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Key Scientific Knowledge

There are about 7 characteristics that most living creatures hold. These
include; movement, growth, reproduction, sensitivity, nutrition and
excretion (Science Learning Hub, 2012)
Living and nonliving things depend on each other for survival within an
environment. This environment is called an ecosystem (Smith, 2006).

While categorising living and nonliving things may seem straightforward

(Tytler et al., 2011), research into students misconceptions in what they
classify as alive has revealed interesting commonalities (Leddon, Waxman
& Medin, 2009). Students have little trouble classifying animate entities
such as humans and animals but many face difficulties in categorising
plants as being alive (Leddon et al., 2009). Movement is also a common
source of misconceptions (Tytler et al., 2011).
To support students understanding of living things, focus should be on the
similarities shared among a range of different living things, rather than a
focus on their differences (Tytler et al., 2011).

A life consists of various stages of growth. Each stage of growth differs,

depending on the type of species it is. Some animal have very few stages of
growth and some have multiple stages. Anything that is living has a
lifecycle (VCAA, 2015).
At each stage of life, there are generally specific labels given to the stages.
The term given to the general changing process is metamorphoses. This
label is given to the process of a structure changing from one form to
another (Australian Museum, 2009).
For some animals the process of metamorphosis is not so dramatic in their
physical appearance, for example; polar bears look like a smaller version of
their parents, whereas butterflies go through distinct changes (Education
Services Australia, 2012).

A seed is considered to be a dormant plant, waiting for the most appropriate

conditions to blossom in. However, the conditions need to be right in order
to match the nutritional needs of the plant (Gerhardt, 2015)
There are three essential needs for any plant go flourish, water, oxygen and
light. Without these three components, plant struggle to survive and
therefore struggle to move into the sequential stages of their life
successfully, (Wood, 2015)
Generally the plant life cycle follows a simple cycle, seed > seedling >
mature plant > flower. However, this is generally for plants that flower.
Flowering is a term used when the plant has produced something , for
example a fruit or flower (Wood, 2015)

Flowers contain the reproductive parts of a plants (Australian Academy of

Science, 2012). Flowers that contain both male and female reproductive
parts are called perfect flowers and those which have either male or female
parts are called an imperfect flower (Australian Museum, 2010).

The external features of a flower are the pedicle commonly called the stem,
the petals, the sepal - the outer leaves that protect the bud and surround
the base of the flower and the receptacle - the thickened part of the stem
from which the flower grows (Australian Academy of Science, 2015). The
stamen is the male part of a flower and is made up of a long stalk called a
filament with an the anther on the end. The anthers carry pollen, the male
reproductive cells of the plant (Australian Academy of Science, 2012).
The pistil is the female part of the flower and is usually found in the centre
of the flower. The pistil is made up of the stigma, an elongated stalk, the
style, and the ovary, an enlarged base which contains the female sex cells,
the ovules (Australian Academy of Science, 2015).
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Pollination is the process of pollen transfer from the male anther of a flower
to the female stigma (Australian Academy of Science, 2015). This process
enables fertilisation and reproduction of plants.

This excursion lesson consolidates the key scientific knowledge students

have learnt in prior lessons. It provides an opportunity to spark students
engagement with and interest in the concepts to be addressed in the
following lessons.

All living things are a part of a dynamic system called ecosystems (Lofts &
Evergreen, 2010). Ecosystems are a community in which organisms interact
and live with each other and the environment (Lofts & Evergreen, 2010).
All living things within an ecosystem are all connected by their need for food
for survival. These relationships are highlighted in food chains (Silverstein,
Silverstein & Silverstein Nunn, 2008).
Within an ecosystems, there are 3 niches including producers, consumers
and decomposers (Lofts, & Evergreen, 2010). Producers are the base of the
food chain. They make their own food from non living things for example
plants and sunlight through photosynthesis (Lofts & Evergreen, 2010;
Silverstein et al., 2008).
Consumers cannot make their own food and depend on consuming over
living things while decomposers get their energy by breaking down the
remains of living things Lofts & Evergreen, 2010; Silverstein et al., 2008).

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This excursion lesson consolidates students prior knowledge and introduces

new key scientific knowledge detailed in the lessons that follow.
Indigenous classification of plants and animals highlights the interactions
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have with the environment
(Clarke, 2007). Their classification is not based on specific observations
rather they are based on careful observations of their world (Lofts &
Evergreen, 2010).
Indigenous people classify plants and animals into uses such as food and
medicine (Lofts & Evergreen, 2010). Both plants and animals are classified
due to their edit ability, whether they are safe or dangerous, they location
they are found and also physical characteristics (Clarke, 2007).
In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, plants have a very significant

role in providing medicine (Lofts & Evergreen, 2010). For this reason plants
are also classified into the medial assistance they can provide (Lofts &
Evergreen, 2010; Clarke, 2007).
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As this is a summative assessment of the students learning, the key

scientific knowledge that is relevant to this lesson will be a combination of
previous lessons throughout the unit of work.

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This lesson will be the final assessment for the entire unit. Students will be
drawing from their learning and understandings gained during their
exploration of the unit content as a whole.