Second level learning journey
Theme: Biological systems
Curriculum area: Sciences
Introduction
In this learning journey, learners will understand the lifecycle and investigate the inherited and non-inherited characteristics of the giant panda. Learners will also research
the habitat of this endangered species in the wild and in captivity. Learners will recognise the impact science make on their lives, the lives of others, the environment and
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on society, expressing opinions about the social, moral, ethical, economic and environmental issues surrounding giant pandas in captivity.
Prior learning
Learners can:
 identify and classify living and non-living
things
 identify and classify plants and animals
into appropriate kingdoms
 use and explain the terms similarities and
differences and identify some in
themselves and some animal groups
 explain basic lifecycles e.g. caterpillar butterfly
 understand that organisms ‘continue’
because of reproduction and that
eventually the adult dies
 consider topical news stories and use
their knowledge of writing and
presentation styles to help them begin to
analyse stories in the media
For further support with planning see the National
Assessment Resource flowchart: http://bit.ly/1qMfYYW
Experiences and outcomes
Sciences
By investigating the lifecycles of plants and animals, I can recognise the different stages of their development.
SCN 2-14a
By exploring the characteristics offspring inherit when living things reproduce, I can distinguish between
inherited and non-inherited characteristics SCN 2-14b
I can report and comment on current scientific news items to develop my knowledge and understanding of
topical science. SCN 2-20b
Possible interdisciplinary opportunities
Technologies
TCH 2-12a/13a/14a/14b – Make a bamboo bicycle (bit.ly/1q5aw6V)
Numeracy & mathematics
MTH 2-17c/18a – Angles, bearings and coordinates
Using relevant maps, locate Edinburgh Zoo and regions of China where giant pandas live. Calculate relative
bearings and coordinates from key locations.
As appropriate fo r your lea rners and context.
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http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/pandas/index.asp
Stimulus
Establish prior knowledge about other
animals and their lifecycles.
Introduce Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang
Guang (Sunshine), the giant pandas at
Edinburgh Zoo, through question and
answer session, use of Edinburgh Zoo
website and/or news articles. Learners will
explore the reasons behind their presence
in the zoo with specific reference to the
birth of a panda cub.
Suggested key learning
Learning intentions and success criteria should be established
through dialogue with learners.
C
Skills
Through research activities and practical
investigations learners will develop skills in:
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inquiry and investigation
observation and making predictions –
observing over time
analytical thinking
interpretation and evaluation
draw valid conclusion – through
compare/contrast
presenting and justifying opinions
planning and organising – see
Technology challenge on page 1
application of skills in new context –
see Taking learning further section.
Learners will know that:
 a lifecycle is the complete succession of
changes undergone by an organism in its life,
from birth to adult
 within the vertebrate animal kingdom the five
main classifications are fish, amphibians,
reptiles, birds and mammals
 giant pandas are mammals whose
characteristics include – hair/fur covering their
body, give birth to fully formed babies and
females produce milk to feed their young
 inherited characteristics are passed through
generations e.g. nose shape/ hair colour and
non-inherited characteristics are acquired over
time e.g. hair length
 humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes and
that giant pandas have 21 pairs
 there are differing views regarding the ethics
of keeping animals in captivity and they will be
able to justify their personal opinions based on
accurately sourced evidence.
Relevant topical science issues should be
identified and used as appropriate.
For more information on skills visit:
BTC 4 (http://bit.ly/1pmccK9) and the Sciences
Principles and Practice paper (http://bit.ly/VT6pi1)
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http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/pandas/index.asp
Suggested learning activities
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Classify animals using keys
Compile a factfile or make Top Trump cards
Research the lifecycle of a reptile, fish, amphibian and
bird and mammal, then investigate the lifecycle of the
giant panda (http://bit.ly/1AUnmsm). Compare and
contrast cycles e.g. gestation period, size of offspring
and physical characteristics etc.
Use family photographs or personal observations to
identify inherited/non-inherited characteristics e.g.
tongue rolling, earlobe size and height. Produce a
graph of class traits.
Introduce chromosomes and use Reebops to explain
concepts relating to inherited characteristics
(http://bit.ly/1opk6wh) *See note at end
Identify inherited characteristics of the giant panda
(http://bit.ly/1C2KSox) including its pseudothumb,
jaws and teeth (http://bit.ly/1C2KXZu)
Discuss reproduction in mammals and other animals,
investigate panda breeding programme in the wild
(http://bit.ly/1sC6KAw) and captivity
(http://bit.ly/1C6t3EY)
Research the survival and extinction of endangered
species and investigate habitat/diet/predators and
ways to encourage survival of the giant panda
Debate (http://bit.ly/1C6ttLK) the pros
(http://bit.ly/VT2kKL) and cons
(http://bbc.in/1wICkmI) of keeping pandas in
captivity. Analyse and interpret information. Justify
conclusions with evidence from variety of research.
Reflecting on learning
Dialogue with learners will establish how the design principles have been
addressed:
Breadth – What other curricular areas were covered during this
topic? Can you relate learning to real life and /or school
learning?
http://www.jou rneytoexcellence.org.uk /videos /netherlees cience.as p
Personalisation and choice – Were you given the opportunity
to choose your own methods of investigation or recording?
Depth – Were you given the opportunity to show what you
have learned and explain your learning to others? Have you led
learning in any way?
Coherence – Can you discuss some of the knowledge,
understanding and skills you have developed? How have you
used these? Can you relate them to real life or other areas of
learning?
Progression – Have you used the knowledge, understanding
and skills you already had of the subject and have you built on
these?
Relevance – Can you identify an everyday context where you
would use your knowledge, understanding and skills?
Challenge & enjoyment – Did you enjoy the learning?
Why/why not? Were you given enough challenges throughout
your learning to put your knowledge, understanding and skills
to use in different ways? Can you suggest how to make the
learning more challenging and/or enjoyable e.g. how to take
learning further?
Evidence of learning
Possible methods of assessment are listed below. Select as appropriate or devise your own.
Say: Debate the positive and negative aspects of keeping animals or giant pandas in captivity.
Justify conclusions and opinions with evidence.
Write: Use critical skills cards to create a series of higher order thinking skills questions about the
giant panda relating to a piece of text which is factual and of suitable length.
Make: Reproduce the giant panda lifecycle in chosen medium e.g. power point, modelling clay or
papier mâché. Detail stages through text and/or illustration.
Do: Using the reebops method, reproduce pandas based on chromosome pairs. Learners must
orally, or in written form, explain the process as they produce the reebop panda demonstrating
their understanding of how characteristics are inherited. Learners could create the chromosome
reebpop activity for peer assessment.
For more information see the Assessing progress and achievement resource at:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/sciences
Taking learning further
Find ways to deepen and extend learning through dialogue with learners.
Suggestions to challenge learners:
 Explore Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution (http://bit.ly/1li5wvJ)
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Research Scottish endangered and vulnerable species.
See the Sciences concept development paper for more guidance: http://bit.ly/1dVhCFR
* Reebops
A simple way of introducing learners to the concepts of inherited characteristics and variation
within a species. Log into http://www.sserc.org.uk/ and search Subject Areas > Primary > Reebops.
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http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/pandas/index.asp