australian WILDLIFE And plants HSIE/SOSE Connections State and National Parks Text Type Argument Text Organisation Proposition/support Text Synopsis This text explores the wildlife and plants of Australia s state and national parks. It argues the benefits of the parks, which are spread throughout Australia and provide plants and creatures with a natural and safe environment. Without them, many of Australia s unique plants and animals would be homeless or extinct. They give people the chance to see these plants and animals in their natural environment. They offer many threatened species hope for the future. Overall Learning Opportunities Read a map Read and respond to factual text with familiar ideas and information, and some unfamiliar vocabulary and textual features Explore linguistic structures and features of an argument Summarise information in the form of a table Extend vocabulary and knowledge of adjectives Summarise an argument and extend it by undertaking research Activity Menu Guided Reading, pages 2 and 3 Students are matched to text and grouped for like-learning needs. The teacher introduces the book with preliminary discussion, then guides the students through a preview of the pictures and graphics. After independent reading, students revisit the text for subsequent discussion. As a Group, page 4 Research Project Students summarise and extend information from the text. What Am I? Students create riddles about animals and plants. Independent Work, pages 5 and 6 BLM 1 Students extend their vocabulary by identifying adjectives. BLM 2 Students summarise information from the text in the form of a table. Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia. 1
Guided Reading Learning Opportunities Make predictions about the text based on the title and contents page Respond to and make inferences from photos and captions Interpret information from maps Discuss personal interpretation of the text Recall specific information from the text Identify proposition and support features in an argument Book Orientation Show the students the cover of the book and read the title aloud. Engage students in a discussion about Australian wildlife and plants. Ask: What do you think this book is about? Can you think of some creatures and plants that may be in this book? Have the students turn to the contents page to find more information about the text. Ask: On which page will I find information about the golden wattle? Name one of the animals featured in this book. On which page will I find information about it? Reading the Text Read the introduction to the students while they follow their own text. Then ask each student to read the introduction to themselves. Ask: Why does Australia have state and national parks where humans cannot live? Then lead them through the book by prompting with questions and comments about the photos and maps using the language structures and vocabulary from the text. Have the students look at the map on page 3. Say: National parks are very important for conserving our Australian wildlife and plants. Look at the map of Deep Creek Conservation Park and work out in which state it is found. Turn to page 4. Ask: What do you think the signs are warning motorists of? Read the caption to find out. Turn to page 7. Ask: Looking at the photo, how do you think the echidna protects itself? Turn to pages 8 9. Ask: Looking at the platypus distribution map, where do you think we might find platypuses? How does a platypus move through the water? Turn to page 11. Ask: Looking at the distribution map, where would you find the Tasmanian devil? Turn to pages 12 13. Ask: The Tasmanian devil eats dead, rotting animals. What special features help it do this? Looking at the distribution map, where do you think wombats are found? Turn to pages 14 15. Ask: Where does the wombat live? 2 Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia.
Guided Reading Vocabulary Some students may need help with the following words: conservation distribution extinct forage habitat invaluable monotreme national heritage nocturnal phyllodes predator reproduction unique Assessment Ideas While students read independently, monitor individual students. Do they: Focus on the meaning of a text? Restore meaning through the use of context, known words, references, re-reading and asking for help? Looking at the distribution map, where would you find koalas? Turn to pages 16 17. Ask: What are koalas very good at doing? Turn to pages 18 19. Ask: Where are sugar gliders found? Sugar gliders are very sociable animals. What are these sugar gliders doing? Turn to pages 20 21. Ask: The southern brown bandicoot is a tiny marsupial. Where is it found? What does it look like? Turn to pages 24 25. Ask: Where would you find the fagus and how would you describe it? Turn to page 26 27. Say: The golden wattle is Australia s national floral emblem. How many tiny flowers make up a flower head? Independent Reading Invite the students to read the text independently. While they are reading, observe and support selected students to monitor their ability to gain meaning from the text. After Reading Use the following open-ended prompts to engage the students in discussion. Ask: Which animal would you most like to see in a national or state park? Why? What argument was the book presenting about national and state parks? To encourage recall of specific information, ask: Why is Deep Creek Park important? (page 3) What type of animal is the echidna? (page 5) Are echidnas protected in Australia? (page 7) Where are platypuses possibly extinct in the wild? (page 10) What type of animal is the wombat? (page 13) How many hours a day can koalas sleep? (page 16) Name some animals that attack sugar gliders. (page 19) How did the red and green kangaroo paw get its name? (page 28) Why do we need national and state parks? (Page 29) Have the students complete BLMs 1 and 2 to reinforce and extend what they have learnt in the text. Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia. 3
As a Group Learning Opportunities Identify the structure of an argument Summarise information from the text Teaching Note Prepare the wall chart prior to lesson. Activity 1: Research Project Read the text out loud to students and allow time for them to re-read it for themselves. Students close books then discuss the argument contained in the text. Invite students to create a group wall story summarising the argument in favour of state and national parks. Extend the discussion by asking if the students can think of any reasons why state and national parks might not be a good idea. Add these arguments to the wall story. Invite students to select their own creature or plant. Have them summarise information about how that animal or plant has benefited from the establishment of state or national parks. When completed, have students share their summaries with the rest of the group. Extension Students can use atlases, encyclopedias, library resources and the Internet to add further information to their project. Students may find www.macquarienet.com.au a useful resource. Learning Opportunities Draw conclusions and make judgements and generalisations Review and clarify vocabulary Identify and extract important information Construct an argument Activity 2: What Am I? Choose one of the animals or plants from the text and create a riddle about the animal or plant for the students to solve. Begin with only one clue, then add clues to help students guess. Say: What am I? I am a mammal that lays eggs. I mate in July and August and the female of my species lays only one egg inside a pouch on her body. Invite the students to write their own riddles and present them to the group. Students may publish the riddles in a class book with answers on the reverse of the pages. Extension Extend the activity by creating Where Am I? riddles about the various Australian conservation parks. 4 Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia.
Adjectives BLM 1 Name Adjectives are describing words. They describe nouns or naming words. Use the text to help you complete the following table: Nouns Leaf Adjectives bright green, broad, large, flat Echidna Fagus Golden wattle Koala Platypus Red and green kangaroo paw Southern brown bandicoot Sugar glider Tasmanian blue gum Tasmanian devil Wombat Write an interesting paragraph about the golden wattle and underline the adjectives. Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia. 5
Australian Wildlife BLM 2 Name From the native Australian animals featured in the book, choose four. Fill in their details on the chart using information from the book. Name Distribution Habitat Characteristics Food 6 Mac Australia Teacher s Guide Middle - 9780732989934, copyright Macmillan Education Australia.