Education Worksheets Stage Three Designed in conjunction with ACARA curriculum 2016-17
Foreword For over 40 years, Featherdale Wildlife Park has been welcoming visitors and introducing them to the incredible fauna of Australia. Featherdale has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a small poultry and plant nursery, with a dedicated team of zoo keepers now caring for over 1,700 individual animals from over 200 different species. Featherdale is strongly involved in the captive breeding programs of numerous endangered species including Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies, Spotted-tailed Quolls, Koalas, Plains Wanderer, Bilby, Regent Honeyeaters and Woma Pythons. Featherdale was the first facility in the world to breed White-bellied Seaeagles in captivity and second in the world to breed Wedge-tailed Eagles. Featherdale s highly successful Koala breeding program has not only been a significant contribution to knowledge of the species for research and conservation, but has also resulted in a large, healthy and genetically viable colony of Koalas at the park. Featherdale is dedicated to education, having provided a comprehensive array of education materials for schools since the early 1970s. Each Education Kit has been specifically designed to meet the ACARA Science curriculum as well as integrating key learning areas from English, Geography and HSIE. 2
For the Teacher General Information Welcome to Featherdale Wildlife Park! Our Wildlife Park is a great place for learning. Our Education team aims to support student learning by providing resources to assist classes to have educational and enjoyable experiences at our park. This worksheet will provide a range of activities which may be undertaken by your students during their visit to the park. A map and suggested order of activities is provided to give a logical circuit to travel during the visit. In planning, please consider whether: You would like your class to regroup for lunch, animal feeds or exit at the end of your visit. If so, relay times and meeting places to students and supervisors. If you have booked a hands-on education lesson, ensure your students quietly wait outside the Learning Burrow 5 minutes prior to your lesson time and have had the opportunity to use the bathroom and eat something before entering. If your class is not booked for hands on lesson involving an education officer, we will attempt to meet your class at the entrance on arrival at the park. At this meeting the group will be welcomes and given some information about the park to assist their visit. General behaviour expectations will also be outlined. 3
Pre Excursion Contact Featherdale s Education team to organise a pre-excursion visit if you have not visited before. Discuss your needs (VERY IMPORTANT) Apply to principal or school activities coordinator to run an excursion that meets curriculum requirements. Make an excursion booking with Featherdale s Education team, ensuring that any special requirements have been discussed. In the week leading up to the excursion, have students work on the Pre-excursion worksheets provided by Featherdale. Motivate students and ensure they understand the purpose of the excursion and encourage a range of questions during the lesson. During Your Excursion Enjoy the park activities and animal encounters with your students Ensure students are supervised at all times and enter the Farmyard and Kangaroo Country in small groups (no more than 10 at a time). Encourage observation skills that lead to a higher level of thinking. Use questioning techniques that stimulate a quest for knowledge. Please ensure students are calm and respectful of other visitors and the animals in the park, and do not display any behaviour that may stress the animals such as yelling or hitting enclosure walls or glass. After Your Excursion Discuss the day and if there are further questions please do not hesitate to email back for a reply. We love to reply and get feedback from schools and students. Look at projects to illustrate learning s on the day. Some options could be: o Setting up a terrarium in class o Setting up an aquarium in class o Building a worm farm or a garden using recycled materials o Building an animal enclosure out of arts and craft items to reflect needs and wants (food, shelter, water, enrichment etc) o Organise a rehabilitation area within the school and plant native plants. o Set up animal signage wall in class reflecting endangered animals, conservation issues, Australian animals and the like. 4
ACARA SYLLABUS REQUIREMENTS OUTCOMES A student: ST3-10LW describes how structural features and other adaptations of living things help them to survive in their environment ST3-11LW describes some physical conditions of the environment and how these affect the growth and survival of living things CONTENT Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment. (ACSSU043) Students: observe and describe the structural features of some native Australian animals and plants present ideas and explanations about how the structural features and behaviour of some plants and animals help them to survive in their environment, e.g. shiny surfaces of leaves on sand dune plants and nocturnal behaviour in some animals research the conditions needed for a particular plant to grow and survive in its environment, e.g. an indoor plant, plants in deserts, drought-resistant wheat or salt-tolerant plants The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment. (ACSSU094) Students: identify some physical conditions of a local environment, e.g. temperature, slope, wind speed, amount of light and water make predictions about how changing the physical conditions of the environment impacts on the growth and survival of living things, e.g. different amounts of light or water on plant growth or the effect of different temperatures on the growth of yeast or bread mould 5
ACARA SYLLABUS REQUIREMENTS Use gathered data to develop explanations about how changing the physical conditions of the environment affect the growth and survival of living things. GEOGRAPHY STAGE 3FACTORS THAT SHAPE PLACES OUTCOMES A student: GE3-1 describes the diverse features and characteristics of places and environments GE3-2 explains interactions and connections between people, places and environments GE3-3 compares and contrasts influences on the management of places and environments GE3-4acquires, processes and communicates geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry KEY INQUIRY QUESTIONS How do people and environments influence one another? How do people influence places and the management of spaces within them? How can the impact of bushfires on people and places be reduced? CONTENT FOCUS Students investigate how people change the natural environment in Australia and other places around the world. They also explore how the environment influences the human characteristics of places. Students examine ways people influence the characteristics of places, including the management of spaces. Students explore the impact bushfires have on Australian people, places and environments and propose ways people can reduce the impact of bushfires in the future. 6
ACARA SYLLABUS REQUIREMENTS CONTENT Factors that change environments Students: investigate the ways people change the natural environment in Australia and another country, for example: (ACHGK026, ACHGK027) examination of how people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, have influenced each country s environmental characteristics e.g. land clearing Environments shape places investigate how the natural environment influences people and places, for example: (ACHGK028) Humans shape places investigate how people influence places, for example: (ACHGK029) identification of ways people influence places and contribute to sustainability e.g. roads and services, building development applications, local sustainability initiatives F ST Bushfire hazards Students: investigate the impact of ONE contemporary bushfire hazard in Australia, for example: (ACHGK030) description of the impact of the disaster on natural vegetation and the damage caused to communities VR examination of how people can prevent and minimise the effects of a bushfire (Any of these subjects can be incorporated in an education lesson. Please liaise with our education coordinator and we will tailor the lesson to your needs) 7
ACARA SYLLABUS OUTCOMES CONTINUED Based on Bloom s Taxonomy of learning skills we have prepared a set of topics to discuss and make learning colourful and rewarding, back in class. These topics can be discussed even if the school has not had a lesson. Ask for help if you need it. Our education team would love to assist. The Six thinking skills include: Knowledge List and describe five Australian animals that are endangered List and describe five Australian Animals that are extinct Comprehension Birds are adapted to fly. You would think they, of all living things would be safe from extinction. They opposite is true! Why are birds so vulnerable to extinction (hint- What led to some of the most recent bird extinctions?) Application As a group organise a scrapbook for endangered animals of the Cumberland Plains.Explain why these animals are endangered and what can or is being done to protect them. Illustrate the scrapbook and share with other students. Analysis Use any environment or habitat (re application) and discuss with the class what would happen if some of its environment or habitat changed. Talk about the changes and how they affect the wildlife. Maybe, conduct a debate. Synthesis Australia has many feral animals with most found in our desert environments. List ways one could control the effects these animals have on our many rare desert species Bilby, Bettongs, Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats etc? Evaluation Debate the positive and negative aspects of using fire to control plants and animals in the desert. The first Australians have been doing it for thousands of years, so it can t be bad, can it? 8
Did you know that the little penguin is only the size of a ruler! Revision: What is a living thing? Write down the definition of the following words. Movement: Respiration:.Sensitivity: Nutrition: Excretion:.. Reproduction: Growth: 9
What are the structural features of the plant? Every plant is made up of different parts. All its parts have a particular role to ensure its survival: To make food To reproduce To transport and store food within the plant To absorb water and nutrients. Label the diagram. Did you know that flowers move towards the sun? 10
How are animals and plants different! As humans we like order and structure. Think about how a kitchen is set up or how a group of books are organised. They are all arranged in a way that allows an individual to find things easily. Look at your own bedroom. Is your wardrobe tidy? Are your shoes together and tee shirts all in the same pile? Organising the living world is called classification. The way we classify living things is by looking at the way they move, how they feed, what senses they have and their life cycles. Plants and Animals are living things. They are different, and that sets them apart. Match the sentence to the living thing by drawing a line to either the plant or the animal. I stay put and grow in soil. That means I have to get everything I need where I grow and live. I need to move around and find food. I may feed on meat or other plants. I have a mouth, teeth or beak to help eat and digest the food I move from place to place by myself. I legs or limbs to help me I have eyes and ears for seeing and hearing. I feel things through my skin or fur and I have a nose for smelling. I have a covering of bark, leaves and stem coverings that can be smooth, coarse, hairy or hard. I make my own food. I am covered in fur. Some living things like me are covered in skin, hair, scales, and even feathers. I respond to the outside world by moving towards the sun. Some of us close our leaves when they are touched! There you are. You are now classifying living things! 11
The Energy Cycle Living things must use energy from the sun to live and move. Animals get their energy from the food they eat. Plants and animals are part of the energy cycle. Place the words in the correct picture for energy cycle. Predators Decomposers Scavengers Insectivores Energy from the sun Herbivores Plant eating insects. 12
Satin Bower Bird Birds make their nest in many different ways and in many different places. Nests can be made from grass, sticks, leaves, flowers, fur, feathers, mud, moss, cobwebs and they can be decorated too! Ask one of the keepers walking around where you could find a nest like the one illustrated above. Observe and find out: Which bird built the bower (Male or female)?.. What is the bower made from? How was it made?.. How is it decorated?.. What is the purpose or reason for the bower? 13
Structural Features Did you know that reptiles are solar powered! Animals are built in a way that allows them to survive in the wild. Animals that eat other animals are called Predators. Predators use their senses to find their prey. Prey have clever ways to protect themselves in the wild! Describe how an Echidna would protect itself in the wild?..... Describe how the bearded dragon would protect itself in the wild?..... Describe how the Little Penguin would protect itself in the wild?..... 14
Did you know that not all lizards lay eggs? The shingle back Lizard give birth to live young! How do features help animals survive? Many animals have similar but distinct features. These features allow animals to survive certain environments. These adaptations have allowed all living things to live a particular lifestyle in a particular habitat. How do these features allow these animals to survive in their environments or habitats? Animal Feature How it helps the animal to survive? Bilby Tail Splendid Tree Frog moist skin Woma Python Colour Swamp Wallaby Hind Legs Ghost Bats Echo location Powerful Owl Eyes Koala Cartilage or Hard bottom 15
Animal Adaptations Select an animal from the park that interests you and research how it has adapted to suit its environment. Physical Description: Habitat: Climate: Animal Diet: Special Feature: Adaptations: 16
Build an Enclosure Pretend you re a zoologist or a keeper and have been asked to design an animal enclosure at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Use all the information that you have gained from animal adaptations to design a suitable enclosure for your animal to keep it healthy and happy! Pick any animal at the park 17
Captain Feathersword A biome is a group of plants and animals that have adapted to a particular environment or habitat. Some species are more adaptable and can be found in more than one biome while others are unique to just one. For their survival, plants and animals have had to develop different ways of adapting to their environment. Tawny Frogmouths are a great example of an animal that can adapt to their environment. Captain Feathersword is even more special because as a wild nocturnal bird he had an accident and has an injured eye and beak. But you know what; he has learnt to live with these shortfalls by adapting. Listen carefully to the lesson! If you are not doing a lesson find the display and I am sure you can still answer these easy questions What are some of the Tawny s adaptations for protection, in the wild?. What are some of the Tawny s adaptations for feeding, in the wild?.. What are other special features of the Tawny Frogmouth?.. Should we release Captain Feathersword into the wild? Explain why? (If you are not doing a lesson should we be releasing any animal from the park? discuss) 18
Migration Migration is the movement of animals from one place to another. It may occur seasonally or just once in a lifetime or whenever the environment changes. Migration is often related to feeding or breeding cycles. Many animals migrate but birds are the best know travellers or migrants. Channel billed cuckoos are some of Australia s best known migratory birds. These large fruit eaters come south to Sydney from Indonesia and New Guinea and lay eggs in Currawong nests! The young cuckoo then kicks out all the other eggs and becomes an only child to the currawong family! It summers down here and than begins its journey north where it is warmer to than come back and breed next season! What do Channel Billed Cuckoos eat? What do Channel Billed Cuckoo s do to other bird nest?.. Why does the Channel Billed Cuckoo go to New Guinea and Indonesia?.. 19
Hibernation Hibernation is known as winter sleep, in which an animal s breathing slows down and its body temperature lowers for a period of days or weeks depending on its environment. In the winter, hibernation helps animals conserve food at a time when food options are limited. In Australia, most of our animals do not hibernate, they Torpor, which is sometimes called temporary hibernation, It is more of an unplanned time off! It happens during times when there is no food or when the weather conditions are poor like say, the middle of winter. Torpor helps animals survive during periods of intense cold and it s a bit like an animal passing out in response to being too cold; the animal appears dead, but if warmed up, it becomes active again. Research an animal that you think sleeps or torpors during winter and answer the following Animal Species Natural Habitat Main food source Where it torpors, when and why Interesting facts 20
Natural Environment and human impacts The first or as we sometimes call them indigenous or aboriginal Australians arrived about 50,000 years ago. They learnt to live in a difficult environment, but over the years they became very skilled in the art of hunting and gathering of food. Some aboriginal families even *farmed special edible plants, like yams and plants that produced seeds to make a kind of bread! We now also know that some aboriginal peoples, especially on the coast lived a settled life and did not wonder about the bush or desert like we once thought.some First Australians even built amazing traps to help them catch large animals and fish. They passed these skills on, from generation to generation. Draw a line from the description to the picture. It was the woman s job to gather small animals and plants to feed the family. Special digging tools were used dig out root vegetables which were then crushed and thoroughly washed in water. First Australians also used fire to clear small areas of vegetation. This burning allowed many native plants to regrow quickly which meant they would seed and fruit much faster. This allowed them to collect, eat and store food sooner than if the plants grew naturally. It was the men s job to hunt animals. They worked in a group using weapons and traps to catch kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, emus and galahs. Coastal communities also made nets and fished. *Teacher s notes.to increase awareness of how wonderful our indigenous culture is I recommend you read a book called Dark Emu: Balck Seeds by Bruce Pascoe and discuss it with the class. This book gives some excellent new insights into indigenous culture and debunks some of our previous held misconceptions about their hunter gathering and nomadic lifestyles. 21
Human Impacts Water is one of the most important resources on Earth as well as trees. They both have a role in our environment and lives. Not only is it important to us but to animals and plants too. Name 3 positive ways we use trees: 1 2.. 3 Name 3 positive ways we use water: 1.. 2. 3. Humans change environments. We cut trees, misuse water and pollute. If we change habitats and environments by misusing these important resources (water, plants, soil) what do you think would happen to the living things that make their home in these special places? (Draw a picture or write some notes on your idea of a dying world) 22
Threatened and Endangered Humans share the earth with many other living things. Unfortunately, some of the things people do, have caused many of those living things to become endangered: that is, in danger of becoming extinct or dying out. Explain why the following animals are endangered in the wild. Answers are on the enclosures Koala Spotted Quoll 23
Southern Cassowary The cassowary is one of our largest birds. It lives in the Nor thern tropical rain forests of Australia. They eat fruit and lead a solitary life (they live alone). Males and females get together once a year from May to October. After mating the female cassowary lays her eggs. Unlike most other birds, it is the male cassowary that incubates the eggs and minds the baby chicks until they are old enough to look after themselves. Answer the following questions. Does the cassowary fly? How many toes does it have on each leg? Who looks after the eggs until the baby chicks are hatched? What food would you expect a cassowary to find in the forest? Did you know the Southern Cassowary can swallow any fruit up to the size of a tennis ball! 24
Lesson Project Fill in this Report about the animal used during the lesson. Animal Habitat Diet Lifecycle Special information Draw me 25
Lesson Project Fill in this Report about the animal used during the lesson. Animal Habitat Diet Lifecycle Special Information Draw me 26
Lesson Project Fill in this Report about the animal used during the lesson. Animal Habitat Diet Lifecycle Special Information Draw me 27
Lesson Project Fill in this Report about the animal used during the lesson. Animal Habitat Diet Lifecycle Special Information Draw me 28
Sign Project Make your own sign with an endangered animal from the park Example 29
Glossary Air: What we breathe into our lungs. Breathe: When a living thing inhales air. Burrow: A large hole underground. Camouflage: When an animal becomes invisible in its home or habitat. Carnivorous: An Animal that eats another animal, eating only meat. Change: When a living thing becomes different. Constrict: A python that squeezes its food very tightly. Covering: The type of skin an animal has. Deforestation: When trees are taking down and disappear. Diet: What an animal eats. Difference: A thought or way that is not the same Eggs: A shelled oval thing where birds and some reptiles are born from. Endangered: An animal that is disappearing in the wild Environment: The surroundings of a home of an animal. Eucalyptus: A type of Australian tree. Extinct: An animal that no longer exist on earth. Feathers: The body covering of birds. Food chain: An animal that uses a smaller animal as food. Fur: The body covering of mammals. Grow: When a living thing gets bigger in size or changes. Habitat: The home of an animal, where it lives. Herbivorous: An animal that only eats plants or vegetation. Indigenous: An individual that is native to the country. Lifecycle: The stages of how a baby animal is born. Live birth: An animal that is born alive. Living Thing: Is something that breathes moves, grows changes, eats and drinks and has babies. Marsupial: A mammal with a pouch. Movement: How an animal gets to one place to another. Nocturnal: Animal that sleeps during the day and has breakfast at night. Omnivorous: An animal that eats both other animals and plants. Predator: An animal that hunts another animal. Prey: An animal that is used for food. Purpose: The reason why something is done. Protect: To keep safe or away from getting hurt. Scales: The body covering of reptiles. Shed: When an animal loses its old body covering for a new one. Shelter: An area where an animal can stay protected from danger. Slither: The way a snake or python drags itself on the ground. Slough: When a snake or python start to lose their outer layer of skin. Spikes: The hard spines on an echidna. Venom: A toxin that snakes inject from their sharp fangs to make their food die quickly. Water: What an animal drinks. 30
Draw a picture of your favourite animal at Featherdale. 31
Thank you for visiting Featherdale Wildlife Park. We hope you had a fun day with all the animals! 32
Page 8 Page 10 Page 11 1. Satin Bowerbird 2. Sticks 3. By the male, placed carefully upright. 4. Its decorated the bower with blue items 5. To attract the female Page 12 1. An echidna would dig itself in a ditch and flatten its body to expose the spikes to the predator. Then if any predators come close they jolt their bodies to hurt them. 2. The bearded dragon would do a thing called Bluff. Where it inflates itself to look bigger than what it is to scare off predators. 3. The little penguin if threatened on land would go to the water where it can swim very fast. On land if they are far away from water they would be very vocal, flap their wings and use their sharp beak to fend off prey. 33
Page 13 1. They use it as a lure to redirect predators when being chased. 2. Moist skin is a slimy coating that keeps them moist and deters predators, but it also provides some protection against water-borne illness. 3. The colour provides the woma python with excellent camouflage. 4. The hind legs allow the wallaby to move from place to place and also protect itself when threatened by kicking its predator. 5. Echo location is a good way for ghost bats to looks for food, communicate and sence obstacles while flying. 6. For an owl that also would hunt during the day, bright big eyes allows them to detect movement and prey. 7. The cartilage bottom allows the koalas to have a molded cushion when sitting tightly on a forked perch. Page 16 1. Camouflage, Stillness, Colour and Alertness 2. Excellent night vision and soft noiseless feathers (like owls) 3. They build nests, they pair up for life and they can live in every Australian dry environment. 4. No, in order to survive he would need two eyes to hunt for food and protect himself from predators. Page 17 1. Small native or cultivated fruit 2. The male distracts the parents of magpies, currawongs while the female Channel-Billed cuckoo removes the eggs and lay an egg in the nest and fly away. Leaving the magpie or currawong rearing the young channel billed cuckoo chick. 3. It escapes the cold winter in Australia. That s because in New Guinea and Indonesia is warmer. 34
Page 18 1. Short Beaked Echidna 2. They live in habitats where they can find food and hide from predators and are found everywhere in Australia. 3. They eat termites, ants and small insect larvae. 4. It torpors during winter for short periods when food is scarce. It Torpors in its burrow. 5. The Echidna is a monotreme; it has a pouch and also lays an egg. Their tongue is 20cm long and it s covered in mucus to catch termites and ants on mounds. Their back feet face backwards to make it easier to scratch their heads. It is like having a comb on your back foot! Page 19 Page 22 1. Oxygen, Homes, Paper, Shade 2. Shower, to hydrate, to make food grow 3. All living things would die. 4. Taking short showers, Recycling paper and wood, planting trees. 1. No 2. 3 toes 3. The male 4. Fruits and small insects 35
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