Australian Curriculum: Science (Year 4)

Sub-strands Content Descriptions Achievement Standard

 Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072) By the end of Year 4, students apply the
Biological sciences
 Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive (ACSSU073) observable properties of materials to
explain how objects and materials can
be used. They use contact and non-
Chemical sciences  Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties; These properties can influence their use contact forces to describe interactions
(ACSSU074) between objects. They discuss how
natural and human processes cause
Earth and space  Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity (ACSSU075)
changes to the Earth’s surface. They
sciences describe relationships that assist the
 Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance (ACSSU076) survival of living things and sequence key
Physical sciences stages in the life cycle of a plant or
animal. They identify when science is
Nature and  Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE061) used to ask questions and make
development of predictions. They describe situations
science where science understanding can
influence their own and others’ actions.
Use and influence of  Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062)
science Students follow instructions to identify
investigable questions about familiar
Questioning and  With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might
happen based on prior knowledge (ACSIS064) contexts and predict likely outcomes from
predicting investigations. They discuss ways to
 Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find answers to questions (ACSIS065) conduct investigations and safely use
Planning and equipment to make and record
conducting  Safely use appropriate materials, tools or equipment to make and record observations, using formal measurements and
digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS066) observations. They use provided tables
and simple column graphs to organise
Processing and  Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and their data and identify patterns in data.
analysing data and trends (ACSIS068) Students suggest explanations for
information  Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings (ACSIS216) observations and compare their findings
with their predictions. They suggest
 Reflect on the investigation, including whether a test was fair or not (ACSIS069) reasons why their methods were fair or
Evaluating
not. They complete simple reports to
 Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways such as diagrams, physical representations and communicate their methods and findings.
Communicating
simple reports (ACSIS071)
 English CONCEPT MAP Maths
(option 1)

Use a range of methods to Religious Education / Spiritual Education Data representation – Sorting
investigate and represent animals into different types of
findings. For example, writing a Discuss the animals that are represented in ecosystems using a table and
poem about a given food chain. the bible and identify what ecosystem it is calculating how many numbers
from. are in each.

Concept: Living things depend on each

other and the environment to survive.
Term: 3 Weeks: 1-5
©The University of Notre Dame 2010 developed by C McGunnigle

Health & Physical Education

Science / Technology & Enterprise

Create a food chain tag game. For example, students

Design and build physical representation of a food
could be sorted into teams and labelled producers,
chain/food web.
consumers, decomposers. Each team can only tag
players that follow the direction of the food chain.

LOTE

Students can learn the animal

names in an additional
language.
 FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT

TERM/WEEKS: Term 2 – Week 1-5 YEAR LEVEL: 4 LEARNING AREA/TOPIC: Science – Biological Sciences –
Living things depend on each other and the environment to survive
(ACSSU073)

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
General Capabilities:
Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and creative Ethical Behaviour Personal and social Intercultural Understanding
thinking Competence
Cross-curriculum priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and Cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

5E’s- ENGAGE (1-2 lessons)

 To capture student interest and find out what they know about XXXXX
 To elicit students’ questions/ prior knowledge about XXXXX
 Diagnostic assessment used- in this lesson you will find out what the students already know about XXXXX. This will allow you to take account of students’ existing ideas when planning learning
experiences

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSO LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
N (include learner diversity)
Science Science Science
Understan as a Inquiry
ding Human Skills
Endeavo
ur
1. (ACSSU073)
Students will DIAGNOSTIC Introduction What do animals
need to survive? Science books
(ACSSU002) investigate the  Have students on the mat and discuss prior
(ACSSU002) roles of living things Assess students knowledge (Living things have basic needs Do all animals 1 worksheet per
need the same student
(ACSSU211)
in a habitat. For through including food and water) and (Living things to survive?
example: question and Glue
Australian things live in different places where their Do different Scissors
Curriculum, Producers, answer animals live in
Assessment consumers or needs are met) by asking students to raise
different habitats? 1 piece of Butcher
and
Reporting decomposers. Collect and their hands and explain what they paper per group
Why do animals live
Authority record findings remember about this topic. in different types of ../Desktop/Screen
[ACARA],
2019) from the habitats? For Shot 2019-09-13 at
example: Rainforest 10.55.44 am.png
brainstorm Body Vs. Ocean.
activity  Students are put into groups of 4/5 at their (JH Lesson Design,
2019).
desks and are to brainstorm on large
butchers’ paper a number of different
organisms (animals and plants).
 Bring students onto the mat and discuss
what a producer would be, including
examples of them.
 Students go back to their tables and colour
all the producers they wrote in red. They
 must also add any additional producers
that they can think of.
 Bring students onto the mat to discuss what
things they had added.
 Repeat with PRIMARY consumers,
SECONDARY consumers and
DECOMPOSERS.
 Have students’ complete worksheet in their
books.
YouTube video
Conclusion https://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=bvqN
 Discuss learning 9H3QtTQ
 Video to consolidate
(FuseSchool – Global
Education, 2017)
 5E’s- EXPLORE (2-3 lessons)
 To provide hands on, shared experiences of XXXXX
 To support students to investigate and explore ideas about XXXXX
 Formative assessment

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSO LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
N (include learner diversity)
Science Science Science
Understan as a Inquiry
ding Human Skills
Endeavo
ur
(ACSSU073)
2. Students describe FORMATIVE Introduction Small soft ball
(ACARA, relationships that Warm up game:
2019)
assist the survival of  Students are to stand in a circle. What did you learn 5 cups per group
Students are last week?
living things. required to  Teacher asks a question and the person 5 animal cards per
What’s a group
complete a with the ball must answer it. After answering producer?
worksheet – the question, they must throw the ball 5 arrow cards per
What’s a group
collect and underarm to another person. consumer?
record results.  Safety: Teacher must explain that ONLY 1 piece of string per
Have you heard of group
underarm throws are allowed, and they are a food chain, can
Collect the you tell me 2 rolls of sticky tape
physical not allowed to ‘ditch’ it at another person. something you
know about them? Peer assessment
representation  Questions such as: What did you learn last worksheet
of a food chain week? What’s a producer? What’s a What would you
like to learn about Cheat sheet
from each consumer? Have you heard of a food food chains? worksheet (Made
group. chain, can you tell me something you know myself)

about them? What would you like to learn Role lanyards

Peer assessment
about food chains?
sheets are to be
collected and  Discuss learning objectives with students.
reviewed.
Body
Which role are
 Give students an explanation and you?
examples of food chains.
What equipment
 Be sure to highlight the direction of the do you need?
arrows.
Why are your
 Give students a ‘cheat sheet’ worksheet to arrows pointing in
that direction?
complete whilst explaining.
 In groups of 3, students are to make a What type of living
thing is at the
physical representation of a food chain bottom of your
food chain?
using cups, pictures of animals and arrows
and sticky tape (equipment at stations).
  Only one student from each group is to go What type of living
thing is at the top
to the equipment table at a time for safety of your food chain?

purposes. Student must also walk with

equipment and not run in the classroom.
 Students will be required to draw a draft of
their food chain before commencing to
build it.
 If students finish early, they can build an
additional food chain. “Did you learn
 Once finished, students do a gallery walk anything new from
today’s lesson?”
and fill out a peer assessment sheet for “In the activity, were
another group’s food chain. you able to identify
what animals were
from different
ecosystems? Did you
use this when making
Conclusion and discussion your food chain?”

 Think, pair, share then group discussion. “Did you struggle with
understanding
anything today?”
 5E’s- EXPLAIN (1 lesson)
 To support students to develop explanations for experiences and make representations of developing conceptual understandings
 Formative assessment

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSO LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
N (include learner diversity)
Science Science Science
Understan as a Inquiry
ding Human Skills
Endeavo
ur
(ACSSU073) http://www.scootle.e
3. Students describe FORMATIVE Introduction
What do all living du.au/ec/viewing/L1
and demonstrate  Play interactive game as a whole class on things need to 143/L1143/index.html
(ACARA,
2019)
the relationships Students are the board to review prior knowledge about grow? What does it #
start with?
that assist the required to fill food chains from the previous lesson.
survival of living out key
What is a (Education Services
 Introduce the idea of ecosystem through a producer? Australia, 2016).
things. information video.
What is a Interactive
about their consumer? whiteboard
given
ecosystem. What is a https://www.youtube
decomposer? .com/watch?v=bJETo
Q49Yjc
Students are to Body (Free School, 2016)
draw a food  Have students in groups of 3, investigate an What animals are in
chain from the ecosystem. your ecosystem?
animals within
 Each group will be allocated an ecosystem Do any animals
their ecosystem. have
and will be given a photocopied resource. similarities/differenc Science books
es in their diet?
However, students can use their devices for Ruler
further research if they wish. Do any animals
have Own devices
 Each student is to open a blank page in similarities/differenc
their books, write their given ecosystem in es in their physical Photocopied
appearance? resources
the middle and rule a cross over their page
Why do you think Pencils
so that there are 4 quadrants. Label the top that particular
left quadrant – What living things are in your animal lives in this Colouring in pencils
type of ecosystem?
ecosystem, top right - What non-living things
What are the
are in your ecosystem, bottom left – What needs of that
are the conditions/weather like in your animal, are they
being met in this
ecosystem, bottom right – Sort your living ecosystem?
things into categories of producers,
consumers and decomposers.
 Once completed, each student will draw a
food chain of a max. of 6 animals, on a
 new page in their books and colour them Which way do the
arrows point?
in.
How is energy
 For early finishers, ask them to draw their being transferred?
ecosystem in the background to fill the
Why did you put __
page. as the producer?

Conclusion
What are the
 Ask groups to present their food chains and conditions in your
explain a few key things about their ecosystem?

ecosystem such as the type of What type of

animals would live
weather/conditions that are there. in this ecosystem?

Do you think
animals can be a
part of more than
one ecosystem?
 5E’s- ELABORATE (1-2 lessons)
 To challenge and extend students’ understandings in a new context or make connections to additional concepts through a student planned investigation
 To use investigative/ inquiry skills
 Summative assessment of science inquiry skills

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSO LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
N (include learner diversity)
Science Science Science
Understan as a Inquiry
ding Human Skills
Endeavo
ur
(ACSSU073)
4. Students describe SUMMATIVE- Introduction
What do all living
relationships that Science Inquiry  Review food chains and explain that things need to ../Desktop/food
(ACARA,
2019)
assist the survival of Skills they’re a simple path that show a single grow? What does it chain cards.docx
start with?
living things. path that energy is transferred through. (Sallas, 2019)
What is a
Students will  Run through an example on the board that producer?
This activity is need to have a
designed for illustrates several interconnected food
What is a
list of living chains within an ecosystem. Use 2 example consumer?
students to make things with
observations, food chains with pictures on the What is a
questions in their
collect data, science whiteboard with magnets. decomposer?

organize data, notebook.  After students identify the food chains, How can I form a
display data, and demonstrate how this can become a food food web with
these chains?
draw conclusions Data should be web. Explain that that although food webs
from the data. organised into What else can ____
look complicated, they are really just a eat?
the three bunch of simpler food chains connected.
categories of Which way do the
arrows need to
producers, point?
consumers, and Body What is the animal
decomposers.  Introduce students to the Wonder Wander called that is at the Science books
top of a food web?
investigation and take students to an area Pencils
There should be
a food web with outside of the classroom with ample living Ruler
a prediction things such as plants and animals.
What do you see?
about extinction  Open up a new page in their science books
and over and ask them to record 15-20 observations What can you (Ahlberg, 2019).
hear?
population. by making a T chart. On the left side, write
What do you want
the title: I observe, on the right side write the to know?
Exit slips title: I wonder (these are questions about
each observation) What would
happen if there
 Under the "I observe", they are to list all the was an over
plants and animals they see. Under the "I population of one
of the living things?
 wonder" side write a question about the
What could
observation. happen if one of
the living things in
 Introduce the question the class will the food web
investigate. How do producers, consumers, became extinct?

and decomposers affect each other in a

food web?
 Ask students to organise their list of data What is the
difference
into the three groups: producers, between a food
chain and a food
consumers, and decomposers and make a web?
food web using the living things they
Can a food web
observed. incorporate
animals from other
 Have students predict what would happen ecosystems?
if one of the living things in their food web
What could
became extinct. What would happen if happen if one of
there was an over population of one of the the living things in
the food web
living things? Write down these answers in became extinct?

their books.
 If students are immensely struggling with the
concept of the food web, ask them to
identify a number of food chains with their
observations.

Conclusion Youtube video

 Reconsolidate learning with a video https://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=Vtb3I
8Vzlfg
Exit slips:
 What is the difference between a producer, (Crash Course Kids,
consumers and decomposers? 2015)

 From where do producers, consumers and

decomposers get their energy?
 What is the relationship between a food
chain and a food web?
 What are the similarities between a food
chain and a food web?
 What are the differences between the food
chain and a food web?
 5E’s- EVALUATE (1 lesson)
 To provide opportunities to review and reflect on their learning about XXXXX and represent what they know about XXXXX
 Summative assessment of science understanding

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSO LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
N (include learner diversity)
Science Science Science
Understan as a Inquiry
ding Human Skills
Endeavo
ur
(ACSSU073) Organism card sort
5. Understand and
apply their
SUMMATIVE- Introduction
Science What parts does ../Desktop/Freshwate
(ACARA,
2019)
knowledge of food
Understanding  Discuss prior knowledge from last lesson the animals have r Ecosystem
chains in order to that may suggest it Cards.docx
 Check prior knowledge – Ask students what is from a particular
make an accurate ecosystem? ../Desktop/Forest
model of a food web Their finalised they’ve previously learnt. Ecosystem
to demonstrate the posters that  Begin today's lesson with a card sort of Which ecosystem Cards.docx
does ___ belong in?
transfer of energy physically organisms found in various ecosystems. This ../Desktop/desert
through an demonstrate a will familiarize the students with animals that Can an animal be ecosystem
ecosystem. food web a part of more than cards.docx
can be found in different ecosystems. one ecosystem,
why? ../Desktop/Arctic
Their finalised  Provide each table group with a laminated Tundra Ecosystem

posters that copy of the 60 organism cards from the 4 Cards.docx

have the different ecosystems. (Sallas, 2019)

definition of  Each group must work together to sort their
producers, animals into their correct ecosystem.
consumers and  Run through the correct order with
decomposers.
everyone on the board and ask them to “Can you please
explain how you
Their finalised move the animals into the right ecosystem were able to place
them in the correct
posters that as you go. place.”
explain the  This allows them to see where each
relationship belongs, not just hear it. This helps the visual “What
characteristics
between learners (especially EALD students) grasp helped them
producers, identify the
the relationships.
consumers and organisms from
 Depending on the class, and if they are each ecosystem?”
decomposers.
competitive or not, see who can complete
it the fastest.

Body
“What ecosystem do
Same cards as
 Individually, students will have a set of 12 you have?”
above.
animal cards from a particular ecosystem.
 How many food
 Ecosystems include: Arctic tundra, forest, chains can you find in
freshwater, ocean and desert. your food web?”

 Students will be required to use the cards

provided to create a food web, and then
present it on a poster. Students must
complete a draft before beginning their
final copy of their poster.
 Students can decide whether they would
like to make it on a hard copy or via an
app on their device. If they choose this
option, they can find their own pictures of
the animals in relation to the animal cards
provided.
 On the back of the poster or inscribed
within it (digital posters) – the definition of
producer, consumer and decomposer must
be written in addition to a sentence
explaining the link between them.
 One on one help to those students who
require it or the number of living things
within their food web can be reduced.
What is the
difference
Conclusion
between a food
chain and a food
web?
 If students have completed their posters,
they will present their poster the class. Can a food web
 Discuss food webs, food chains and the incorporate
animals from other
classifications of animals (eg. Consumers). ecosystems?
 Discuss the act of food chains within an
What could
ecosystem and the heavy reliance on it for happen if one of
the living things in
the survival of animals to consolidate the food web
learning. became extinct?