This term students from Prep to Grade 6 have been investigating living things. Each grade group has been exploring an inquiry question relevant to their developing understanding and progression of learning across our school years. Check out the questions below and a snapshot of some of the learning opportunities provided.

Prep: How can we group animals and plants by looking at them?

We have been looking at lots of plants and animals, we have been discussing their external features and how these features help them to survive. Students have crawled like crabs, squawked like seagulls, sung about the parts of plants, and grouped animals and plants. One of our favourite songs was: https://youtu.be/9bFU_wJgvBI

Grade 1/2: How do living things meet their needs in the places they live?

What is a living thing? What is a non-living thing? What was a once-living thing? These are just some of the questions we have looked at this term. Students have grouped living things, identified what is a need and what is needed to survive. They have found plants and animals as living things have basic needs that are the same; water, food, shelter to name a few. We have also considered how we can learn to care for country from our First Nations people through the Bunya Pine Tree. There is one in Launceston, do you know where it is? Mrs Fisher even had a Bunya Cone for us to look at in the school.

Grade 3-5: What are the characteristics of living and non-living things? What are the differences between animals and plants?

What makes something living and non-living? What are the differences between animals and plants? Students have been learning how to create a scientific drawing correctly and studying the life cycles of animals and plants. We even had a go at hatching Sea Monkeys, or more formally Artemia or Brine Shrimp. We have discovered that they are not really like monkeys at all and are related to crustaceans in fact. We currently have at least five sea monkeys, check out the photos and see if you can find one. We have learnt how to tell if the Brine Shrimp is male or female and we hope to have more grow throughout the year.

Grade 5/6: How do changes in physical conditions affect living things?

What is a physical change and how does this change affect the basic needs of a living thing and an animal or plant’s ability to survive harsh conditions. From migration to hibernation Grade 5/6 students have learnt about tardigrades and different harsh environmental conditions to diagnose plant health and experiment with radish seeds. We were a little disappointed with our radish seed growth with only our control seeds growing in water. We had hoped we would have more successful growth with organic water. Perhaps next time we will be more successful.