Where’s Aaron: YEAR 1 - Science - Explain

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.

Explain - Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables and through discussion, compare observations with predictions

Theme - FAUNA

After viewing Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 8 ‘Where’s Aaron?’ engage students with the following activities to support their investigation of how and why animals hunt, and the physical characteristics of certain animals that hunt.

Focus the students on the word ‘Hunt” and ask them to suggest a meaning for it. Some of the responses could be: Search, Chase, Track, Trail or Stalk. Have students suggest how many characters in Episode 8 conducted a ‘hunt (search)’.

Have students re-watch the episode to find out.

  • Old Dog – searched for Big Cuz to make up his pack
  • Little J, Big Cuz, and Nanna – searched for mica, and for Aaron
  • Barking Owl – searched for food at night
  • Echidna – searched for food and shelter
  • Skink – searched for water
  • Uncle Mick – searched for Aaron

Have students pose questions about how, why and what each character searched/hunted for, and what special physical abilities each animal must search with.

Listen to /view/read ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’, by Michael Rosen. Ask students what conditions the family endured to go on their hunt and the type of actions the family attempted during their hunt.

Divide the class into smaller groups and have each group choose a category of animal to investigate about their hunting skills. This challenge is developed as a WebQuest where the answers are found in the nominated websites or books about these animals:

(1) HUMAN, (2) DOG, (3) OWL, (4) ECHNIDA, (5) SKINK or LIZARD

Each group could investigate the following points (or a list adapted for the class’ ability):

What is…

  • the natural habitat of the animal?
  • the features that the animal uses for hunting or foraging?
  • how the animal moves when hunting?
  • the sound/s the animals make to communicate?
  • whether the animal hunts alone or in a pack?
  • what the animal preys on, and what preys on it?

Once the groups have responded to all of the questions, develop a table where the information on how each animal that hunts is tabulated and compared.

Ask students to pose further questions about the results and use the table to validate their answers, such as, which animal:

  • eats the largest range of species?
  • lives in a diversity of habitats?
  • has the most advanced skills for hunting?

Have students share their findings with the class and enter the information into their digital/physical science journal. If possible, have students reinterpret their hunt information into their own version of ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’.

Resources for the WebQuest:

General

A collection of 25 digital curriculum resources organised into four categories - communities of Australian animals, animals in art and stories, vertebrates and invertebrates. Images, including photographs, scientific illustrations and Indigenous art, depict some well-known and some lesser known Australian animals. Interactive learning objects enable students to explore Australian habitats and identify animals living there. Video clips show rare images of some elusive Australian species. An animated film tells an Indigenous story. 

Owls

Echidnas

Dogs

Lizards/Skinks

Humans (Traditional ways of hunting of )

“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