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Teacher Resource
Scope and Sequence of Five Lesson Plans
H.S.I.E KLA and English Integrated
Unit of Work: Global Environments- Rainforests
Stage 3, 2014
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Unit- Global Environments: Rainforests
Context Statement
The following scope and sequence has been planned for implementation in week 2 of term 2 for the unit of work Global Environments: Rainforests spanning
over 8 weeks. It has been planned to cater for a stage 3 comprehensive school class in Sydneys Inner-west (Sydney Archdiocese). The class consists of 28
students, 17 of which are male and 11 of which are female. In terms of ICT, the class has fourteen iPads and an Interactive Whiteboard.

The aim of the following five lessons is for students to investigate the concept of rainforests in the local and global environment. Students will explore some of
the key features of rainforests such as whether they are tropical or temperate, will learn and apply geographic terminology to map the location of rainforests in
Australia and will utilise an inquiry-based approach to initiate research investigations into the human impact on rainforests. Students will be required to
identify, analyse and organise new information using maps, graphs and ICT to critique and pose questions regarding the ecological sustainability of
rainforests in the twenty-first century and shed light on their understanding of their responsibility to be active and informed citizens of the future (NSW Board
of Studies (NSWBOS), 2006; Murdoch & Wilson, 2004).

As this is the beginning of our second unit of work for 2014, students are able to apply their existing knowledge of HSIE to this unit such as the values and
attitudes of ecological sustainability, being responsible for their own impact on the environment as was explored in the Who Will Buy? unit of work (stage 2) as
well as recognising some connections between the environment and human impact (NSWBOS, 2006). As part of the Stage 2 formative assessment in 2013,
students were able to demonstrate their ability to achieve outcomes ENS2.5 and ENS2.6 in the Environments strand and were able to locate and map
Australian cities, use geographical terminology to identify and describe natural and built features in their local area and can recognise Australias location from
a wider global context using the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and North and South Poles (NSWBOS, 2006).

Each of the following five lessons have a duration of one hour. These lessons have been planned to fill the entire sixty minutes so please ensure that:
Students are thinking critically about the inquiry questions and additional questions you are posing
Use dialogic questions to prompt students answers where necessary and encourage more critical thinking (Edwards-Groves, Anstey & Bull, 2013)
Ensure that you allow a wait time of at least twenty seconds for student responses.
The aim of each lesson is:
Lesson 1: for students to tune in to the inquiry question what are rainforests? and engage with the material to form their own questions of inquiry.
Lesson 2: for students to investigate and locate five of Australias rainforests and to map their location.
Lesson 3: for students to research a rainforest outside Australia and compare and contrast it with an Australian
Lesson 4: for students to research and investigate the effect of human impact on rainforests around the world
Lesson 5: for students to present their mini-research to the class (formally assessed)
Strand: Environments: Patterns of Place and Location Stage: 3 Lesson Length: 1 Hour
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Outcomes/Indicators:
HSIE
ENS3.5 demonstrates an understanding of the interconnectedness between Australia and global
environments and how individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner
Indicators-
Students use geographic terminology and tools to locate and investigate environments
Students use maps and globes to locate global and Australian reference points
Investigates natural environments in Australia e.g. the Daintree Rainforest,
Explains the effects of human changes on an environment, evaluating the positive and
negative aspects of these changes

ENS3.6 explains how various beliefs and practices influence the ways in which people interact with,
change and value the environment
Indicators-
Expresses a personal point of view on an environmental issue and provides supporting
evidence

KLA INTEGRATION-ENGLISH
EN3-3A uses an integrated range of skills, strategies and knowledge to read, view and comprehend
a wide range of texts in different media and technologies
Indicator:
ACELY1703 uses comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas,
comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts.

EN3-1A communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly
challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features

Indicator:
ACELY1700, ACELY1710 plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing
appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making
appropriate choices for modality and emphasis
(Year 5)
Key teacher resource:
http://kids.mongabay.com/
-This is a fantastic reference point for
teachers in planning and implementing
lessons within the Global
Environments: rainforests unit of work.
It consists of information about
rainforests, rainforest animals and
people, locations of rainforests, their
importance and ecological
sustainability. It is easy to access and
navigate so it is a great resource for
students too.

Assessment: Please see resources
column within lesson plans.
Key Inquiry Questions:
1) What is a rainforest?
2) What are some of the characteristics of rainforests?
3) What rainforests exist in Australia and globally and where are they located?
4) What impacts do humans have on rainforests?
5) What is a current issue regarding rainforests and ecological sustainability?
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Prior knowledge
Students were engaged in the unit of work Gold in term 1 of this year. As part of the HSIE key learning area, students were required to utilise an inquiry
learning process, investigate and acquire new information and apply it to new contexts (NSWBOS, 2006). Students were engaged in a week of revision in
week 1 consisting of mapping Australian cities, using geographical terminology to identify and describe natural and built features in their local area and
recognise Australias location from a wider global context using the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and North and South Poles (NSWBOS,
2006). Teachers conducted a formative assessment in the form of a pop quiz at the end of week 1 to assess students prior knowledge and have therefore
planned the following five lessons with these considerations in mind.

NB: teacher must allocate and create space in the classroom for students to display their research before proceeding with lesson 1: display can
read what are rainforests?

LESSON/INDICATOR INQUIRY STRATEGIES RESOURCES
LESSON 1
Indicator-
-Investigates some
natural environments in
Australia i.e. the
Daintree Rainforest


TITLE OF LESSON: Tuning In: What are rainforests?

IBL Strategies:
KWHL Chart: These are very useful for inquiry learning as the teacher is able to ascertain the
students prior knowledge
Graffiti Brainstorm: Teacher and students are able to see a visual depiction of what they know
and what they are interested in further learning about and investigating.
Mind map: Students are able to locate information and organise it in a rough way. This is
important for the beginning investigation stage of an inquiry.

1) Hook the students by playing the YouTube clip of the Daintree Rainforest: ask the students
to think about what they see and hear.
2) Start the lesson by asking students What do you think a rainforest is?. Students will work
in groups of four (table groups) and using a KWHL chart, will be given two minutes to write
down everything they know (K component) about rainforests e.g. what they look like, the
flora and fauna typically found there, what they sound like, where they are found etc. (Group
work)
3) Have students complete the W component of KWHL What do we want to know?
4) Have students use the provided post-its to create a whole class graffiti brainstorm at the
front of the classroom with the question Our ideas about rainforests in the middle.
5) Have students formulate a question from their group using their W component
Student sample inquiry questions could be: Are there different types of rainforests?,








The Daintree Rainforest,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=1cID-SfApz8





Website for students:
http://kids.mongabay.com/
This website consists of
information about rainforests,
rainforest animals and people,
locations of rainforests, their
importance and ecological
sustainability. Students can
easily navigate each tab and
easily access the correlating
information.

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What kinds of plants grow there?, what kinds of animals live there?
6) In pairs, students to access http://kids.mongabay.com/. Students to create mind maps on
A3 paper in their table groups. Teacher to have main mind map heading (What are
rainforests?) and subheadings on smartboard for students to use as a guide. Subheadings
could include: Where are rainforests found? What makes a rainforest?, what are the
different types of rainforests?, What is the structure of a rainforest? And What are some of
the different types of plants and animals found in rainforests?. Students can select three
facts of interest for each subheading. Students can choose both national and global
rainforests for this lesson.
7) Teacher to display students work in the classroom close to graffiti mind map what we know
about rainforests.
Pedagogical links: Students are required to remember, list and recall relevant information
from their term memory and use this in the current context. This is the lowest order skill in
Blooms Taxonomy however it is vital that students are able to achieve this as it is through this
that their inquiry can progress (Reynolds, 2012). Also, as students are working in a group they
are engaging in sharing ideas and constructing existing and new information as is outlined by
Vygotskys constructivist theory (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2012).
Diagnostic Assessment:
Teacher to find out what the
students know to then plan future
lessons.
LESSON 2
Indicators-
-Use geographic
terminology and tools to
locate and investigate
environments
-Use maps and globes
to locate global and
Australian reference
points







- Uses comprehension
TITLE OF LESSON: Identifying and mapping rainforests in Australia

IBL Strategies:
Retrieval charts: students can investigate, apply and organise new information so that it can be
accessed later on.
Guided research: some explicit teaching is required. The teacher will utilise the interactive
whiteboard to have a number of simplistic instructions for students to guide their inquiry.
ICT: Students are required to access iPads in their investigation.

The aim of this lesson is for students to use their map reading skills to locate an Australian
rainforest and map its location. This lesson has been planned based on the information
students gathered in lesson 1.

1) Start the lesson by having students watch the narrated video (Interactive Whiteboard) about
the Daintree rainforest in Queensland. This is to get students ready for the task ahead and
pique their interest.






Website: narrated video:
rainforest, QLD.
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/r
ainforests.html#.U_PJMrySwz0





Blank map of Australia (template)


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strategies to interpret
and analyse information
and ideas, comparing
content from a variety
of textual sources
including media and
digital texts (ENGLISH).


2) Students will work in pairs on iPads and access this website:
http://www.australia.com/explore/things-to-do/nature/nat-australias-rainforests.aspx: the
teacher will explicitly teach the students the terminology of flora and fauna as was
mentioned in the clip. These will remain on the interactive whiteboard.
3) The teacher will work with students, using their KWHL charts (from lesson 1) to create three
inquiry questions regarding what students want to know about Australian rainforests.
Student sample inquiry questions could be: What are the names of some of the
rainforests in Australia? In which states/territories are they located?, what do they look
like?, Are they located near towns/cities? .
3) Students will to use an A3 sheet of paper containing a blank map of Australia and a retrieval
chart to locate, identify and organise new information about Australian rainforests. The
retrieval chart will consist of three columns for the inquiry questions c-constructed by the
class e.g. location of rainforest, type of rainforest: tropical or temperate and make up of
ecosystem: flora and fauna. Students must locate four of Australias rainforests (they can
number them or create a basic key).
4) Students must mark all state and territory borders, identify and label the correct
abbreviations for these and signify the location of the four chosen rainforests.
For example:
Daintree Rainforest: Queensland (QLD), type of rainforest: tropical, nearest town is
Daintree Village, ecosystem: greatest diversity of plants and animals in Australia.
5) Students can swap with another pair and exchange information about one of the rainforests
they investigated and share one interesting fact. These can then be displayed in the
classroom.
Pedagogical links: Students work in pairs to investigate and co-construct knowledge about
Australian rainforests. In working with others, students must communicate and share their
ideas ideas effectively in order for the inquiry-process to work. Working collaboratively and
questioning is key to undertaking investigations in the HSIE KLA as is outlined by Reynolds
(2012).



ICT: this site is easy to navigate
and shows some detailed
topographic maps
http://www.australia.com/explore/t
hings-to-do/nature/nat-australias-
rainforests.aspx




For students investigating the
Daintree rainforest, this is an
exceptional website:
http://www.daintree-
rec.com.au/daintree/


Informal Assessment: teacher
gauges student understanding
through questioning and
observation.

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LESSON 3
Indicators-
-Use geographic
terminology and tools to
locate and investigate
environments
-Use maps and globes
to locate global and
Australian reference
points


- Uses comprehension
strategies to interpret
and analyse information
and ideas, comparing
content from a variety
of textual sources
including media and
digital texts (ENGLISH)










TITLE OF LESSON: Researching different rainforests around the world

IBL Strategies:
Venn diagrams: students work in pairs to investigate and select information to compare and
contrast two rainforests.
ICT: Students are required to access media resources in their investigation. Using the internet
will be essential as this is where students will find the most recent and up to date information.




Link to previous lesson: Students will be required to use their retrieval charts to select one
Australian rainforest of their choice to compare and contrast with a global rainforest. A
question to guide students investigation could be what connections and differences can you
see between an Australian and global rainforest?

1) Working in the same pair as lesson 2, students are required to select one of the five
rainforests investigated and access this website
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0102.html
2) Students to first locate and select a rainforest from the map that is of interest to them
and then use the Venn diagram provided to organise their information. Students must
engage in research for an hour and select 2 similarities between and 2 differences
between the two rainforests
3) Students to create four fact cards from the selected similarities and differences.
Students to swap with another pair and share their facts.
4) The fact cards can be displayed in the classroom in the allocated space for students to
peruse at their leisure.
Pedagogical links: This lesson required students to utilise their skills of inquiry to locate,
access and evaluate new information (NSWBOS, 2006). Through ICT, students were required
to participate in reading multimodal and digital texts to decode their information, use their
information and analyse their information for the purpose of their research. These roles are
fundamental to inquiry learning as accessing a range of sources from a range of locations is
necessary (Reynolds, 2012).




Website: direct links to al of the
rainforests in the world, their
location, characteristics and the
flora and fauna found there
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0
102.htm



Additional fact cards can be found
here:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/4319
23420485638471/


Formative Assessment: teacher
to collect maps and gauge
student knowledge and
understanding
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LESSON 4
Indicator-
-Explains the effects of
human changes on an
environment, evaluating
the positive and
negative aspects of
these changes


TITLE OF LESSON: Human effects on rainforests around the world: Contemporary issues

IBL Strategies
Paired work: Students must work collaboratively to create an inquiry question regarding human
affect on a global rainforest of their choice. Students must use their inquiry skills to acquire
new information and present it in a creative way (mini-research task).
PMI chart: students can chart this to track the positive and negative aspects of human
involvement in rainforests. This will enable them to evaluate both sides of the argument and
form their own point of view (Reynolds, 2012).
ICT: Students must work on how they are going to present their research in a creative way.
This may be through Prezi, PowerPoint or using YouTube links or via other creative avenues
such as drama role-playing.
Link to previous lesson: Using the Venn diagrams from lesson 3, students are required to
select one of the rainforests investigated and investigate the effects of human changes on that
environment.
1) Students to select a rainforest from their Venn diagram to investigate as part of their
mini-research task.
Research task questions:
What rainforest did you investigate and where is it located?
What did you find out about the human impact on that rainforest?
What are two positives about human impact on that rainforest?
What are two negatives about human impact on that rainforest?
What is your personal perspective on this issue?
What can you do as an active and informed citizen to create awareness about this
issue?
2) Students to work in their pair and access http://rainforests.mongabay.com/ on ipads.
Students can select an aspect of human involvement in rainforests that is of interest to
them and communicate their ideas using a PMI chart. This allows students to clearly
see and communicate their ideas, which will form the basis of their presentation.
3) Students to select an issue in the drop down menu, for example, deforestation in
Borneo. Students can respond to the questions:
-How do humans benefit from logging in Borneo?







Website: provides information on
every rainforest in the world,
impact of human occupation,
threats and future prospects
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/





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-How does logging negatively impact the rainforest?
-What is something interesting we found out?
4) Students to then create their mini-presentations for lesson 5. Students may have
additional time to work on their mini-research tasks in the afternoon.
Pedagogical links:
Bruners Theory (1957, as cited in Arthur et al., 2012), suggests that students engage with
material that interests them. As students create a key inquiry question regarding human
impact on the natural, global environment, they are investigating an issue that is they see as
important and relevant to them as active and informed citizens (NSWBOS, 2012).
LESSON 5
Indicator-
-Explains the effects of
human changes on an
environment, evaluating
the positive and
negative aspects of
these changes

-Expresses a personal
point of view on an
environmental issue
and provides
supporting evidence

-Plan, rehearse and
deliver presentations,
selecting and
sequencing appropriate
content and multimodal
elements for defined
audiences and
purposes, making
appropriate choices for
modality and emphasis
(ENGLISH)

TITLE OF LESSON: Students present mini-research task on issue of their choice

IBL Strategies:
Paired work: Students present their mini-research task and can use ICT to present their
research.
KWHL chart: students to fill in the Learning component of their charts.

Link to previous lesson:
Students are presenting their mini-research task, which they investigated in lesson 4.

1) Students will present their mini-presentations to the class (5 minute duration)
Research task questions:
What rainforest did you investigate and where is it located?
What did you find out about the human impact on that rainforest?
What are two positives about human impact on that rainforest?
What are two negatives about human impact on that rainforest?
What is your personal perspective on this issue?
What can you do as an active and informed citizen to create awareness about this issue
2) The teacher must formally assess these mini-presentations
3) At the conclusion of the presentations, the teacher must engage the students in an
evaluation/reflection through questioning and the utilisation of their KWHL charts. The teacher
can ask students the inquiry questions to assess whether or not students have achieved the
indicators over the past 5 lessons. The teacher can collect the KWHL charts for the purpose of
future planning.









Formal Assessment: In pairs,
students will present the
information from their mini-
research task: opportunities to
use ICT.

Informal assessment: Gathering
information through evaluative
and reflective questions.












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Future planning:
-Teacher to use answers from evaluation/reflection and KWHL chart to incorporate into
planning for the following five lessons as part of the unit Global Environments: rainforests
Pedagogical links:
As part of this mini-research task, students were required to present the information gained to
the class in a creative way. Creating is the highest order thinking skill in Blooms Taxonomy
and requires students to really engage with the material and rewrite it in a creative way ((1956,
revised version, Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001 as cited in Reynolds, 2012).
Formative Assessment:
Teacher to assess students
knowledge via student quiz