Support notes
This resource is one of the Aim to Sustain resources produced by the Centre for Learning
Innovation (DET NSW) for Stage 3 and Stage 4 students.
Help a habitat is cross-curricular and is underpinned by the following key environmental
understandings:
• the interrelated nature of processes in the natural environment
• sustainable management of the Earth’s resources, and
• the interrelationships between human activities and natural systems.
Download the DET Environmental Education Policy for Schools and implementation
documents here.
Access Teaching for sustainability on the NSW DET Curriculum Support website.
In Help a habitat students will:
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view and respond to videos on how changes to habitat affect animal and plant
biodiversity
identify and explore different ways in which human activity threatens habitat
name the issues threatening the habitat of Sumatran tigers and orangutans
conduct and save an internet search on threats to frog habitats
examine factors affecting koala habitat and compare the views of different people
and organisations involved
assume the role of an endangered Bengal tiger in an interactive resource
research an endangered animal and prepare a presentation persuading others to
protect the animal’s habitat
plan and write an argument to support an opinion
present an argument on audio to share with teachers and other students.
Use SMART Notebooks on an interactive whiteboard (IWB) or on a computer. If
you don’t have the software, go to
http://www.smarttech.com/us/Support/Browse+Support/Download+Software to
download the interactive viewer.
Scroll to SMART Notebook Interactive Viewer software. In the ‘Choose a
product’ drop-down, select the viewer for Windows, Mac or Linux and download.
Drag the Notes tab (as seen at left) onto SMART Notebook pages for instructions
and extra information. Do a ‘Save as ...’ to allow you to make your own changes
or add to the notebooks.
Any SMART Flash activities used have the password ‘sustain’.
The QUICK (Quality Information Checklist) provides students with eight ways of
checking information on websites or they could use a checklist for evaluating resources
from School Libraries and Information Literacy, NSW DET.
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Discuss with students the image showing Australian animals and earthmoving equipment.
How does this image position you as the viewer?
How has the illustrator placed the machinery? Why? How are the animals represented?
Click or tap on the image for a larger version in SMART habitat_image (.notebook 9.5MB)
to share with a group or use the Word version and add speech or thought bubbles.
When you have looked at threats to the habitat of koalas in Activity 2, you may wish to
revisit the image in relation to the Koala Foundation slogan ‘No tree, no me’.
After completing Help a habitat, have students revisit the image and the text they added in
speech or thought bubbles. Have them consider any changes they would make in light of
their learning.
Who or what is threatening animal habitats?
The Skoool ‘Habitats’ and ‘Interdependence’ learning objects
include information and images, a quiz and a review of knowledge
on each topic.
‘The importance of Biodiversity’ video is from the US Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) site (also on YouTube) and shows
excerpts of interviews with environmentalists and a zoologist. It
provides facts and opinions about the impact of humans on our
planet and the consequences for sustainability.
For students with no internet access, download the ‘Imperiled
lives’ video segment, which has similar excerpts on habitat loss.
The SMART Notebook ‘Environments’ uses a cartoon of an
environment. It allows students to look closely at ways human
activity can change habitats. Pull out the Notes tab on each page
and have students respond to the suggested questions.
Further activities using this scene are available in the CLI resource
for Stage 4 Geography How eco-friendly are you?
The World Vision Canada animation ‘Water is life’ is embedded
on page 14 of the Environments notebook.
Watch the ‘Don’t palm us off’ video made at Taronga Zoo.
Similar videos are available at http://vimeo.com/6744803 and
http://www.zoo.org.au/palmoil
Talk about the purpose of the video. Who is the audience it
targets? Why would people be persuaded by a zookeeper, such as
Megan?
After viewing, students locate Sumatra and Borneo and click each
island to reveal a tiger and an orangutan in the SMART Notebook
habitat 1 provided.
Complete Worksheet 1 highlighting the issues explored using
Word or, Copy and Paste the activity into the SMART notebook
to do on IWB or computer.
Deforestation for palm oil will be examined in more detail in the
resource Forests forever.
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How are habitats being affected?
When students have examined the EcoKids frog activities have
them do an internet search. You could suggest students read Are
frogs on the brink of extinction? and watch the videos ‘Threats to
biodiversity: Disappearing frogs’ and ‘Frog facts and folklore:
Endangered frogs and toads’.
Access the Country Areas Program (CAP) Frogs research module
and select tasks for your students. Though recommended for
Stages 1 and 2 students, the Education Services Australia (TLF)
Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat has relevant
information on this topic.
The koala video is on the National Geographic Kids website.
Questions about the video are provided on a worksheet.
Students could respond to the slogan No tree ...no me in a oneminute impromptu speech or by using a program such as
Photoshop Elements to create a graphic response.
After watching the ABC Behind the news (BTN) video clip about
the Australian threatened species committee, have students
suggest reasons why opinions about the status of koalas differs.
Have students take a point of view and support it, in writing,
visually or orally. You could set up a class blog at BlogEd (NSW
DET access required) for student posts.
The information about koala habitats will be relevant in Activity 4
when students consider and discuss the statement: ‘People are
only interested in saving cute and cuddly species.’
Which animals are endangered?
Have students take an interactive role and complete Survive! A
tiger adventure. Responses to the questions on the worksheet
could be recorded using Audacity or completed in Word.
‘The trail of the cassowary’ is included as a link in the SMART
notebook habitat 3, or have your students use the direct link.
1. If you wish your students to concentrate on the Australian section
of the World Wildlife Fund when selecting an endangered or
vulnerable species to research, direct them to
http://wwf.org.au/about and select ‘Species’ from the left
navigation menu.
2. Students can access knowledge of the plants and animals in desert
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habitats at Alice Springs Desert Park website.
3. Find more information on the Australian Dept of Environment site
on Threatened species or the NSW government Environment
website.
4. Video support and activities from the public speaking resource
Strictly speaking can enhance students’ skills for preparing and
presenting a speech. Direct students to the Preparation, Matter,
Method and Manner sections. You may wish to explore sections
of the laptop wrap ‘Persuasive writing’ to extend some students.
5. See hints on attracting wildlife to your garden. Students could
each choose one action and report to the group or class on the
result.
What can be done to protect habitats?
6. In Who lives here? students can explore a habitat in Northern
Australia for clues about the animals living there. They need to
gather information and present a report to a scientist on which
native and feral animals are present, so that ways to protect the
native animals and habitat can be devised. If part of the NSW
DET network, the link opens an access page where you can view
the resource online, or download it to use offline with students.
7. The aquatic reserve in the video is from the ABC’s Catalyst
program and features the Blue Groper in a marine reserve in
Sydney’s east. Find more videos to download on plant and animal
habitats and human impact to share with students.
8. The ‘Hot turtles’ video links to a segment from Jean-Michel
Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures series and shows how an
indigenous community is tackling a problem that involves habitat
change and climate change.
9. In the resource Strictly speaking have students complete the ‘Mind
your language’ activities in the Preparation section, to enhance
their understanding of persuasive techniques suitable for use in
written and spoken texts.
See hints on attracting wildlife to your garden.
Useful links
exploratree ready-made thinking guides.
Bloom’s Taxonomy in the digital age – an article.
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