7.3 CIRCLE OF LIFE STUDENT OUTCOMES 

1.   Why do we classify?  

1.1 Give reasons for classifying objects.

1.2 Use a range of simple keys to separate objects based on differences in their structural characteristics.

1.3 Construct simple dichotomous keys. 

2.   How do we classify?  

2.1 Define taxonomy, and place the seven (*Extension=eight) levels of the Linnaeus classification system in order.

2.2 Use simple keys and correctly named structural features of plants, animals, fungi, protists and bacteria to classify them to the level of their kingdom.

2.3 Use simple keys and correctly named structural features of invertebrates to classify them to the level of their phylum.

2.4 Use simple keys and correctly named structural features of vertebrates to classify them to the level of their class.

3.   Who lives there?

3.1 Identify abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) features in habitats.

3.2 Explain how the features of some Australian plants and animals are adaptations for survival in their environment.

3.3 For at least one named vertebrate and one named invertebrate, identify the usefulness of their structural adaptations in their environment.

3.4 Discuss the benefits versus the ethical issues of keeping animals in zoos.

4.    How do living things interact?

4.1 Construct food chains and food webs for organisms.

4.2 Identify organisms in food chains and food webs in the roles of producer, consumer (first, second, third order/level), decomposer, herbivore, carnivore and omnivore. 

4.3 Predict how changes in biotic or abiotic factors might impact populations in a food web.

4.4 Describe examples of beneficial and harmful effects that micro-organisms can have on living things and their environment.

5.    How do humans change ecosystems?

5.1 Describe some examples of how scientists have helped modernise agriculture.

5.2 Identify how human activities are affecting organisms in Australian food webs, e.g. Great Barrier Reef, eucalypt forests.

5.3 Describe how modern fire-monitoring technology helps manage the impact of bushfires on Australian ecosystems.

5.4 Describe traditional Indigenous practices of fire management. 

5.5B Extension: Compare traditional Indigenous practices with modern methods of fire management.