TitleClassification sentenceDescription of:

appearance (what it looks like)sizeshape colour body partsbehaviour (what it can do)habitat (where it lives)diet (what it eats)reproduction (does it make babies or lay eggs)special features

Labelled diagramLife cycleReference list

Labelling


Activities



Joint construction—small group• An animal is chosen by each group.• Each group identifies what they know

and what they need to find out.• Each group member selects a section of

the report and researches and records that information.

• Groups check their report against a checklist, edit and conference with teacher.

• Use Mrs Potter’s questions to evaluate how they worked as a team:- What was the purpose of the task?- What worked well?- What would you do differently?- What do you need help with?

• Groups prepare for oral reports to rest of class:- reminder of audience and presentation

skills- develop/review oral report criteria.

• Feedback:- complete feedback sheets for self and

others- provide feedback to others.

• Structure:- greeting- report- closing.

• Verbal elements:- pronunciation. - volume- eye contact- listening quietly.

Students follow similar procedure to whole class joint construction for research.

Alternative strategy:• Each group works on same topic.• Notes could be on cards.• Each group is responsible for

extending notes into complete text.

Continued...


Activities



Research, construct, present• Use processes introduced in joint

construction to research and construct an information report about an Australian animal. Include labelled diagrams, life cycles, references.

• Students self edit then conference first draft with peer and teacher.

• Redraft and submit final draft.• Practice oral presentation of reports in

groups of three.• Using a checklist the group gives

feedback on the presentation to the presenter.

• Each student gives final presentation to a small group of students in another class.

• Peers monitor this presentation using a checklist.

Students are applying knowledge, skills and language choices developed throughout the teaching and learning cycle to produce the summative assessment task.

Independent ConstructionIn Independent Construction, students independently construct an argument as the summative task for this topic for this teaching, learning and assessing program.

Feedback checklist for oral information report presentation

Name of presenter ......................................................................

Did she/he... Yes No Sometimes

Say greeting

Say name

Say title of report

Look at audience

Speak loudly enough

Speak clearly

Not speak too fast

Did the report

Have a picture of the animal

Have a life cycle

Give enough information

Interest you

Write a comment


Activities



Reflection • Human Graph: stand on a line to show

how much you think you know about Australian animals now.

• Students share the most interesting thing they learnt and what was the most fun.

• Repeat Human Graph to show how much you know about writing information reports.

• Compare first human graph on Australian animals and these final graphs.

Continued...

Australian Animals Reference Books

Knowles, S (1988) Edward the Emu, Harper CollinsVaughan, M. K.(1984) Wombat Stew, Ashton ScholasticFox, Mem (1988) Koala Lou, PuffinJ. Brian & C. Johns (2001) Silly Galah, Ashton ScholasticCawthorne. W.A. (1988) Who Killed Cockatoo, M Hamilton BooksClement, R (2002) Olga the Brolga, Harper & CollinsChichester, E (1998) I love you Blue Kangaroo, Clark Harper & Collins Fox, Mem (1983) Possum Magic, Ashton ScholasticFox, Mem (1995) Wombat Divine, Omnibus

Australian Animals Screen

Education

Transcript of Australian Animals Screen