Unit Plan that Incorporates the Use of
Thinking Tools
Unit Title
The Seasons
Unit Summary
This unit is an integrated unit incorporating Science, Mathematics, Health and Society and
Environment. The students will be looking at why the Seasons occur and learning how to explain it.
They will be gathering and analysing data from Bureau of Meteorology to discuss aspects of the
different Seasons. The students will be looking at the impact that the Seasons have on their
lifestyles.
Teaching and Learning Taxonomy – focusing on Higher-Order Thinking Skills
Curriculum- Framing Questions
 Question Matrix
 Thinker’s Keys
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Curriculum Framing Questions
Essential Question
What would happen if there were no seasons?
Unit Questions




What causes the seasons?
How are our lives affected by the seasons?
What happens during the different season?
Do you think that ‘Global Warming will effect the seasons and therefore our lives.’
Content Questions
 What difference in daylight occurs from one ‘Season’ to another?
 What activities do you do in a particular season?
 What differences occur in ‘Temperature’ from one Season to another?
 What differences occur in ‘Rainfall‘ from one Season to another?
 What differences occur between places in different parts of the World/ Australia
on any given day?
 What occurs as the Earth moves around the Sun over a period of one year?
 What climatic factors affect the quality of our lives over time?
 What conclusions can we make from analyzing data over time of weather patterns
in Australia?
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Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Accommodations for Diverse Needs
Students with special needs will have specific tasks modified for them (e.g.
Students with
expecting less work in terms of content), along with additional SSO support
Special Needs:
and scaffolding throughout the unit. Activities with multiple entry and exit
points to enable all children to achieve success.
English as a
ESL students will be supported by the ESL teacher, who will focus on this
Second Language
topic during her lessons. ESL students may choose to present their projects
(ESL) Student:
and reports orally, using the interactive Smartboard Notebook.
Gifted Student:
Students may have opportunities conduct more in-depth research. They may
also choose to undertake some of their own research relating to the topic.
Students’ Prior Knowledge – research has shown that most students do not understand or can
are able to describe how the seasons occur. A brief questionnaire to establish the prior knowledge
of each student would be done.
Prerequisite Skills – They need to be proficient Internet users, and have sound skills in programs
such as Microsoft Word and Smartboard Notebook.
Learning Environment – students will be able to work individually, in pairs and in small groups,
so tables should be organized to accommodate this. Students can work individually or in pairs
when undertaking research tasks using the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Standards Syllabus Outcomes
SACSA – Science –
2.2 Explores the apparent motion of the Sun in relation to the Earth and develops models of their
understanding.
3.2 Describes the various components of the Solar System and the effects of these on our everyday
lives.
2.1 Expresses ideas about changes that occur in their environment, and considers implications for
sustainable environments.
3.1 Describes the characteristics that sustain life on the Earth and changes to these characteristics and
their impact over time.
SACSA- Mathematics2.5 Uses direct measuring strategies to represent, communicate and record measurements graphically
in symbols with correct units and performs simple operations on measures.
3.4 Selects appropriate attributes and systems to measure for a variety of purposes and reports on how
measurement is used in social practice.
4.4 Selects appropriate measurement units and scale to conduct collaborative research into issues
associated with the social and physical world.
2.1 Poses questions, explores patterns, and collects relevant data. They record and represent the data,
and also use data presented by others.
3.1Poses questions, determines a sample, collects and records data including related data, represents
sample data in order to investigate the world around us.
2.2 Describes key features of data and draws conclusions from similar data from different groups. They
make general predictions based on the results.
3.2 Summarizes, recognizes bias, draws conclusions and makes conjectures about data. Understands
how different organizations and representations influence data interpretation.
SACSA – Society & Environment – Place, Space & Environment
3.6 Identifies factors affecting an environmental issue, and reports on ways to act for sustainable
futures.
3.5 Interprets and represents data about natural and built environments, resources, systems and
interactions, both global and local, using maps, graphs and texts.
2.5 Uses symbols, maps, models and flow-charts to describe the location of places and demonstrate
relationships.
SACSA - Health and Physical Education
2.7 Plans and practices strategies to maintain safety in the home, school and community.
3.7 Identifies skills to deal with situations that pose a risk to their health and safety.
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Year Level
Year 4/5
Teaching and Learning Activities
Introductory Activities
1. Students fill in their ideas about the seasons on a KWL (what we Know, what we Want to
know, what we’ve Learnt) template – at the moment they only need to fill in the K and W
sections. They then share this in small groups of 3-4.
2 Prior Knowledge: Questions could look like:
What do you understand the by the word ‘Season’ or ‘Seasons’?
Are there particular features that you can associate with aspects of a particular Season?
Are you able to explain how the Seasons work?
Is you lifestyle affected by seasons where you live, e.g. does a season affect a sport you play or
an activity you like doing.
Are there places there places in the world that you are aware of where you wouldn’t like
to live because of the Season?
If you were looking at describing any particular season what types of measurements would
you be likely to be taking or looking at?
3. Display an outline / grid of Boom’s Taxonomy with Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and
discuss with the students activities that could be placed in each one.
4. Display the list of ‘Thinkers Keys’ and discuss which ones might be used to develop a better
understanding of the ‘Seasons’.
5. The ‘Question Matrix’ needs to be explicitly taught and focused on over the whole year.
Learning Activities
1. Access the U tube video of showing an explanation of why the ‘Seasons’ occur. Discuss the
different characteristics of the different seasons and list then and record them.
2. Collect data for the Bureau of Meteorology on rainfall and temperature on the cities of
Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin to compare and discuss relating to Seasons.
3. Using the Smartboard Notebook: Collect pictures / drawings of showing particular features
or activities that you would associate with a particular season. Make a large display to be
shown in the classroom showing aspects of the Seasons.
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
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Intel® Teach Program
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4. Make or draw a model explaining why the Seasons occur.
5. Using the ‘Visual Ranking Tool’ select from the list of lifestyle activities that you would
prefer to be engaged in, in order of preference. Discuss the impact that the seasons have on
any particular one. Discuss where the most ideal place to live in Australia would be to suit
your preferences as you outlined and where the overall class would like to live. You may
like to discuss where many young and elderly Australians are moving to.
6. Use the ‘Seeing Reason Tool’ to analyze the positives and negative aspects of a particular
Season e.g. “HOT DAYS”, the increase in the number of hot days and people getting
sunburnt, heat exhauston, heat stroke and the increase in the incidents of Skin Cancer.
7. Using the ‘Showing Evidence’ tool discuss the rising rate of skin cancer in Australia and
discuss if there is any relationship with the seasonal conditions that we have.
Checking for Understanding
 Students keep records of their activities (e.g. think, pair, share, notes about their energy
source for the expert activity etc) in their Project book.
 Teacher and students to ask questions throughout activities
Useful websites:
What Causes Earth's Seasons.url
geography seasons.url
What causes the Seasons on Earth.url
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Assessment Summary
Students will be assessed at the beginning of the unit, throughout the unit and at the end of the
unit. Some assessment will be formative (for example the KWL chart and concept map) and
some will be summative (the work recorded in their Project book, and in the Smartboard
Notebook software on the computer). Questioning will be used throughout the unit.
At the outset students will complete the K (know) and W (want to know) sections of the KWL
chart and keep this for future reference. Students will record their learning throughout the unit in
a project book and in the Smartboard Notebook software. In their book and on the computer
there will answers to content and unit questions and the data and information that they have
collected.
One of the main tasks will be to work collaboratively in small groups to critique, design and make
a model of how the seasons occur. Students will be assessed on this using a rubric (to be
developed with the students) and will also have the opportunity to self-assess this task.
Thinking Tools Projects
Visual Ranking Elements (Complete this section if Visual Ranking will be used in this project)
Visual Ranking Project Name (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
List in order what activities / sports that you would prefer to participate in?
Project Description (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Australians participate in a wide range of sporting, leisure and social activities. Throughout the unit
students will develop their understanding that, the weather, during different seasons can have a
significant impact on whether or not they are able to enjoy activities of their choice during any
given season. The focus will be the Unit Question “How are our lives affected by the Seasons ?” They
will use the Visual Ranking Tool to rank the various types of activities that they prefer to
participate in and compare their list with peers. They will then discuss whether the seasons have
any impact on the participation rate during any given season.
Sorting List (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
List of your favourite Sports / Pastimes / Activities.
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Intel® Teach Program
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Surfing: Swimming: Football: Netball: Tennis: Snow Skiing: Walking: Cycling:
Playing outside:
Going to the beach.
Seeing Reason Elements (Complete this section if Seeing Reason will be used in this project)
Seeing Reason Project Name (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
How are our lives affected by the Seasons?
Project Description (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
Students use the Seeing Reason Tool to establish factors that affect their leisure, sports and
social activities. This will assist students in answering the Unit Question “How are our lives affected
by the Seasons?”
Research Question (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
What happens on very hot days when the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius.
Practice Map (For your future quick reference)
Showing Evidence Elements (Complete this section if Showing Evidence will be used in this project)
Showing Evidence Project Name (For the Showing Evidence workspace)
Skin cancer is a major threat to our health in Australia?
Project Description (For the Showing Evidence workspace)
Students use the Showing Evidence Tool to help them organize their research on the statistics
on the number of people getting skin cancer in Australia compared to other countries and draw
conclusions from evidence that suggests that our climate has a big impact on this.
Prompt (For the Showing Evidence workspace)
How are our lives affected by the seasons?
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Approximate Time Needed
This unit of work will run for approximately 2 weeks, with 4-6 lessons per week (45-60 minute
lessons) over a range of subject areas, focusing on the Mathematics, the Science and the Society
and Environment issues and Health and Physical Education.
Professional Learning
 Better Questions, Better Thinking: Book 1 John Langrehr
 Think About It : Activities for teaching Thinking Skills. Imogene Forte
 Teaching Thinking Strategies : John Langrehr
 In Full Bloom : A Thinking Approach to Teaching Literature Benjamin Bloom
 Teaching Thinking Skills in the Primary Years Michael Pohl
 Science, Systems Thinking and the Essential Learnings
David G Lloyd
 Teaching Primary Science Constructively
Keith Skamp
Technology - Hardware
Internet connection
Printer
Computer(s)
Interactive Whiteboard
Digital camera
Technology - Software
Internet Web Browser
Word processing
Email software
Multimedia
Digital Learning Objects
Printed Materials: textbooks, story books, manuals, reference materials etc.
Unit Author
Bob Davis
Brighton Primary School
Adelaide, South Australia
If your unit portfolio is chosen to be uploaded to the Intel® Teach Program database, do you want
your name displayed at the author? No.
Copyright © 2007 Intel Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course