Teacher Toolkit

2. Know & Understand

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Lesson 1.

Community and Social

Koala Home Ranges

Description:

How habitat loss and disruption of one koala affects a whole group of koalas, and why this may not be visible to us (unless we learn to look!)

Links to:

Science

Living things & environment / genetic diversity

HASS/HSIE

Geography & Mapping

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Lesson 2.

Eco-BIO-Systems

Healthy Trees for Healthy Koalas

Description:

Why healthy trees mean healthy koalas. Hint: it’s what they eat, and it has a lot to do with soil and climate.

Links to:

Science

Living things & environment / genetic diversity

HASS/HSIE

Geography & Mapping

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Lesson 3.

Forest Spirits

The Heart of the Bush

Description:

History and spirituality and their links to koalas. Ancient links to koala and totem. Ways in which people respond to the fascination koalas hold for them.

Links to:

English

Persuasive texts and oral debate

The Arts

Fine Arts, Media Arts, Drama: Interpret and create art

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Lesson 4.

Our planet, our selves

The Koala Connection

Description:

Choosing and exploring one of the complex connections between koalas and the wider environment. 

Links to:

Science

Biology, ecology, environmental science, planet science

English

Plan, draft and publish informative texts

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Lesson 5.

Desirable Futures

Protection for Now;
Protection for Tomorrow

Description:

Sometimes things aren’t so simple… students investigate the courses of action realistically available to a series of specific people in a fictional regional town. How will they use policy and planning to protect koala habitat? 

Links to:

HASS

Geography: Social and spatial geography

HASS

Civics and Citizenship: Local and state civic processes

English

Plan, draft and publish informative texts including oral presentations

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Lesson 6.

Champions for change

Shout it to the Treetops

Description:

The final project! Students choose one thread, theme or message about koalas and conservation, then take the sources provided and create either a podcast or an article about koalas that informs or persuades.

Links to:

Science

Communicating science concepts and information

The Arts

Media Arts: Creating media productions

English

Plan, draft and publish informative texts

Careers

Explore careers in planning and conservation (Secondary)

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Stage 4 Extension.

Koala Champions

Field Study with Kosciuszko Education Centre

Description:

This practical study has been developed with the support of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Kosciuszko Education Centre (KEC). Start in the classroom before taking a field trip to the KEC.

Links to:

HASS/HSIE

Geography & Mapping

Science

Living things & environment / genetic diversity

English

Planning for and creating texts

Maths

Classifying, data, graphical representation

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