Endangered Species - Marine Turtles
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Year 4 - Science
Endangered Species - Marine Turtles
Year 4 Australian Science Curriculum Focus
Recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and investigating them
Students investigate the impact of coastal development and climate change on marine turtles.
Students develop an understanding of:
• Marine turtle species and features
• Life cycles of marine turtles
• Threats to marine turtles
• Endangered species (categories and classifications)
• Solutions to the threats.
Inquiry questions for the unit:
• What are the survival needs of marine turtles?
• What is the life cycle of a marine turtle?
• Why are marine turtles found on the Great Barrier Reef threatened?
• What can we do to conserve marine turtles and their habitats?
Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 2 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityYear 4 unit overview — Endangered Species – Marine turtles
School name Unit title Duration of unit
Endangered Species - Marine turtles Approximately five weeks. Teachers could extend the
investigation to create a term long unit by investigating other
endangered species to highlight how science knowledge
contributes to people understanding their actions.
Unit outline
Year 4 Australian Science Curriculum Focus – Recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and investigating them.
Students investigate the impact of coastal development and climate change on marine turtles.
Students develop an understanding of:
Marine turtle species and features
Life cycles of marine turtles
Threats to marine turtles
Endangered species (categories and classifications)
Solutions to the threats.
Inquiry questions for the unit:
What are the survival needs of marine turtles?
What is the life cycle of a turtle?
Why are marine turtles found on the Great Barrier Reef threatened?
What can we do to conserve marine turtles and their habitats?
Year 4 Level Description – Between Years 3 to 6, students develop their understanding of a range of systems operating at different time and geographic scales. In Year 4,
students broaden their understanding of classification and form and function through an exploration of the properties of natural and processed materials. They learn that
forces include non-contact forces and begin to appreciate that some interactions result from phenomena that can’t be seen with the naked eye. They begin to appreciate that
current systems, such as the Earth’s surface, have characteristics that have resulted from past changes and that living things form part of the systems. They understand that
some systems change in predictable ways, such as through cycles. They apply their knowledge to make predictions based on interactions within systems, including those
involving the actions of humans.
Year 4 Achievement Standard - By the end of Year 4 students pose questions about their world and predict possible outcomes from investigations. They describe how they
and others use science to ask questions and make predictions. They record observations and measurements and identify patterns in data, including cause-and-effect
relationships. They describe situations where science understanding can influence their own and others’ actions.
Students use the properties of materials to explain how objects and materials behave. They identify changes to the observable world and suggest explanations for the motion
of objects. They describe how inter-relationships are essential for the survival of living things and identify major changes in the life cycle of a plant or animal.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 1 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityTeacher Notes:
Unit overview
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Endangered Species Teaching Unit is a science based Year 4 unit of work. The content descriptors for this unit are
from the 2011 Australian Science Curriculum (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au). Following the inquiry based 5Es approach to teaching science, the unit is based on the
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) expectations of 1- 2 hours per week of science lessons for Year 4 students. Each lesson is of
approximately 45 minutes duration, with some lessons requiring more time to allow further depth of study or time for excursions. The nature of science investigations is to
follow the line of student inquiry to promote and encourage students to think like scientists. Teachers may find that students will need or want to complete investigations other
than those suggested in the teaching strategies outlined in this unit. Students are to be encouraged to follow their own line of inquiry and in the case where students do this,
the teaching strategies and resources outlined in this unit may be used as a guide to supplement the student directed investigations. The overall unit, or the individual
lessons, could be extended or shortened to cater for individual classes as deemed necessary by the class teacher. Teachers will need to allow time to prepare for the lessons
prior to teaching each lesson.
Aim of the unit
The lessons are structured to build students knowledge of Endangered Species. The unit focuses on marine turtles, of which there are six different species found within the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. All six species are threatened. Building students knowledge of marine turtles, why they are threatened and what can be done to protect
them, will allow students to then make links with other endangered species. All marine animals are important to the overall health of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
Having the knowledge and understanding to apply to protecting species will enable students to make ethical decisions when interacting within the ecosystem of the
endangered species. (For more information on endangered species and the Great Barrier Reef see below in ‘Marine Turtle background information’ and also
www.gbrmpa.gov.au). Teaching students about endangered species will build their environmental knowledge and encourage their understanding of sustainability and
stewardship. The main premise of this unit is climate change, which is one of the Key Focus Areas of the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 (see www.gbrmpa.gov.au
for more information on the Outlook Report 2009). GBRMPA encourages teachers to follow the main aim of Reef Guardianship – to be stewards of the environment.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 2 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityMarine Turtle Background Information:
o What species of marine turtle are found in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park?
Six of the world’s seven marine turtles are found in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: loggerhead turtle, olive ridley turtle, leatherback turtle, hawksbill turtle,
flatback turtle and green turtle. All six species are considered threatened which means their population has declined and are still impacted by a range of threats.
o Are they protected?
All six species of marine turtle are protected. This means it is defined as a species that is protected by international, national or state laws, and/or under the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983. Protected species need special management because of recognised threats to their populations.
o What are the threats to marine turtles?
Marine wildlife has always been affected by natural factors such as predators, cyclones and disease. However, over the last 150 years, a new threat has
emerged – humans. Human related threats have reduced the abundance and range of many marine species including marine turtles. The greatest concern is
that this could lead to population extinctions. Human-related threats to protected species include:
Habitat degradation and loss from coastal development
Incidental catch in fishing gear, shark control nets and drum lines at popular beaches
Boat strike
Ingestion of marine debris and entanglement (especially plastics and lost/discarded fishing gear)
Harvesting: commercial and Indigenous, and illegal take especially by foreign vessels
Depredation on nests by introduced predators (especially pigs and foxes)
Declining water quality
Climate change.
o What is being done to reduce the risks to marine turtles?
Ascertaining which species are under threat or at risk
Identifying any threats to the survival of the species
Developing and implementing management actions to mitigate threats
Working with industry and management to encourage and refine sustainable fishing practices and the use of bycatch reduction devices such as the Turtle
Exclusion Device (TED)
Encouraging and educating Marine Park users to minimise their impact upon the Great Barrier Reef
Educating and encouraging residents and businesses in the catchment to minimise their impact upon the Great Barrier Reef.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 3 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityUnit Lessons
Engage Lesson 1: Marine turtles
Explore Lesson 2: Exploring what we know about marine turtles
Lesson 3: Exploring marine turtles’ habitats
Explain Lesson 4: Life cycles of marine turtles
Lesson 5: Endangered!
Elaborate Lesson 6: Caught in the net
Lesson 7: Threats?
Evaluate Lesson 8: Report preparation
Lesson 9: Report preparation
Lesson 10: Report preparation
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 4 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityIdentify curriculum
Content descriptions to be taught General capabilities and
Science Understandings Science as a Human Endeavour Science Inquiry Skills cross-curriculum priorities
Biological Sciences Use and Influence of Science Questioning and Predicting Literacy
Living things have life cycles Science knowledge helps people With guidance, identify questions in
familiar contexts that can be Communicate confidently in
Living things, including plants and to understand the effect of their
investigated scientifically and listening, reading and viewing,
animals, depend on each other actions
predict what might happen based writing, speaking and creating print
and the environment to survive on prior knowledge and visual materials
Critical and creative thinking
Planning and Conducting
Observe, question, make
Suggest ways to plan and conduct
predictions and think creatively to
investigations to find answers to
questions
solve problems during
Safely use appropriate materials,
investigations
tools or equipment to make and Ethical behaviour
record observations, using formal Consider human impacts on the
measurements and digital environment and other living
technologies as appropriate organisms and evaluate their own
and other people’s actions
Processing and Analysing Data and
Information Personal and social
Use a range of methods including competence
tables and simple column graphs to Follow procedures and work both
represent data and to identify within a group and independently to
patterns and trends share and discuss ideas
Compare results with predictions,
suggesting possible reasons for Sustainability
findings Investigate human impacts on
marine turtle populations and the
Evaluating role we all play to help improve the
Reflect on the investigation future for marine turtle populations
including whether a test was fair or
not
Communicating
Represent and communicate ideas
and findings in a variety of ways
such as diagrams, physical
representations and simple reports
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 5 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityRelevant prior curriculum Curriculum working towards
Year 3 of the Australian Science Curriculum outlines that by the end of Year 3, In Year 5, students are introduced to cause and effect relationships that relate
students describe how they can use science investigations to respond to to form and function through an exploration of adaptations of living things. They
questions and identify where people use science knowledge in their lives. They explore observable phenomena associated with light and begin to appreciate
collect and present data in a way that helps to answer their questions and use that phenomena have sets of characteristic behaviours. They broaden their
their experience to make predictions. Students describe features common to classification of matter to include gases and begin to see how matter structures
living things. They use their knowledge of the movement of the Earth, materials the world around them. Students consider Earth as a component within a solar
and the behaviour of heat to suggest explanations for everyday observations. system and use models for investigating systems at astronomical scales.
Students begin to identify stable and dynamic aspects of systems, and learn
how to look for patterns and relationships between components of systems.
They develop explanations for the patterns they observe.
Links to other learning areas
QSA Year 4 Literacy Indicators (2009)
Speaking and Listening
SL4 vi. Describe significant features related to subject matter by replacing commonly used words and everyday terms with more specialised vocabulary to
provide specific meaning.
Reading and Viewing
RV4 i. Read and view for personal and learning purposes and select texts to match learning needs and areas of interest.
Writing and Designing
WD4 ii. Write about familiar subject matter for known audiences using a variety of text types and use structures such as compare-and-contrast and cause-
and-effect to organise information.
WD iv. Write and design texts using a range of strategies to plan, including
- generate ideas and selecting an appropriate one
- gathering information from personal knowledge and learning experiences, and from sources such as graphics or multimedia texts
- completing in a reasonable time frame
- organising main ideas and supporting details using storyboards or sequence charts
- determining relevance of information for the purpose.
WD4 x. Select words that define and describe concepts using familiar technical language to add detail.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 6 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityAssessment Make judgements
Describe the assessment Assessment date Student task sheet, links to QSA literacy
indicators (2009) and guide to making
Summative Assessment The summative judgements can be found in the resource
assessment piece is section of the unit.
Option 1. designed to be produced
and presented during the
Students will provide a report on an endangered species. Students could choose
Evaluate stage of the unit
marine turtles, or another endangered species to research. The report will aim to
when students will have
inform and influence the audience about the endangered species and reasons for
gathered all the knowledge
action. The report will include:
required to successfully
An introduction to the animal, its habitat, needs for survival and life cycle address the criteria. This
An explanation of the main reasons the animal is endangered date is to be determined by
Recommendations outlining how people can change their behaviour and/or the class teacher.
what people can do to help the species survive (this must be linked to their
science knowledge of the animal and the reasons it is endangered)
A conclusion summarising the main message of the report
The students could also include graphs showing the decline of a population,
images of the animal or images of causes for endangerment.
Option 2.
As an extension to Lesson 6, students design and test a Turtle Exclusion Device
(TED). Students will write up their experiment using an investigation planner and
explain their results in a scientific report. The investigation and report will include:
Student’s design of a TED
Student’s completed investigation planner
Student’s explanation of results and conclusions about how TEDs can help
stop marine turtles from becoming bycatch
Student’s analysis of what people can do to help turtle populations increase.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 7 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityUseful Websites Useful Books
Arkive – lots of video clips of marine turtles and other endangered animals Myrtle’s Battle Against Climate Change, Mariana Fuentes (available free online
www.arkive.org as a PDF at http://www.coralcoe.org.au/edures/myrtleclimatechange.pdf). This
book could be used in conjunction with the unit as a Walking Talking Text.
Eco Kids
www.ecokids.ca
Chelonia Green – Champion of Turtles, Cristobael Mattingley
Euro Turtle – clip on human impacts on marine turtles
www.euroturtle.org
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority The Smallest Turtle, Lynley Dodd
www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Middle School Science Resources One Tiny Turtle, Nicola Davies (also on DVD)
www.middleschoolscience.com
The Biology Corner Into the Sea, Brenda Z. Guiberson
www.biologycorner.com
Sea Turtle Foundation – good information about marine turtles and getting involved in
I'll Follow the Moon, Stephanie Lisa Tara
turtle conservation activities locally.
www.seaturtlefoundation.org
YouTube Link – Romancing the Bag – a great clip about plastic bag pollution Dugong and Marine Turtle: Teaching Resource and Information Package, Torres
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzsQwwnqSGo Strait Regional Authority's Land and Sea Management Unit
http://www.nailsma.org.au/publications/resource.html.
Department of Environment and Resource Management marine turtle web pages:
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-
ecosystems/wildlife/caring_for_wildlife/marine_strandings.html and the A-Z of
animals (look for various turtle species): http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-
ecosystems/wildlife/az_of_animals/index.html.
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Section 6 of the Disability
ENGAGE - To capture interest and discover what we think we know Lesson 1 Standards for Education (The Lesson 1
Lesson 1 – Marine turtles Diagnostic assessment Standards for Curriculum GBRMPA Great Barrier
Suggested Time – 45 minutes opportunities: Development, Accreditation Reef Marine Turtle
Introduction – Book reading and Delivery) state that Identification Sheet
- use the TWHL chart and
education providers, www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Choose a book from the library, either fiction or non-fiction, about marine discussion to determine
including class teachers,
turtles. students' current
must take reasonable steps
Read this to the students and discuss the story line (if fiction) or some of knowledge of marine turtles YouTube clips of marine
to ensure a course/program
the facts (if non-fiction). is designed to allow any turtles moving, breathing,
Ask students to share any experiences they have had with marine turtles. student to participate and and feeding in their
experience success in natural environment.
If most students have a story to share, students could write about the
experience and illustrate their story to create a display in the classroom. learning.
Investigation – TWHL Chart The Disability Standards for
Education 2005 (Cwlth) is
Discuss with the students what they think they already know about marine
available from:
turtles.
select
Ask students if there is anything they would like to know about marine Human rights and anti-
turtles. discrimination > Disability
Record students’ responses in the TWLH chart. standards for education.
T W L H ESL Considerations
What we think What we want to What we learned How we know Teachers should refer to the
we know about learn about marine about marine (scientific Learning Place
marine turtles turtles turtles understandings) (www.learningplace.com.au),
‘ESL in the Classroom’ for
‘Break it Down, Build it Up’
Read the GBRMPA Great Barrier Reef Marine Turtle Identification Sheet resources to help restructure
(available at www.gbrmpa.gov.au). the unit according to the ESL
Discuss how this information is important to scientists. needs of the class.
View YouTube clips or other Internet clips showing marine turtles in their
natural clean habitat. Draw students’ attention to the different types of Risk Management
marine turtles they are viewing, how they move and/or how they breathe. Refer to Department of
Allow students to comment on and discuss what they view in the clips. Education and Training
www.education.qld.gov.au
Start a word wall with students to continuously add to throughout the unit.
This should be displayed in a place where students can always add to it for advice and forms relating
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each lesson. It may be done in alphabetical order or on moveable cards so to risk management during
that students can interact with the words and sort them into categories as curriculum activities and
they progress throughout the unit. excursions.
Start a science journal with the students to record their learning and
reflections after each science lesson. A science journal is a record of
observations, experiences and reflections. It contains a series of dated,
chronological entries. It may include written text, drawings, labelled
diagrams, photographs, tables and graphs. The science journal can be
used as a part of the student assessment.
EXPLORE – To have shared, hands-on experiences
Lesson 2 – Exploring what we know about marine turtles Lesson 2 Lesson 2
Suggested time – 45 minutes Formative assessment YouTube or other clips of
Introduction – Footage of marine turtles opportunities: marine turtles in their
Show students more YouTube or other Internet clips and/or images of - use students’ natural environment,
marine turtles. This time show marine turtles in ‘bad’ situations such as participation and responses including marine turtles
stuck in fishing nets, eating plastic or strangled by fishing line. during activities to assess in threatening situations
Discuss with students what they see, what they think, what they feel after students' ability to apply such as stuck in nets,
viewing the clips and images. knowledge to different eating plastic or
Investigation – Hot Potato situations strangled by fishing line.
Explain to students they are going to participate in a Hot Potato activity.
Large paper for Hot
o Each group gets a large sheet of paper and must answer the
Potato Activity, pens.
question as best they can (be creative and imaginative) before the
time limit is up. The teacher is to set the time limit according to the
needs of the class. When the time limit is up, groups rotate the
papers around so that each group gets a turn at answering each
question.
Divide students into groups of three or four.
Provide each group with a large sheet of paper with one of the following
questions. Teachers may change these questions, add more or take some
away according to number of groups and to suit the needs of the class.
Read the questions out and explain any difficult words, but do not discuss
the questions.
o What would happen if marine turtles couldn’t swim?
o What would happen if marine turtles couldn’t dive down?
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o What would happen if marine turtles didn’t have a shell?
o What do marine turtles eat?
o Where do marine turtles eat?
o What eats marine turtles?
o Why are we learning about marine turtles?
When all groups have had an opportunity to answer each question, display
each sheet and read though some of the answers.
Discuss some of the answers and ask students to explain some of their
answers.
Add any questions students may have about marine turtles to the TWHL
chart.
Add new words to the word wall.
Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal.
Lesson 3 – Special relationships Lesson 3 Lesson 3
Suggested time – 45 minutes Formative assessment Video clips of marine
Introduction – Cleaning stations opportunities: turtles at ‘cleaning
View video clips from Arkive – www.arkive.org – showing marine turtles at - use student research to stations’ from Arkive
‘cleaning stations’. assess students’ www.arkive.org
Ask and discuss with the students what the term ‘cleaning stations’ might developing knowledge of
mean. how animals interact and Books, Internet access,
behave in their natural posters, fact sheets for
Introduce the term 'symbiotic relationship' to the students. Ask if any of
environment. student research.
them already know what that means.
If not, provide an explanation – when two animals form an association (like
a friendship) that benefits both of them.
Identify with students what symbiotic relationship is taking place in the
video clips. How does the turtle benefit? How do the fish benefit?
Ask students if they know of any other symbiotic relationships. Record
these on a wall chart to remind students what a symbiotic relationship is.
Investigation – Exploring turtle habitats
Explain to the students they are going to find out more about marine turtles
and the habitat they live in. To save time in the students' research, each
group is going to research one or two questions and then present their
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findings to the class. This will all be recorded in a retrieval chart.
Break students up into pairs or groups of three. Have a list of questions
about marine turtles written on scrap paper and stuck onto a board or wall.
Each group can choose one or two questions (depending on how many
groups and how many questions the teacher puts up). Read the questions
out to clarify unknown words. Suggested questions (teachers could adjust
these according to the needs of the class):
o Do all species of turtle eat the same thing? Provide examples of
what each species of turtle eats.
o Where do marine turtles live? Do all species of turtle live in the
same places? Where does each species live?
o What are the main external features of a turtle? Provide a drawing
with labelled body parts.
o Are marine turtles predators or prey, or both? Explain your
answer.
o How many species of marine turtle are found in the ocean? How
does a scientist identify each different species?
o Are all marine turtles found on the Great Barrier Reef? Which ones
are and which ones are not? Where are those that are not found
on the Great Barrier Reef found?
o Find an Indigenous Australian traditional story about marine turtles.
What Indigenous group does the story belong to? What is the
main message in the story?
o Explain the day in the life of a turtle. What does it do all day? Does
it eat all day? Does it sleep? Does it hide from predators?
o How long can marine turtles stay underwater? Is it the same
length of time for all turtle species? Can some stay underwater
longer than others? How often do marine turtles need to breathe?
o What is the largest species of marine turtle? What is the smallest
species of marine turtle? Provide two facts about each species.
o Which marine turtle has green fat? Why does it have green fat?
Find out four more interesting facts about marine turtles.
o What are a turtle’s survival needs? Choose one or two species of
marine turtle and identify what they need for survival.
Groups are then to research their question/s. Provide access to the
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Internet, books, posters, or fact sheets for students to conduct their
research.
When students have finished their research, collate all the information and
create a retrieval chart for students to refer to throughout the unit.
Each group should share their information, answer questions from the class
and participate in any discussions that may come from the research.
If some students finish earlier than others, they could research a specific
turtle species, visit the GBRMPA website to find out more about marine
turtles, or complete some turtle artwork to add to the class display.
Add new words to the word wall.
Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal.
EXPLAIN – To demonstrate what we have learned by exploring
Lesson 4 – Life Cycles Lesson 4 Lesson 4
Suggested time – 45 minutes Formative assessment YouTube clips or video
Introduction – YouTube Clips opportunities: of the marine turtle life
Discuss with students about life cycles e.g. humans and other animals. You - use students' cycle
could show a diagram of a human life cycle and ask students to identify participation in research (http://www.youtube.com
what stage they are at in the life cycle. What stage are their parents, and discussion to assess /watch?v=-Rdnd3iZw2g
grandparents, brothers or sisters at? students’ developing is a good one).
Have students identify different stages of chosen life cycles e.g. using knowledge of life cycles
pictures, the Internet or books. and how animals and
View YouTube clips of a marine turtle’s life cycle and ask students to take humans interact in different
notes. In their notes students should try to identify the stages of the life ways.
cycle and what species of marine turtles are in the clips. They should use
their scientific knowledge from previous lessons to identify different
species.
Ask students to share their notes. Write down notes on a wall chart for
reflection in the investigation.
Investigation – Creating life cycle diagrams
From the information gathered, as a class discuss the life cycle of a marine
turtle. Try to come up with a diagram to show the life cycle. If students
need more information, have an image ready to show them (many are
available off the Internet).
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Once the class has come up with a labelled diagram, discuss each aspect
of a turtle’s life and identify the threats marine turtles face in each part of
their life. Use the following questions as a guide:
o When they first hatch and need to get down to the ocean, what
might stop them from reaching the ocean?
o If they do reach the ocean, what might stop them from growing up?
o If they do grow up, what might stop them from getting back to the
beach to breed?
o If they do lay eggs, what might stop the eggs from hatching?
At each phase in the life cycle diagram, write down the students’ thoughts
on what threats the students think the marine turtles face.
Discuss with students how they think these threats affect the turtle
population.
Ask students to draw a copy of a turtle’s life cycle in their science book or
science journal.
Add words to the word wall.
Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal. Lesson 5 Lesson 5
Formative assessment Reef Beat 2009 Climate
opportunities: Change and the Reef
Lesson 5 – Endangered!
- students' ability to (Poster 1) and Sea
Suggested time – 45 minutes Turtles (Poster 7)
interpret information and
Introduction – Reef Beat Poster apply their knowledge to (www.gbrmpa.gov.au).
Read Poster 1 of the Reef Beat 2009 - Climate Change and the Reef and the discussion
Poster 7 – Sea Turtles (Climate Change – a cold blooded killer and Gender - use student research to Books, fact sheets,
Bender). assess students’ posters, Internet access
Ask students to comment on the information or if they need certain words developing knowledge of for research.
or information clarified. how living things depend on
Ask students to reflect on the life cycle chart from the previous lesson. each other and the
Discuss with students - How does the information in the Gender Bender environment to survive and
paragraph relate to the life cycle? Where would the warmer section of the how science knowledge
nest be and the cooler section of the nest? Why would a nest with very can be used to assess
high temperature be at risk of failure? human impacts on the
living things
Read the next section of Poster 7– Australia’s treasured marine turtles.
Ask students to comment on the information or if they need certain words
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or information clarified.
Read the last section of Poster 7 – Why are all turtle species on the Great
Barrier Reef threatened?
Ask students to define what endangered and extinct means. With students,
create a definition of each word and display this in the classroom.
Discuss with students if they know of any other animals that are
endangered or extinct. Do they know how the animals became extinct or
why they are endangered?
Investigation – Endangered Species
Explain to the students that they are going to investigate what is making
marine turtles endangered. Using each of the threats outlined on the Reef
Beat Poster 7, they are going to research to find out more information.
Split the class up into ten groups. Each group chooses one threat from the
list on the Reef Beat Poster 7:
o Climate change
o Coastal development and habitat loss
o Hunting and collecting
o Fishing activities
o Declining water quality
o Boat strikes
o Pollution and marine debris
o Marine dredging and construction
o Feral animals destroying nests and eating eggs
o Disease.
Have books, Internet, 2009 Reef Beat Posters and fact sheets available for
each group to do their research.
When each group has found some answers, each group shares their
answers with the class. Answers do not need to be long, just a few
sentences to explain briefly what the threat is. Some students may even
be able to draw on current knowledge to create definitions. Create a
retrieval chart with each topic as a heading and put the information under
each topic. Students may use this in their final assessment piece.
If a group finishes early, they could choose another topic to research to add
more information during sharing time.
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opportunities learners
Ask students to comment on whether the threats are mainly natural or man-
made? Do they think something can be done to help the marine turtles
increase their population?
Add new words to the word wall.
Students add their learning and reflection to their science journal.
ELABORATE – To build understanding through an investigation Lesson 6 Lesson 6
Lesson 6 – Caught in the net Summative assessment Images of marine turtles
Suggested time – 45 minutes opportunities: caught in fishing nets.
Introduction – View images - discussions can be used YouTube and Arkive
Find images on the Internet or in books of marine turtles caught in fishing to assess students’ ability (www.arkive.org) have
nets and ghost nets. to use science knowledge clips of marine turtles
to draw conclusions about caught in nets.
Discuss with students why this is a threat to turtle populations.
how humans can affect the
Explain to students they are going to do their own experiment to see how
living things. Resource 1 – Procedural
marine turtles get caught in nets.
- use students' Text – bycatch
Investigation – Bycatch
investigation planners to experiment.
Define the word "bycatch" for students. Bycatch is when any species of assess students' science
animal caught in fishing nets is not the targeted species. A trawler might inquiry skills.
be trawling for prawns, but they will also catch marine turtles, sharks, Equipment for
- extension activity of experiment, see
manta rays, stingrays and all sorts of other marine animals. They are all
designing own TED can be equipment list -
bycatch, as the trawler only wanted to catch prawns.
used to assess science Resource 1.
Follow the procedure in Resource 1 – Procedural Text - Bycatch inquiry skills and students’
Experiment. ability to apply science
Resource 2 –
Use the investigation planner to record results (Resource 2). knowledge to understand
Investigation Planner
Discuss what the experiment is about and give a demonstration. Use the effect they can have on
Resource 3 – Predict Observe Explain, to generate discussion about how the environment.
the experiment will be conducted. Resource 3 – Predict
Observe Explain Poster
Discuss the results with students and conclude how the use of fishing nets
affects turtle populations.
Footage of a Turtle
Ask students if they can think of a way to stop marine turtles from getting
Exclusion Device (TED).
caught in fishing nets.
YouTube, other Internet
Show students footage of a Turtle Exclusion Device (TED). Ask students sites, photos.
to explain how the device works.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 16 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityTeaching and learning Supportive learning environment
Teaching strategies and learning experiences Assessment Adjustments for needs of Resources
opportunities learners
Discuss with students the impact the TED will have on turtle populations. Extension Activities -
Add new words to the word wall. Option 2 – Resource 6 –
Task Sheet
Students add their learning and reflection to their science journal.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
Have students create their own TED and conduct an experiment similar to the one
in Lesson 6 with them to see if they make a difference to marine turtles becoming
bycatch (Resource 1 –Extension Activity). This could also be completed as their
final assessment piece – see Option 2 on Resource 6 – Task Sheet.
Lesson 7 Lesson 7
Lesson 7 – Threats Summative assessment YouTube clips – The
Suggested time – 45 minutes opportunities: Animals Save the Planet
Introduction – YouTube clips - Romancing the Bag
- Cause-and-Effect charts
View the two YouTube clips The Animals Save the Planet – Romancing the can be used to assess http://www.youtube.com/
Bag and Supermarket Bags. students knowledge of how watch?v=VzsQwwnqSGo
animals interact in their and Supermarket Bags
Teachers could also use images of marine turtles eating plastic bags, or
images of plastic that has been found in marine turtles’ stomachs. These environment and how http://www.youtube.com/
are available on various Internet sites. science knowledge can be watch?v=gBZdUA8zxJ0.
used to draw conclusions
Discuss with students what message the animals are trying to teach the
and predict how humans Images of marine turtles
audience. Ask students if they understand why plastic bags in the ocean
affect the environment. eating plastic bags - No
are such a big threat to marine turtles. Teachers could also show YouTube
clips of marine turtles eating jellyfish to help make students make the Bag Thanks
connection. www.abc.net.au/science/
Ask students if they can recall other threats to marine turtles. features/bags.
Investigation – Cause-and-Effect
Resource 4 – Turtle
Play the Turtle Danger Game – Resource 4.
Danger Game.
When returning to the classroom, ask students to complete a Cause-and-
Effect chart outlining threats to marine turtles (Resource 5).
Resource 5 – Cause-
Cause-and-Effect charts can be done in many different ways (see and-Effect Chart
Resource 5 for some examples). Adjust these to the needs of the class.
If students have not done a Cause-and-Effect chart before, complete one
as a class together. Then ask students to complete one on their own.
Link these Cause-and-Effect charts to why marine turtles are an
endangered species. Ask students to consider this when they are
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 17 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityTeaching and learning Supportive learning environment
Teaching strategies and learning experiences Assessment Adjustments for needs of Resources
opportunities learners
completing their chart.
When students have completed their own Cause-and-Effect chart, ask
them to identify and explain a solution to the cause they identified.
Ask students to share their charts and solutions and display these around
the classroom.
Add new words to the word wall.
Students add their learning and reflection to their science journal.
EVALUATE – To review and reflect on learning
Lesson 8 – Report or investigation preparation
Lesson 8 – 10 Lesson 8
Suggested time – 45 minutes
Summative assessment Resource 6 – Task
Introduction – Reflection and begin task opportunities: Sheet.
As a class, reflect and record what has been learned in the TWLH chart. - student reports or
Explain to the students that they are going to begin their final assessment investigations can be used
project. Present them with a task sheet (Resource 6 – Option 1 or Option to assess students’
2). knowledge and
Read through the task sheet together and identify all the requirements of understanding of science
the task. understandings, science as
Discuss available resources (identify all the work done throughout the unit a human endeavour and
that will help the students complete the task). science inquiry skills
Set out a plan for time management and resource management.
Investigation – Start preparing reports or investigation
Allow students time to research and prepare their reports or investigations.
Students may need scaffolding for different parts of the report writing or
investigation; this will depend on the need of the class.
Lesson 9 and Lesson 10 – Continue report or investigation preparation.
Suggested time – How much time students are able to spend preparing their
reports and investigations will depend on the needs of the class and the length of
time available in the school term.
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 18 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityUse feedback (these are some suggestions, teachers will need to vary this according to the needs of their class)
Ways to monitor learning and Year 4 teacher:
assessment Initially plan the teaching, learning and assessment needs of all learners and make adjustments to the unit plan as necessary
Use diagnostic and formative assessment opportunities throughout the unit to plan for students learning and assess student
knowledge development
Mark presentations and moderate with colleagues to achieve consensus and consistency of teacher judgment
Feedback to students Teachers:
Plan opportunities for conversations to provide ongoing feedback (spoken and written) and encouragement to students on their
strengths and areas for improvement
Reflect on and review learning opportunities to individualise learning experiences required
Provide multiple opportunities for students to experience, practise and improve knowledge, processes and skills
Students:
Identify what they can do well and what they need to improve
Provide feedback to a peer on interaction skills and suggest some strategies for improvement (written and spoken feedback)
Reflection on the unit plan At the conclusion of the unit teachers can reflect on the unit for future planning by answering the following questions:
What worked well in this unit?
What was a stumbling block?
How would you refine it?
What trends and gaps in learning have you identified?
How will you build on these learning experiences next term and beyond?
Year 4 Science – Endangered Species: Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 19 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityResource 1 – Procedural Text – Bycatch Experiment
Aim
To find out the effects of bycatch on turtle populations
Equipment
• Small aquarium nets, sieves, tea strainers or homemade simple nets using fine mesh or even dishcloth material.
• Small objects such as rice grains, dried kidney beans, dried peas (these will be the prawns the trawler is trying to catch).
• Larger objects such as dried lima beans, small plastic toys, pen lids (these will be the marine turtles).
• Large long container with water in it such as a tidy tray, aquarium, plastic storage container (this is the ocean). This container should be deep
enough and long enough for you to trawl your net through the water to catch your prawns or fish.
• Data table (see below).
Procedure
1. Fill in the investigation planner to plan how you are going to complete your experiment.
2. Put your prawns into the ocean.
3. Decide on how many marine turtles you are going to put into your ocean. Record this number in your data table. Put your marine turtles into
your ocean.
4. Use your net to trawl for prawns. Make one pass through the ocean with your net. You should close your eyes when you do this to make the
test fair.
5. Record how many prawns and marine turtles you caught in your net.
6. Do not return your prawns or marine turtles to the water.
7. Continue trawling for prawns, each time record how many marine turtles and prawns you catch.
8. When you have caught all the prawns, explain your results in your investigation planner.
Data Table (add extra rows or columns if you decide to record other information)
Current turtle population Number of prawns caught Number of marine turtles Number of marine turtles
Trial Number
(before you trawl) in the net caught in the net remaining in ocean
1
2
3
4
5
Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 20 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityResource 1 – Procedural Text – Bycatch Experiment (cont.) Answer the following questions and discuss your answers with your class. 1. What does bycatch mean? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Explain how marine turtles and other marine animals are caught as bycatch. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How can trawling for prawns affect turtle populations? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How could trawlers change their nets to stop marine turtles from becoming bycatch? Describe or draw a design. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Extension Activities a) Design a net that the trawler could use to still catch prawns but not catch marine turtles. Test your net in your ocean, record your results. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ b) Investigate what a Turtle Exclusion Device (TED) is. Design your own TED and conduct the bycatch experiment again using your TED. Compare your results with your first bycatch experiment. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 21 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Resource 2 – Investigation Planner
Investigation Planner
Name: ........................................................................................................................ Date: ..........................................................................
Title of our Investigation Hypothesis. What do you think will happen? Explain why
To make the test fair what are you going to:
Independent Variable Dependant Variable Control Variable
Change? Measure? Keep the same?
Labelled Diagram Equipment Procedure
How will you complete the investigation?
Illustrate how you will set up your investigation. What equipment will you need? Use dot points.
Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 22 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityResource 2 – Investigation Planner (cont.)
Explaining Results
When you changed the_________________________________________________what happened?
Why did this happen? Was your hypothesis accurate?
What challenges did you have in doing this investigation? How could you improve this investigation?
What would you investigate next?
Fairness? Accuracy?
Teacher Comments:
Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 23 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityResource 3 – Predict Observe Explain Poster
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Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 24 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityResource 4 – Turtle Danger Game
Turtle Danger Game – the aim of the game is to assist students in learning that marine turtles face many pressures to survive.
You will need:
• A large area to run around
• Markers to identify the beach, the sea, a safety strip on the beach side and a safety strip on the sea side (see diagram below)
• A whistle.
How to play:
• Discuss with students what dangers marine turtles face as they hatch from their eggs and try to get to the sea. Identify five different dangers e.g. wild pigs,
people, birds, crabs, cars, lights rubbish etc.
• Choose five students to be one of the dangers. The rest of the students are hatchlings.
• The hatchlings start on the safety strip on the beach side. When the whistle blows they have to get to the safety strip on the other side of the ocean without
getting caught by a danger. If tagged, the hatchling has to sit down out of the game.
• Have a second discussion with the students to identify dangers the marine turtles face in the ocean as they are growing up. Identify five different dangers e.g.
sharks, fishing nets, boat propellers, crocodiles, oil pollution.
• Now that the marine turtles are mature they need to get back to the beach safely to lay eggs and start the cycle again. When the whistle blows the mature marine
turtles need to get back to the safety strip on the beach without getting tagged by one of the dangers. If tagged, the mature turtle has to sit down out of the game.
• Discuss how many marine turtles survived out of how many were originally hatchlings.
• The activity could be adapted by allowing more dangers to see if this affects how many hatchlings or mature marine turtles are caught. This could lead into a
discussion about turtle populations on the Great Barrier Reef.
Year 4 Science — Endangered Species - Marine Turtles - Version 0.2 25 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityYou can also read
