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Science / Year 5 / Science Understanding / Biological sciences

Curriculum content descriptions

Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (ACSSU043)

Elaborations
  • explaining how particular adaptations help survival such as nocturnal behaviour, silvery coloured leaves of dune plants
  • describing and listing adaptations of living things suited for particular Australian environments
  • exploring general adaptations for particular environments such as adaptations that aid water conservation in deserts
ScOT terms

Adaptation (Evolution),  Animal behaviour

Interactive

Field Guide to Western Australian Fauna - iTunes app

View descriptions of Western Australian fauna together with maps of distribution, images and endangered species rating. Animals are grouped by mammals, reptiles, fishes, amphibians, birds or insects and other invertebrates. Info pages include images and animal sounds. Free when reviewed on 12/5/2015.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 8: How plants survive in different places

Explore some amazing ways that plants can survive in their habitats. See plants that mimic stones. Discover how some plants use weapons to protect themselves. Meet plants that trap their victims to feed on them.

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Catalyst: Penguin wave better than a group hug!

Emperor penguins form a big, tightly packed huddle to keep warm in Antarctica, the coldest and windiest continent on Earth. But how do the ones on the outside of the huddle keep warm? Find out about a clever way of ensuring that no penguin is left out in the cold.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 7: Fungi: how they grow

If a mushroom is not a plant, what is it? Discover a group of living things that are neither animals nor plants. Explore the mysterious world of fungi and find out the conditions that they need before they can grow.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 10: Uses of herbs past and present

Learn about some of the most useful plants in the home. Find out how some different herbs have been used throughout history and are used today.

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Day in the life of a wombat

Wombats have lovely large noses like dogs, but they're different from dogs' noses. How are they different? They also have hard heads and sharps nails to dig their homes with. What are their homes called? What do they do with most of their day?

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Spectacular spiders and their stunning silks

Discover what makes spiders so spectacular in this award-winning clip about the feeding habits, adaptations, and physical features of spiders. See close-up footage of spiders weaving their webs, catching their prey, and sheltering in their retreats. Brandon Gifford entered this video in the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science ...

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Migratory birds

Discover a program that builds awareness about Tasmania's shore birds. See how community involvement is helping to monitor their populations. View this clip called 'Migratory birds', created by young reporters from Circular Head Christian School, Tasmania. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the ...

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 4: Plant leaves

Leaves come in many shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Watch this clip to discover how leaves make their own food and transport energy to the rest of the plant. See how they can even be useful after they've fallen to the ground. Presenter Nick Hardcastle and some young helpers will also show you a fun, creative activity ...

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For the Juniors: How do mangrove trees survive?

Imagine a plant that lives in mud and is soaked in sea water twice a day. Find out how mangroves thrive in conditions that would kill other plants. View the amazing adaptations that make mangroves such special plants.

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ABC News: Dr Karl vs the mysterious giant squid

Do you believe in the legendary sea monster called the Kraken? It's said to have gigantic tentacles and to lurk in the deep ocean. In this clip, Dr Karl talks about some of the extraordinary features of a real deep-sea creature - the giant squid. Watch this clip to find out about it and see some footage of this amazing creature.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 6: Why plants make fruit

Fruits come in all shapes and colours. Have you ever wondered why plants make them? Discover an amazing variety of fruits. Learn the secret of these little plant packages and the treasures they protect.

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Catalyst: Sending seeds into space

Why might we need to keep a collection of seeds from all over the world? Where would we keep a collection like that? Should we send some of them into space? Watch this clip to reveal answers to all these questions and more.

Online

Animal adaptations

This is a detailed plan for teaching a unit about structural and behavioural adaptations of animals and plants. It includes a unit outline, overview and aim, learning outcomes, inquiry questions, background information about adaptations, lesson plans and a guide to assessment. The lesson sequence is based on the inquiry ...

Interactive

Field Guide to NSW Fauna - iTunes app

View descriptions of NSW fauna together with maps of distribution, images and endangered species rating. Animals are grouped by mammals, reptiles, fishes, amphibians, birds or insects and other invertebrates. Info pages include images and animal sounds. Free when reviewed on 12/5/2015.

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Kids in the Garden, Ep 12: Trees: a vital part of our lives

Have you ever heard of the 'sausage tree' or the 'dragon blood tree'? Watch this clip to find out about these and many other types of trees. Explore how they grow and why they are important. Presenter Nick Hardcastle will also show you how to plant a tree and grow a bonsai tree.

Interactive

Field guide to South Australian Fauna - iTunes app

View descriptions of South Australian fauna together with maps of distribution, images and endangered species rating. Animals are grouped by mammals, reptiles, fishes, amphibians, birds or insects and other invertebrates. Info pages include images and animal sounds. Free when reviewed on 12/5/2015.

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Sites2See: Aim to sustain

A page supporting learning for sustainability, with selected links to interactive resources, including videos, games and activities for K-6 students, teachers and parents. This resource relates to the 'Aim to sustain' resources produced for Stage 3 and 4 students.

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Wild backyards: digital stories transcript

This is a transcript of a series of three short digital stories produced by the Queensland Museum, entitled 'Wild backyards', in which experts explain how they attract wildlife to their backyards located in Brisbane, Roma and Innisfail. The transcript includes accompanying photographs taken from the digital stories and ...

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Aim to sustain: Alien invaders

Students examine and respond to information on introduced species and their impact on the Australian environment. The resource includes videos, SMART notebooks, worksheets and links to further interactive resources. Students have the opportunity to compose and present persuasive texts. The resource includes support notes ...