T4L Loves Animals edition
Teachers' Notes
About T4L Kids magazine
T4L Kids magazine is developed by the Department of Education NSW Technology 4 Learning (T4L) team. You will find the NSW curriculum links at the bottom of these teachers' notes.
The magazine and the activities are open for all schools, to use anywhere, anytime. The magazine is designed to allow your students to work through the content and activities independently or as part of your class.
We write the magazine for all learners and acknowledge that teachers are learners too. Each edition includes 'how to’ videos to support students to use the technology. We aim to provide some context and pedagogy behind the challenges, and the teacher guide elaborates the thinking behind the choice of tools.
We acknowledge your skills and encourage you to do what you do best. Ask the questions to deepen the thinking, support students to connect what they know with the challenges before them and work with your students to establish expectations, goals and measures for success. Make the magazine your own, and remember the use of the tools can easily transfer to new topics and often new technologies.
Some of this may involve learning along with your students. That is better than OK. That is a powerful model for students to see lifelong learning in action.
Generally aimed at students in years 4 - 8, the depth and expectations around the outcomes can be modified. We outline NSW curriculum outcomes here in the teachers’ notes. This is edition #11 and you will find all other T4L Magazines here.
Considering the challenges
Please share your students' work with us, we love to highlight these in the magazine: t4Linnovations@det.nsw.edu.au
The challenges can be found at the end of the magazine along with the resources and steps needed for your students to work through.
These are:
Challenge 1/ Develop or support a campaign for animals
Challenge 2/ Research and design a 3D habitat for animals
Challenge 3/ Create an animal infographic to raise awareness of an issue using data and researched facts
All challenges in the T4L Kids magazines follow the DoE Design thinking process
Pages 2 - 3
Corey Tutt OAM is a Kamilaroi man from Nowra on the New South Wales south coast.
His STEM focus is presented in this award winning book.
The idea of indigenous people as the first scientists and our responsibility to care for country are important topics to discuss with your students.
What could they do to care for country?
..... In their place, in the school.
Small actions as well as larger ones can all be gathered and displayed for references as the students work through their challenges.
Corey's book "The First Scientists" was the
WINNER OF THE 2021 AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM EUREKA STEM INCLUSION PRIZE
WINNER OF THE 2022 ABIA BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 CBCA 'EVE POWNALL' AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 QUEENSLAND LITERARY AWARDS 'CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD'
The book presents six main chapters covering astronomy, engineering, forensic science, chemistry, land management and ecology.
Find out how books are 'judged'.
How can they use this knowledge in their own writing?
The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA)
Young writers Awards - see what competitions are available for your young writers
Indigenous Science is a dedicated focus of the CSIRO from Fire Management to preservation of wildlife.
Students could be allocated one project to investigate and report back to the class.
See an example of the Magpie Geese project.
Could your students read one of the projects and share notes? 10 dot points.
Indigenous STEM Education Project presents an opportunity for indigenous students in your school.
In the wetlands of Kakadu, rangers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Indigenous Knowledge to care for country.
Model of notes for the Magpie geese in Kakadu
Kakadu National Park.
Bininj have hunted, fished and lived on this land for about 65,000 years.
The Nardab wetlands near Ubirr are home to magpie geese.
Bird numbers are key indicators of ‘healthy country’, and an important food source for Bininj. - a bush supermarket.
Problem
Researchers counted just 50 birds in 2018.
A weed called para grass is choking these floodplains, impacting the breeding cycle of the geese.
Why? Wetlands drained for farming.
Solution
The Kakadu rangers use drones to oversee 2 million hectares.
Ethical AI (eAI)= Did our work (spraying or burning) have a positive impact? If not, what next?
Thousands of magpie geese are returning to roost.
Read the full story here
Pages 4 - 5
Each of the projects across this double page spread present an opportunity for your students to investigate and possibly connect with a REAL project that are happening now. The projects all use technology as part of their solution.
The solution could be to either raise awareness of or solve a problem concerning animals.
Ideally students could investigate one of these as a group and report back:
A summary of the project
About the problem the project is trying to solve, and
How is the project working to solve the problem
In the design thinking process, students could be identifying and defining what their project might be about. It is also kickstarting their research and possibly even helping to plan for their challenge.
You might use one of these as a class topic or let groups of students lead their own investigation.
A great tool to prompt interesting questions and investigations is the Question Generator. Available online and also as an app that works offline.
Pages 6 - 7
Meet Matilda
Presents one story of one school's experience with Matilda a gorgeous and valuable Tamaruke.
The story presents an insight into the benefits that therapy dogs provide and the conversation could be around the students' own pets and the role they play in a family.
A list could be created with the things we do for pets and things they do for us. It is a handy list if the challenge chosen is to create a Pet Care eBook.
There is also a model of a timetable that students could keep over a weekend of the day in the life of their own pet as a sequence of time.
The photo story of Matilda is something students could do with photos of their own pets or if your school is lucky enough to have a school pet or therapy dog.
Here are two videos to help you to create a photo story slideshow using PowerPoint and Keynote
Pages 8 - 9
This double page spread presents the illustrators of animals in books and the strategies that they use to tell the stories through their characters and landscapes.
Copy and paste the activities and resources below into your Google Classroom or Teams.
Shorebird Flying adventure - in your classroom
Read the article in the T4L Kids Magazine (page 8)
If you have the book - Read it, if not - maybe Buy it
Students - watch this lesson. It will unpack creating an ebook in Canva based on the model of nonfiction narrative.
Students - Download and make a copy of this PowerPoint to create a plan.
Use this Canva template to create your own eBook.
Additional Teacher Notes
Tasmanian Devils - in your classroom
Read the article in the T4L Kids Magazine - (page 9)
If you have the book - Read it, if not - maybe buy it
Watch this video to participate in a drawing workshop with Matt Stanton.
Additional Teacher Notes
Pages 10 - 11
Challenge 1
Can you create a poster, a picture or ebook, or create a short film about an animal you love or an animal that needs your help?
Posters can be busy work and tempt students to copy and paste from the internet unless they have a clear purpose and process.
Ask students to identify:
What important information do you want to share?
Do you want your reader or viewer to take action?
What are your keywords for action and key images to share?
Create an an awareness campaign - use the Science issue of T4L Kids here.
Design a nonfiction picture book or ebook with this template (get your teacher to set it up in Canva) and watch the workshop
See the activity Shorebird Flying Adventure (above) Students - watch this lesson
Use this Canva template to create your own eBook.
Learn how to make a short film with the Student Filmmaker
Note that using Canva you can create a class and invite students into that class via email, code or by integrating it with Google Classroom or severla other Learning Management Systems (LMS) Details live here
Pages 12 - 13
Challenge 2
Can you create a 3D habitat for an animal?
Research habitats of endangered species or animals that you may have seen at the zoo that might need a different enclosure. If you have a pet, you might also want to redesign its habitat at home.
Build in TinkerCad, 3D Builder or Minecraft.EE.
Capture and share to a local wildlife organisation, zoo, pet shop or the t4Linnovations@det.nsw.edu.au team.
Resources
T4L Kids Minecraft edition #4
Kelly stem.T4L Leaders' instruction and the Program Tinkercad
Teacher Guide - How to use 3D Builder
Teacher Page - Minecraft. EE. Biodiversity challenge
Discover 3D Design resources and videos in T4L Kids Issue #2
Create a screen recording - Module 1 Student Filmmaker
Create a logo for your design using Adobe Express
Pages 14 - 15
Challenge 3
Can you design an animal infographic
Are you interested in collecting data about animals either in your backyard or on another continent? Could you compile observations and information about your pet?
Use Google Forms or Microsoft Forms to create a survey among your classmates or school. Record data you find by observing animals using Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. You could also jump online and see what you can discover about an animal you are passionate about.
What does the data you have collected tell you about the animals you’re researching? How could you share this information with your class and community to build awareness?
Resources
Get ideas from the Dynamic Data issue of T4L Kids issue #6
Learn how to capture data with Google Forms and Microsoft Forms
Learn how to create a useful infographic (magazine issue #6)
Presenting Data bring data to life with Canva, Keynote or PowerPoint Source
NSW Syllabus Outcomes
Each edition of the magazine presents students with a challenge using a design thinking process and different ideas around technology use. T4L Kids Issue 11 is generally ICT based media creation and the application of that in this magazine connects with the English Syllabus.
The NSW English K-10 Syllabus - Defines text as
The communications of meaning produced in any media that incorporates language, including sound, print, film, electronic and multimedia representations. Texts include written, spoken, non-verbal, visual or multimodal communications of meaning.
So many of these activities fit in the English syllabus as contemporary responses to and creation of texts from creating ebooks to designing infographics and visual photo stories.
English Outcomes Stage 3
EN3-1A Communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features.
EN3-2A Composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts.
EN3-6B Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary to respond to and compose clear and cohesive texts in different media and technologies
EN3-7C Thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas and identifies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts.
EN3-9E Recognises, reflects on and assesses their strengths as a learner.
Science and Technology Outcomes Stage 3
ST3-2DP-T Plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity..
English Outcomes Stage 4
EN4-2A Effectively uses a widening range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for responding to and composing texts in different media and technologies.
EN4-3B Uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts.
EN4-4B Makes effective language choices to creatively shape meaning with accuracy, clarity and coherence.
EN4-7D Demonstrates understanding of how texts can express aspects of their broadening world and their relationships within it.
Design and Technology Outcomes Stage 4
DT4-1 Identifies and describes a range of design concepts and processes.
DT4-6 Identifies creative, innovative, and enterprising design ideas and solutions.
DT4-7 Communicates design ideas and solutions using a range of techniques.
Mathematics Syllabus Outcomes
The NSW Mathematics Syllabus Outcomes - Statistics and Probability
The objective is for students to build the knowledge and skills to collect, represent, analyse, interpret and evaluate data, assign and use probabilities, and make sound judgements.
Challenge activities involving the collection, interpretation and presentation of data may address that a student:
MA2-3WM - checks the accuracy of a statement and explains the reasoning used
MA3-3WM - gives a valid reason for supporting one possible solution over another
MA4-3WM - recognises and explains mathematical relationships using reasoning
MA2-18SP - selects appropriate methods to collect data, and constructs, compares, interprets and evaluates data displays, including tables, picture graphs and column graphs
MA3-18SP - uses appropriate methods to collect data and constructs, interprets and evaluates data displays, including dot plots, line graphs and two-way tables
MA3-18SP - uses appropriate methods to collect data and constructs, interprets and evaluates data displays, including dot plots, line graphs and two-way tables