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Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes VELS levels 2,3,4 Teacher Notes AMAZING MAZING MAZING A A AUSTRALIAN USTRALIAN USTRALIAN ANIMALS NIMALS NIMALS

Amazing Australia Animals Teacher Notes - Melbourne Zoo · Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes Name the Emblem The Blackline Master Table of State/Territory Floral and Faunal

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Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes VELS levels 2,3,4

Teacher Notes

AAAMAZINGMAZINGMAZING A A AUSTRALIANUSTRALIANUSTRALIAN AAANIMALSNIMALSNIMALS

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Discovery & Learning is a partnership between

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Amazing Australian AnimalsAmazing Australian Animals Teacher Notes

Themes Deeper thinking and powerful learning about the adaptations and special abilities of our State animal emblems can help us develop our own identity and help us contribute to our society as successful Australian citizens.

Introduction The Amazing Australian Animals Teacher Notes and Student Trail focus on Australia’s faunal and floral emblems. It is intended to introduce or reinforce students’ knowledge of the indigenous animals and plants and provides an opportunity to examine why they were selected to represent the nation, State or Territory.

Objectives Students will:

• Identify the states of Australia with their particular emblems

• Become familiar with Federation and the development of the Australian democratic system of government

• Identify a range of animal groupings and their families or class

• Become familiar with the animals and their special features and characteristics

• Enjoy an experience of the uniqueness of the animals of Australia

• Become aware of conservation needs for particular species

Links to Victorian Essential Learning Standards Amazing Australian Animals adopts an interwoven approach to the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) addressing standards within each of the three VELS strands. This approach equips students with the capacities to:

• Act effectively as a member of a learning community

• Participate and engage in their own learning

• Transfer their learning to their school and local community

To view the Victorian Essential Learning Standards addressed by Amazing Australian Animals click on the links below:

Level 2Level 2Level 2 Level Level Level 3 3 3 Level Level Level 444

Pre-visit Activity and Preparation

Australian Coat of Arms investigation

Research the origins of Australia’s Coat of Arms to introduce the concept of flora and fauna as symbols that represent Australia or a State/Territory of Australia.

The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is an emblem that signifies the unity of Australia and shows the kangaroo and emu with a background of wattle. It was proclaimed in 1912.

The Red Kangaroo is also the official emblem of the Northern Territory.

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Name the Emblem

The Blackline Master Table of State/Territory Floral and Faunal Emblems on page 10 has been provided to reinforce students’ knowledge of State/Territory emblems. The animal emblems to be used in this ‘fill the gap’ activity, are the animals you will observe when using the Emblems Trail. You may wish to repeat this activity post-visit to evaluate student learning.

State Emblems (Click on the name to hotlink to a Fact Sheet) Victoria Leadbeater’s Possum, Helmeted Honeyeater, Pink Heath

NSW Platypus, Kookaburra, Waratah

Queensland Koala, Brolga, Cooktown Orchid

South Australia Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, White backed magpie or Piping Shrike, Sturt’s

Desert Pea

Western Australia Numbat, Black Swan, Red and Green Kangaroo Paw

Tasmania Tasmanian Devil (unofficially), Tasmanian Blue Gum

Northern Territory Red Kangaroo, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Sturt’s Desert Rose

A.C.T. Gang Gang Cockatoo, Royal Bluebell

Coat of Arms Red Kangaroo, Emu, Golden Wattle

Research indigenous Australia

The term indigenous, can refer to plants, animals and of course cultures/peoples. Numerous and diverse ‘nations’ speaking many languages, clan groupings and families have shared responsibility for the land as custodians since time immormorial. Of particular interest may be the study of the Kulin nation whose boundaries encompass what is now Melbourne and a rough 150km radius around it, together with the breakdown of this nation into its five main constituent tribal groupings.

Draw up a storyboard of the path towards extinction

To assist students who learn visually a story board can be drawn up to show the stages towards extinction for a particular species including:

• Changes to habitat

• Human activity

• Introduced animals and plants

• Habitat fragmentation

• Increased competition for reduced resources

• Habitat alteration eg sewn grasslands, planted forests, grain crops

• Drought, bushfires

• Progression towards extinction

Australian extinct species include: Thylacine, Ground Parrot, Pig-footed bandicoot, Pygmy emu, Gastric Brooding Frog

Australian threatened species include: Northern Hairy-nosed wombat, Greater Bilby, Murray Darling Carpet Python, Spotted Tree Frog, Corroboree Frog, Mountain Pygmy Possum, Malleefowl, Orange bellied Parrot, Mulgara, Helmeted Honeyeater, Leadbeater’s possum, Broad headed snake, Brush-tailed rock wallaby, Gouldian Finch, Swift parrot, Spot– tailed quoll, Tasmanian Devil, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl, Baw Baw Frog, Northern Quoll, Ghost bat, Numbat, Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Long footed potoroo, Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, New Holland Mouse, Marsupial Mole, Bush stone Curlew.

It would also be useful if students are familiar with concepts of ‘habitat’ and ‘distribution’ and can distinguish between the various climatic and vegetation zones of Australia. Refer to the program Homes and Shelters on the zoo website for background notes.

Can the students name one critical aspect of the habitat for a particular species without which the species could become endangered. This discussion would be useful for frogs and reptiles as they are not represented in the state emblems. One example is for pythons and crocodiles that have a more northern distribution to provide the necessary warmth for egg hatching. Another is the alpine habitat required by the Baw Baw Frog, the only frog endemic to Victoria.

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Finding out more about plants

Research and collect common native plant samples in your local area for display in the classroom. (Discuss the concept of a ‘protected’ species, which should not be picked or collected without permission.) Design a sign for the roadside to draw attention to significant plants. Observe and discuss the similarities and differences between plants. Older students can describe the features of the main parts of plant systems that help them carry out their functions.

Identifying weeds in the local area can help raise awareness in the community and lead on the action such as Clean up Australia Day activities. Design a poster for weed identification.

Include: Angled onion, Watsonia, Ivy, Cleavers, Buttercup, Honeysuckle, Blackberry, Wandering Tradescantia,

Brainstorming Endangered Species

To explore all the issues involved with human needs, environmental needs, sustainability and development, students can draw up an Issues Map surrounding the question:

‘Should a large dam be built on the outskirts of Melbourne in habitat of the State Bird Emblem, the Helmeted Honeyeater, to supply Melbourne’s water for domestic and industry needs into the Twenty First Century.’

All the differing points of view can be outlined and discussed. Students can then determine the importance of animal habitat requirements as well a people’s increasing future needs.

The issues can be expressed as questions. See: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/supportteaching.html#brainstorming

Discuss human impacts

Discuss and record examples of how human intervention can affect the survival of living things e.g., the Victorian Government has highlighted the profile of the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and Leadbeater’s Possum by adopting them as faunal emblems to represent the State. What other means can be used to highlight animals and plants? ( postage stamps)

What other action can individuals take to look after our native animals and plants? (Preserving habitats through the creation of reserves; planting native gardens to attract native animals; ensuring domestic cats and dogs are confined, obedient and locked up at night; keeping waterways clean; working for legislation to protect threatened species.)

In what ways do people negatively affect the survival of living things? (Allow pets to roam and prey upon native wildlife, removal of native habitats and overzealous ‘cleaning up’ of the natural environment, indiscriminate logging, polluting rivers and waterways, hunting of native wildlife, collection of birds and reptiles eggs, fishing, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides.)

Construct a simple Food Chain

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

At the Sanctuary Teachers will receive a pre-visit phone call to help design some active learning experiences for their students while they are at The Sanctuary. If a class session has been booked, teachers will be directed to their meeting place on entry. It is beneficial if all students complete some of the pre-visit activities described in the Teacher Notes. Students are also encouraged to design a constructive inquiry into the animals or topic they are investigating. To do this they may wish to use team work and plot their preferred learning styles to incorporate the VELS Domains of Interpersonal Development and Thinking Processes. To facilitate active learning and engagement whilst at the Sanctuary, teachers are encouraged to help students to form appropriate groups for their investigation. To assist in the inquiry, a Student Booklet on this topic is available for downloading.

For planning purposes, teachers please note that the Birds of Prey presentation is held daily subject to weather conditions from 12.00-12.25. The Australian Wildlife and Health Centre provides additional hands on experiences that are suitable for all levels.

At Healesville Sanctuary, students can meet many of the iconic animals that are represented in the Amazing Australian Animals program. The animals can be observed and students can note behaviour, adaptations, clas-sification, life cycle, preferred habitat , similar species, status and distribution in Australia. For reptiles, it is useful to discuss habitat and distribution to distinguish between the diverse climatic and vegetation zones in Australia.

Post-visit Activities

Creating an Emblem Timeline

Create a timeline of the proclamation dates (by year) of State/Territory floral/bird/mammal emblems since

Federation.

Choose your own Emblem

Three Australian States have marine emblems. Research and write fact sheets on the Weedy Sea Dragon (Victoria) the Leafy Sea Dragon (South Australia) and the Eastern Blue Groper (NSW). (Refer to Useful Websites at the end of the Activities Section.) Choose and research a marine emblem for Queensland. There is also interest in research into fossil emblems. For Victoria, the Baragwanathia Fossils in Limestone Road near Yea have been suggested as a State Fossil Emblem. These fossils are of the earliest leaf bearing plants and date from 400 million years ago. What criteria could be used when choosing an emblem?

Logging your learning

Make a class book or develop a webpage on your visit to Healesville Sanctuary. On each page, record individual student’s observations about an animal e.g., size, skin covering, special physical features, behaviour, habitat. Students can also note the ways they have learned and the changes in their knowledge from prior to post visit.

Compile a wallchart on Habitat Health

Compare ways in which students can care for natural and built places. Compile a wall chart of ideas to help look after their natural habitat, for example, in the school ground:

cleaning up rubbish in the schoolyard; recycling food scraps; rubbish free lunch/recess; planting native plants to attract birds and butterflies; keeping drains clear; placement of possum and bird boxes; installing a frog friendly pond and garden; lizard garden; auditing pollutants going down sinks and electricity usage throughout the school; investigating sustainability throughout the school.

Explore the use of Indigenous Plants

A visit to a local nursery which grows and distributes native plants would provide students with the opportunity to talk with trained staff about the vegetation which would have once grown in their local area. Plants suitable for the school grounds could be selected, and techniques for planting could be discussed.

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Alternatively, you may be able to organise a visit to your school from a local nursery, Greening Australia, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Land for Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation League or Landcare.

Create your own Dreaming Stories

Several Aboriginal Dreaming stories have been included in the Trail and Teacher Notes. Read these and other Dreaming stories to the students before asking them to write their own stories, using Victoria’s faunal emblems. The Helmeted Honeyeater and the Leadbeater’s Possum both occur in the lowland swamp area among the Tea Tree and Swamp Gum near Melbourne (see Fact Sheets for more information) and could be entwined in the same story. Other animals that live with the Leadbeater’s Possum in the tall Mountain Ash forests of the Central Highlands include: Mountain Brushtail Possum, Greater Glider, Sooty Owl, Barking Owl, Powerful Owl, Dusky and Swamp Antechinus, Sugar Glider, Yellow-bellied Glider, Spot-tailed Quoll, Grey Goshawk, Spotted Tree Frog, Baw Baw Frog.

Classify animals: What’s the Difference?

Using the Blackline Masters provided, classify animals by their homes – nest, tree, tree hollow, or burrow? Other classifications could be nocturnal/diurnal, mammal/bird, vertebrate/invertebrate, herbivore/carnivore/omnivore, terrestrial/arboreal/aquatic. Draw pictures of the homes where the animals live.

Research Wurundjeri History

Research the history of the Wurundjeri people, many of whom lived on the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station from the 1860s – 1920s on land which is now Healesville Sanctuary. Students could research daily life on the Station, traditional plants and foods that were harvested or hunted and the indigenous plants and animal species in the area. Students could also examine Government attitudes and policy towards the Aboriginal people and how these may have changed over time.

Food Web Snap Game

Aim

To represent food chains that include the animal emblems in pictorial form.

Materials

• cardboard

• 40 pictures of animals and plants (old calendars are a great source)

• contact/laminator

Procedure

Create a number of different foodchains using pictures including the animal and bird emblems pasted onto 40 pieces of cardboard, that has already been cut to the size of playing cards. Cover them with contact or have them laminated to ensure long life. These can be used by 2 - 4 students when playing a game of snap. After shuffling the cards, they are dealt out to the players, who do not look at their pile. The players then place a card in turn face up in a pile. If a predator is placed on top of a prey item, then those cards below are taken by that player. The winner is the player with the greatest number of cards left in their hand. This indicates how dependent a successful a top order predator is on their food web.

For example:

algae - tadpole - mudeye - yabbie - Blackfish - Water Rat - Eastern Brown Snake - Kookaburra

diatoms - snail - Snake-neck Turtle - Goanna - Northern Quoll - Scrub Python - Wedge-tailed Eagle

Top order predators

Students can use their food web snap game and list top order predators in all the states of Australia and what they eat. Then track the changes that have occurred with introduced predators such as the European Red Fox and cat. A focus on foxes recently introduced into in Tasmania can indicate the devastating consequences especially as the top order carnivore, the Tasmanian Devil, has become endangered recently through the contagious tumour disease.

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Choose a Reptile

State/Territory and national emblems are usually animals with great physical appeal. Discuss the possibility of selecting a reptile emblem. What would be the criteria? Choose and research a reptile emblem for your class/school. What value do reptiles have for humans?

20 Questions

Using the Blackline Masters of mammal and bird emblems, play 20 Questions. Have one student attach an animal picture to his/her back with a peg so that everyone in the class can see the animal. The student asks the class questions about the possible characteristics of the animal e.g., Does this animal have fur? Can this animal fly? Does this animal hunt at night? They can only respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘I don’t know’. Eventually, the animal in the picture will be identified. The students then work in small groups and repeat this activity. Celebrity Heads is a similar game for older students, with 3 or 4 students taking turns to ask the class questions.

Investigating ‘Federation Lady’

On May 22nd, 2000 the Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, Minister Mick Palmer, officially launched the hybrid plant ‘Federation Lady’ as a new floral emblem of the Northern Territory to celebrate the Centenary of Federation. Search the following website to find out more. http://www.anbg.gov.au/federation-flora/nt-federation-lady/index.html

Discuss the difference between native and hybrid plants. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to adopt a hybrid plant as a State emblem? What reasons can you present for your argument?

Debate: Who should make decisions about the use of the Land?

Hold a debate on different viewpoints on land use. For example, a representative from :

• a conservation group, wanting to protect the habitat of an endangered species;

• a group of local residents who want the land used as a public reserve;

• the Department of Education who want to build a new school on the land;

• a real estate developer, wanting to build a holiday complex and open up the area for tourism.

Community Action

Students can investigate activities that recognize important days in Australia’s history including Australia Day, Anzac Day and other dates on the environmental calendar such as Clean up Australia Day and World Environment Day on 5 June, Threatened Species Day on 8 September (reminding us of the extinction of the Thylacine) and the annual Frog Week in November.

Join an environmental group

Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater is a community group that actively assists with the recovery program for the Helmeted Honeyeater, in particular assisting with revegetation of streamside habitat, monitoring of the wild population, and public education. Fundraise within your classroom to raise the annual subscription fee of $10.00. A comprehensive newsletter is posted quarterly. School children are often involved in tree planting activities at the site of the Helmeted Honeyeater in Yellingbo and guest speakers are available to visit your school on request.

Contact Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeaters, P.O. Box 131, Woori Yallock 3139.

Website: www.vicnet.net.au/~honey/

Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possum Inc. The Friends of the LBP group includes in the aims: to educate the public about the threatening processes impacting the survival of the LBP and to monitor the status of the possum in the wild and captivity.

Group or school membership is $25. The website address is: http://cres.anu.edu.au/dbl/friendsoflbp.php#aims

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Appendix 1

Glossary and related key words

bird a vertebrate covered with feathers

carnivore an animal that catches live prey for food; meat eater

carrion dead animal used by a carnivore as food

crepuscular an animal that is most active at dawn and dusk

diurnal an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night

exudate plant sap and gum

feral a domesticated species (plant or animal) that has reverted to a wild state; or an introduced wild animal

food chain a relationship made up of organisms that are linked by what they eat

habitat the place where an organism lives

herbivore an animal that feeds upon plants; plant eater

hybrid an animals or plant that is the offspring of different species

invertebrate an animal without a backbone

mammal a vertebrate covered with hair or fur (at some stage of life) who feed their young on milk

marsupial a type of mammal – most females have a pouch and the young are born in an embryonic state

mid-dorsal centre of the back

nocturnal an animal that is active mostly at night and sleeps in the daytime

omnivore an animal that feeds upon plants and animals

predator an animal that hunts other consumers

prey an animal that is hunted for food

reptile a vertebrate covered in scales, that breathes with lungs

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

State or Territory

Flora Fauna:

Mammal

Fauna:

Bird

Other

Victoria Common (Pink) Heath

N.S.W. Waratah Eastern Blue Groper

Queensland Cooktown Orchid Nil

South Australia Sturt’s Desert Pea * Piping Strike Leafy Sea Dragon

Western Australia

Kangaroo Paw Numbat Nil

Tasmania Tasmanian Blue Gum

* Nil Nil

Northern Territory

Sturt’s Desert Rose Red Kangaroo Nil

A.C.T. Royal Bluebell Nil Gang Gang Cockatoo

Nil

Australia’s National Coat of Arms

Golden Wattle Red Kangaroo Nil

Can you fill in the missing animals and birds selected from the list below?

Emu Kookaburra

Leadbeater’s Possum Wedge-tailed Eagle

Brolga Koala

Platypus Helmeted Honeyeater

Tasmanian Devil Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Black Swan Weedy Sea Dragon

Appendix 2

Blackline Master

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Appendix 3

Websites These URLs have been checked at the time of publication but on-going accuracy and appropriateness may change. They may need to be checked by teachers before encouraging students to access them.

Australian Government Department of Environment and Water Resources http://www.anbg.gov.au/education/floral-emblem-ed/

This is a great website for activities on local plant species

Australian National Botanic Gardens offers detailed fact sheets on all floral emblems www.anbg.gov.au/

Department of Education, Victoria http://www.education.vic.gov.au/

History of Federation http://www.abc.net.au/federation/fedstory/home.htm

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals 2000 www.redlist.org/

Northern territory official emblems http://www.nt.gov.au/ntg/symbols/faunalemblem.html

This is a good website for Eagle and Red Kangaroo

Weeds http://www.weeds.org.au/

Appendix 4

Bibliography

Bruce, J.B., 1994, Flags and Emblems of Australia, Kangaroo Press Pty.Ltd., Australia

Flannery, T.F., 1994, Possums of the World, GEO Productions Pty.Ltd., Australia

Frith, H.J. 1977, Reader’s Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds, Reader’s Digest Services Pty.Ltd., Sydney

Grant, T., 1984, The Platypus, New South Wales University Press, Australia

Hill, R. 1970, Australian Birds, Thomas Nelson (Australia) Pty.Ltd., Australia

Kennedy, M.(ed) 1990, Australia’s Endangered Species, Simon & Schuster, Australia

Menkhorst, Peter W. 1995, Mammals of Victoria, Oxford University Press, Australia

Reader’s Digest, 1982, Complete Book of Australian Birds, Reader’s Digest Services Pty.Ltd., Sydney, Australia

Strahan, R. (ed) 1995, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books, Australia

Strahan, R. (ed) 1983, The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals, Angus & Robertson, U.K.

Symonds, S. 1982, Healesville - History in the Hills Pioneer Design Studio Pty.Ltd, Lilydale, Australia

Amazing Australian Animals— Teacher Notes

Melbourne Zoo Healesville Sanctuary Werribee Open Range Zoo Post Office Box 74 Badger Creek Road K Road

Parkville Vic 3052 Healesville, Vic 3777 Werribee, Vic 3030

Ph: 61 3 9285 9355 Ph: 61 3 5957 2819 Ph: 61 3 9731 9635

Fax: 61 3 9285 9340 Fax: 61 3 5957 2873 Fax: 61 3 9731 9644

© These sheets may be reproduced for teaching purposes. Permission to reproduce them for other purposes may be obtained from Melbourne Zoo.