Create and Care

Overview

In this final lesson of Eastern Rosella Explorers, students bring together their observations about the bird’s visible features and habitat needs. Through a hands-on collage, model or digital drawing, they represent what they know, compare their work with earlier predictions and share one action people can take to care for birds.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• make and record observations about an Eastern Rosella’s observable features
• represent a bird and its habitat using drawings, collage materials or a digital tool
• identify what an Eastern Rosella needs in its habitat
• share a way people can care for birds and their habitat

Success criteria

• I can show at least three Eastern Rosella features.
• I can include two habitat needs.
• I can share one caring action.
• I can compare my finished representation with what I predicted or observed.

Curriculum links

• Exploring the ways people make and use observations and questions to learn about the natural world.
• Comparing observations with predictions with guidance.
• Using drawings, photographs, labels and digital tools to record and communicate observations.
• Communicating care for living things and the places where they live.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Reconnect and notice. Teacher displays a striking Eastern Rosella image in the opening observation slide and asks, “What can we notice, and what would this bird need to live safely?” Students quietly look, then turn and talk, naming colours, body parts, food, water, shelter or nesting places.

2. 4–8 min · Model the task. Teacher uses the feature-and-habitat modelling slides to demonstrate a simple labelled representation, thinking aloud while adding features such as a red or yellow head, green body, blue wing patches, beak and feet, plus habitat needs such as trees, food and water. Students help identify which details are observations and suggest labels or symbols.

3. 8–20 min · Create and label. Teacher distributes the Rosella Create and Care planning sheet and offers paper, pre-cut shapes, drawing materials or tablets; students create a collage, model or digital drawing, adding at least three rosella features and two habitat needs. Students use the word bank or picture prompts to label their work, while the teacher conferences with individuals and checks for observable details.

4. 20–25 min · Partner share and compare. Teacher displays the partner-share prompt slide and models the sentence frame, “I observed ____. My rosella needs ____ and ____. People can care for birds by ____.” Students share their representation with a partner, compare it with a previous prediction or observation, and practise one caring action.

5. 25–30 min · Gallery walk and reflection. Teacher arranges a quiet gallery walk or invites students to hold up their work, then uses the caring-action and reflection slides to prompt, “What is one safe way to care for birds?” Students share by speaking, pointing, signing or playing a recorded audio response, and complete the final reflection on the worksheet by drawing or dictating one caring action.

Resources

• the Eastern Rosella observation and creation deck
• the Rosella Create and Care planning sheet
• Eastern Rosella photographs or previously recorded class observations
• A4 paper, cardboard and glue
• Coloured pencils, crayons, textas and child-safe scissors
• Pre-cut coloured paper shapes and simple model-making materials
• Tablets or cameras, if available
• Word bank and picture cards: rosella, head, beak, wing, feathers, tail, tree, food, water, nest, shelter
• Optional adult scribing support and headphones for recorded audio

Assessment

• During the observation and modelling, ask students to point to or name an observable rosella feature and a habitat need.
• Confer during creation, checking that each student is including at least three features and two habitat needs; use prompts rather than correcting the representation for them.
• Use the partner share and final reflection to assess whether students can compare an observation or prediction and communicate one caring action.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a partially completed template, pre-cut shapes, model examples, picture-based word banks, enlarged photographs and one-to-one prompting.
• Accept labels through copied words, matching, pointing, drawing, signing or adult scribing. Students may present orally, by pointing or through recorded audio.
• For EAL learners, explicitly gesture and repeat key words, pair images with labels, and provide sentence frames such as “I see a ____” and “Birds need ____.”
• Reduce cutting and writing demands for students with fine-motor or communication needs; provide adapted scissors, thicker drawing tools, a digital drawing option or a peer/adult scribe.

Extension

• Students create a Rosella Care Guide with labelled illustrations and one or more caring actions.
• Invite students to explain how removing trees, reducing food or creating a noisy or unsafe space could affect the bird and its habitat.