Backward Design - UNIT PLAN

Title: Water in our world

Year Level: 1 Teacher: Miss Shieta
Focus Curriculum Area (s): Science and Literacy Duration:

STAGE 1: Curriculum Links

(What do we want students to learn? From the Australian/SCASA Curriculum)

General
Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and Creative Thinking
Capabilities (GP)
Ethical Behaviour Personal and Social Intercultural Understanding
Cross-curriculum
Priorities (CCP) Aboriginal and TSI Asia and Australias Sustainability
Histories and Culture Engagement with Asia

Year Level Science: Everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety
Content of ways (ACSSU018)
Descriptors
Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape (ACSSU019)
Science involves asking questions about and describing changes in
objects and events(ACSHE021)
People use science in everyday life, when caring for their
environment and living things (ACSHE022)
Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and
provided tables through discussion, compare observations with
predictions (ACSIS027)
Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about
familiar objects and events (ACSIS024)
Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer
Science Understanding: At Standard,
students describe objects and events
that they encounter in their everyday
lives, and the effects of interacting with
materials and objects. They describe the
external features of living things and
how different places meet the needs of
living things. Students describe changes
Year Level Achievement in their local environment.
Standards
Science as a Human Endeavour:
Students share how people use science
in their daily lives, including when
caring for the environment and living
things.
Science Inquiry Skills: Students respond
to questions, make predictions, and
participate in guided investigations of
 questions (ACSIS025) everyday phenomena. They follow
instructions to record and sort their
Literacy: Create short imaginative and informative texts that show observations and share them with
emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level others.
grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate
multimodal elements, for example illustrations and diagrams
(ACELY1661)

Knowledge Skills
By the end of this unit students will learn: By the end of this unit students are expected to:

Water is a valuable and precious resource to our world.
The different types of water sources and their uses in our community and
everyday lives.
That water has different forms for example ice; and its physical form can
change through a variety of experiments.
What the water cycle is and how it works.
Use their developing inquiry skills to pose questions and make predictions during
experiments.
Think critically about water sources and how we should as a class or community
respond to a drought.
Use tables to sort information and label diagrams and pictures (Water cycle).

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this unit students will explore and discover various features of water in our world. They will develop their inquiry skills and learn to pose questions and
make predictions about simple cause-and-effect relationships from their observations and experiences (SCSA, 2014), through guided investigations. They will explore
how water is a valuable resource to our world and the various water sources they see in our school, community and society. Using visual prompts students will develop
their critical thinking skills about the different water sources available how they would respond during a drought. Students will also explore the physical changes that can
occur to water, they will be introduced to the different forms of water and that it can be a solid, liquid or a gas. This will be conducted through a guided investigation and
experiment where they will observe changes that can be large or small and happen quickly or slowly (SCSA, 2014). Students will also be exposed to the water cycle
where the concept of labelling pictures and diagrams will be integrated in lessons. Although this unit incorporates science knowledge and science skills from the SCSA
curriculum, student learning is extended through English where students are encouraged to communicate the message water is precious through multimodal elements.
Throughout this unit students will be encouraged to develop their use of informative texts, where they will show their understanding of sentence structure, grammar,
and incorporation of new vocabulary learnt in their writing. This will be completed by creating an online book/ journal which will reflect on their experiments and their
journey throughout the unit.

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Task description:

The summative assessment for this unit will assess students through hands on learning experiences combined with the use of technology and further develop the
students literacy and writing skills. The summative assessment will be conducted through an experiment of how to make a cloud in a jar; they will begin by posing
questions such as will the colour of the loud change if we add food colouring, making predictions and comparing their answers with other students in their experiment
group about the experiment while recording their answers. After students conduct the experiment they will be asked to write the method they used to create a cloud in a
jar to someone in their family (make connections to the community while they learn). Once they have completed a draft and edited their work using a grammar and
punctuation checklist, students will use their assigned I Pads to create a journal on how to make a cloud using the book creator app, this will consist of step by step
picture of the experiment, the written procedure, an oral explanation of the experiment which provides students with lower writing abilities an opportunity to their
understanding orally; and an passage of how they felt about the experiment and their work.

Authentic performance tasks:

1. Following an in class discussion students will go outside of the classroom to look for water sources they can identify within their school, they will be given a
worksheet to record their findings which can be complete with a partner. Students will compare and share their answers with other partners.
2. Students will presented with the idea that water comes in three forms they will observe ice melting and discuss what happens when it does, questions such as
where does the water go when it melts will be posed. Students will complete this pairs and if the weather permits outside of the classroom will be ideal.
3. Students will be introduced to labelling diagrams by learning about the water cycle and the different stages. This will be achieved through a song, labelling the
water cycle diagram and to assess their understanding they will record themselves using an I Pad explaining the water cycle using their label diagram as a
 reference.
4. Students will write three sentences explaining why they think water precious and what can we as a school and community do to save water. This links their
thinking to the community and the world. Images will be used to prompt their thinking.
5. Allow an opportunity for an incursion from the water corporation, which allows students to create a meaningful connection of how drinking water is made
https://www.watercorporation.com.au/home/education/school-talks-and-excursions/school-talks/water-supply.

Assessment Criteria:
Students Science Understanding will be assessed by observing the physical changed in everyday, materials such as water (ACSSU018). They will describe how water is
precious to our world and what they can do to save water. They will explore the diverse range of water sources and the effects of what could happen if there was
shortage of water in our world, they will be prompted to ask if they know any countries or areas that do not have a lot of water. Students will also develop their Science
Inquiry skills by participating in a guided investigation, they will respond to questions and make predictions based on the experiment how to make a cloud in a jar
(ACSIS025 & ACSIS024). They will learn to compare and discuss their observations with other classmates and they will develop skills to record their observations using
illustrations or diagrams (ACSIS027). Students will also be assessed on their ability to create an informative text using the correct structure, sentence level, punctuation,
spelling, diagrams and multimodal elements which will create a foundation for the summative assessment.

Assessment recording template:

Diagnostic

Observations will be recorded using a checklist

Students will be encouraged to use a post it note to draw and write words that they relate to water (post it note will be used as a diagnostic assessment).

Formative

Three forms of water work sheet will be used to assess students understanding of everyday materials can be physically changed.
Water cycle labelled worksheet and a recording of them explain the water cycle.
Record their explanation of the water cycle
The three sentences about why is water precious.
Written draft of the procedure for the experiment.
Summative

Make a cloud in a jar investigation journal using the book app.

Written procedure of the experiment

Feedback:
Feedback is vital in this unit of work as it will allow students increase their opportunities of engagement and achieving a higher standard that they are capable of. Within
this unit of work students will be given descriptive feedback for any written work they complete for example the how to save water activity, the procedure writing and
any results or reflections they complete. Evaluative feedback will also be given when students have completed their first draft of their procedural text after they have
been given the opportunity to self-check their work using the grammar and punctuation checklist as a guide. Ongoing feedback will also be given throughout each activity
and lesson to keep students on track, questions such as Have you made sure that you have used capital letters and full stops in your sentences? will be used.

Self-assessment:
Throughout the learning process students will be given checklists to make sure they have completed everything, for example when writing they will have a grammar
and punctuation checklist. They will also be given the chance to self-assess their work using a face self assessment which allows them to rate how they felt about a
lesson or how they feel about their work (Appendix 7).

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 3: PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION

What events will help students:

Learning Experiences Assessment For/As Learning (Formative Resources

Assessment)

1 Students will explore the importance of water in our world. They will look at Diagnostic: Water sources in the
everyday uses of water, where it comes from and what would our world/life be city and country
like without any water. They will look at different water sources and go outside of Students use post it notes to draw interactive:
the classroom to identify water sources in they can see in the school. or write what they know about http://www.scootle.ed
Key questions to be asked in class discussion: water so far. u.au/ec/viewing/L19/i
Why is water important? Class brainstorm on the board to ndex.html
Where does water come from? discuss importance of water, its
Everyday water uses uses and where it comes from. Water sources and
uses recording sheet
Formative: (Appendix 1).
Students record the water
sources they find at school and in
the community.
Write three sentences on why is
water important.

2 Students learn that water comes in three forms solid, liquid and gas discuss and Formative: Ice Cubes
show example of each form (water, ice cube and steam). If the weather permits Glass of water
Completed water forms Steam (kettle or glass jar
students go outside in pairs observe what happens as an ice cube melts. As a class
worksheet. for condensation)
discuss what happens to the ice cube.
Water Forms Worksheet
Key questions to discuss: (Appendix 2)
What is happening to the ice cube?
Where does the water go?
How do we go from one form to another?
3 A school talk conducted by the water corporation provides students with an https://www.watercorporatio
opportunity to learn where Perth gets its water from. The talk discusses the n.com.au/home/education/sc
different sources of drinking water for Perth, the importance of protecting the hool-talks-and-
catchment areas and how water gets to our taps. excursions/school-talks/water-
supply

4 Recap water is precious and where does it come from? Formative: Water cycle diagram
(Appendix 3)
Students will be Introduced to the water cycle, explicit teaching of elements within Labelled diagram of the water
I Pads
the water cycle will be taught in depth (Evaporation, Condensation and cycle.
Water cycle song
Precipitation). Students will also be introduced to the water song.
Oral recording of the students explain the https://www.youtube.
Key questions to ask/discuss: water cycle. com/watch?v=TWb4Kl
M2vts
What happens at each stage of the water cycle?
Interactive water cycle
Have you seen any of the stages of the water cycle?
http://player.discovery
Is it similar to what happened to the ice cube? education.com/views/
Extension water cycle YouTube clip hhView.cfm?guidAsset
Id=087777c8-4ff0-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0bS-SBAgJI 45d2-878f-
e7cd90f7ee19

5 Recap: Formative: Experiment: Experime

Water is precious and water cycle Experiment results sheet. Hair Spray Hair
Revise each step of the water cycle (can use extension clip from previous Glass Jar Glass
Predictions and questions created
lesson) Food colouring Food
Students will conduct an experiment make a cloud in a jar; students will have the
Hot water (have prepared Hot w
in a thermos) in a t
choice to take pictures using the I Pads of each step they have to take in order to
Ice Cubes Ice C
make a cloud in the bottle. They will make predictions, pose questions and record
YouTube clip of YouT
their answers. This will be edited and used as the foundation for the summative
experiment expe
assessment.
https://www.youtube.co https
Key questions to ask/discuss: m/watch?v=oq5yVILTSmI m/w
Recording sheet (Appendix 4) Reco
What will happen if we add food colouring to the water? Will the cloud (App
change colour?

6 Recap the make a cloud in a jar experiment, revise the steps and discuss results. Formative: Procedure text
template (Appendix 5)
Discuss with students the elements of a procedural text explain all elements Written procedure including their
Punctuation and
including the structure and the processes. punctuation and grammar
grammar checklist
checklist.
Key questions to ask/discuss (Appendix 6)

Is this an informative or creative text?

What is the purpose of this procedure text?
Why do we need a title and numbered steps?
Do we need to be specific with our explanation of each step?

Students will write a draft for their procedural text on the cloud experiment, they
will be provided with a checklist to check their punctuation and grammar. Ongoing
positive and constructive feedback will be given throughout the lesson.

As the unit progresses a word wall will be set up which will incorporate all the new terminology students come across in each learning experience.