Where’s Aaron: YEAR 1 - Science - Elaborate
The class is taking turns hosting ‘Aaron’ the class mascot. It is Little J’s turn so Little J, Nanna, Big Cuz, and Old Dog take Aaron on Country to look for mica rock, and along the way they photograph the expedition. Distracted by the events of the day, Little J loses Aaron and the family enrols the help of Uncle Mick, a Search and Rescue officer, to return him.
Elaborate - Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways
Theme - FAUNA
After viewing episode 8, ‘Where’s Aaron?’, engage students with the following activities to support their investigation of what changes can be observed in the land and what animals inhabit the land.
Re-watch Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 8 ‘Where’s Aaron?’, have students focus on the type of landscape that the family explored when searching to find mica stone. Ask students to identify and describe the type and colour of the soil, the type of rocks and vegetation, and other features such as trees, and cliffs.
Have students decide whether the hunt took place in a desert, rainforest, rural farm land, beach, grasslands, mangrove, or bush. Ask students to share if they have ever been in an area of Australia that looked like this landscape, and if they can guess where this type of landscape occurs in Australia.
Have students imagine that they are walking on this Country, and to suggest the sounds they might hear, the other animals or insects they might see, and the temperature and weather conditions they might experience.
Divide the class into five smaller groups and have each group develop responses for one of the following questions:
- If Little J took Aaron to the beach, how would the story change?
- If Little J took Aaron to the (mangrove) river, how would the story change?
- If Little J took Aaron to the snow fields, how would the story change?
- If Little J took Aaron to the farm, how would the story change?
- If Little J took Aaron to the rainforest, how would the story change?
Ask each group to investigate the Australian animals that live in the different environments, and select ones to replace those in the story whose behaviours would be similar. The groups should also locate information and images on the different types of trees, rocks and land formations of the new environments.
For example, if Little J took Aaron to the high country/alps:
- the skink could be replaced with a Tree dragon or She-oak skink
- the owl could be replaced by a Bat or Pied Currawong
- the echidna could be replaced with a Wombat or Mountain Pygmy Possum
- the dog (Old Dog) could be replaced with a Fox or dingo
Suggested resources
- Fauna of the Australian Alps
- Australian Alps National Parks, Flora and Fauna
- Fauna and the Australian Alps factsheet (pdf)
Ask students to also add the names of other insects, amphibians, mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. found in the unique environment.
Have students draw a picture of their new environment that they have investigated and include the new animals. They could also include an image of Aaron and where he may have been lost. Invite students to share their new stories and drawing/s with the class.
Enter the information about their new environments into the individual student’s science journal. The journal records all the observations, research, evaluations and reflections a student has about the scientific things they discover.
Additional student resources for help to identity types of animals
- Animal Search: is it a reptile? (Scootle TLF ID L1135)
- Animal Search: is it an amphibian? (Scootle TLF ID L1135)
- Animal Search: is it a fish? (Scootle TLF ID L1137)
- Animal Search: is it a mammal? (Scootle TLF ID L766)
Suggested teacher resource
Primary Connections, Year 1 Biology_ School yard safari (Scootle TLF ID L7168)
“A science journal is a record of a students’ observations, experiences and reflections. Each entry is dated and annotated by the student. Annotations may include written labels, drawings, diagrams, charts, small specimens, photographs, and graphs. Student engagement and learning is evident in the science journal.”
Sourced from: Primary Connections, Linking science with literacy