Design a Wildlife Solution

Overview

This is lesson 7 of 8 in the Collie River Animal Guardians unit. Students apply their understanding of local animals, habitats, water sources and human impacts to design a practical solution for a problem affecting wildlife around the Collie River. They work collaboratively to communicate their idea through a labelled design and brief explanation.

Learning intentions

• WALT design a practical solution that supports Collie River animals.
• WALT identify how a local environmental problem affects an animal or its habitat.
• WALT use scientific vocabulary to explain how a solution may help.
• WALT collaborate to plan and communicate a design for a real audience.

Success criteria

• I can identify a local problem affecting an animal, habitat or waterway.
• I can design a solution that meets an animal’s needs.
• I can label important features and explain how my idea may help.
• I can contribute positively to my group’s planning and presentation.

Curriculum links

• Science: creating informative texts to communicate findings and ideas using scientific vocabulary and digital tools where appropriate.
• HASS: explaining the importance of environments, natural vegetation and water sources to people and animals in Australia.
• HASS: exploring sustainable use and management of resources and custodial responsibility for Country/Place.
• English and Design and Technologies: planning and delivering a structured presentation, and sequencing steps to make a designed solution.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and purpose. Teacher opens with the wildlife problem hook showing a striking before-and-after image of a riverbank and asks, “What could people change so animals can live safely here?” Students think-pair-share, then identify one possible problem such as rubbish, habitat loss, unsafe crossings or limited shelter.

2. 7–15 min · Connect to learning. Teacher revisits prior unit learning using the animal needs and solution examples and models the thinking process: identify the problem, name the animal’s need, design a response, and explain the benefit. Students help match examples—wildlife shelter, habitat planting, rubbish reduction, signage, safe crossing and waterway education—to animal needs such as food, water, shelter and safety.

3. 15–20 min · Introduce the design brief. Teacher displays the design brief and success criteria and explains that groups of four will design a solution for a Collie River animal or habitat. Students form five mixed-ability groups, choose or receive a focus, and allocate roles: facilitator, sketcher or builder, recorder, and presenter. Each group identifies its animal, local problem and intended audience, such as families, visitors or the school community.

4. 20–40 min · Collaborative design. Teacher distributes the wildlife-friendly solution design template and conferences with groups, prompting: “What does the animal need?” “How will your design work?” and “How will you know it helped?” Students complete a labelled diagram, model, flowchart or digital design. They include the problem, animal, design features, materials or actions, and a short explanation using terms such as habitat, shelter, food source, waterway, pollution, native vegetation, protect and sustainable.

5. 40–50 min · Improve and rehearse. Teacher asks groups to use the peer feedback checklist and rehearse a one-minute presentation. Students exchange feedback with another group: one strength, one question and one suggestion. Groups revise labels or explanations and practise speaking clearly with suitable volume, pace and eye contact.

6. 50–57 min · Present and respond. Teacher displays the presentation prompts and invites each group to present its design. Students explain the problem, show how the solution meets an animal’s needs, and describe its likely benefit. Listening students record or share one idea that could help the Collie River.

7. 57–60 min · Reflect and preview. Teacher uses the reflection prompts poster to guide a quick class reflection and previews lesson 8, when designs will be refined or shared with a wider audience. Students complete an oral or written exit response: “Our solution helps because…” and “One improvement we would make is…”

Resources

• the complete wildlife design and presentation deck
• the wildlife-friendly solution design template
• Local photographs or teacher-selected images of the Collie River environment
• A3 paper, pencils, coloured pencils and markers
• Recycled cardboard, paper tubes, paddle pop sticks, paper and tape
• Tablets or computers with a simple drawing or presentation tool
• Word bank and animal/habitat picture cards
• Timer and group role cards
• Optional speech-to-text tool and headphones

Assessment

• During group planning, listen for students identifying a specific local problem and linking it to an animal need. Confer using the prompts in the design template.
• Assess each design for a clear problem, an achievable solution, labelled features, scientific vocabulary and an explanation of how it may help.
• Use the presentation and exit response as evidence of students’ ability to communicate findings and ideas for an identified audience.

Differentiation

• Support groups with a completed model, design template, visual planning board, animal and habitat images, sentence starters such as “The problem is…” and “Our solution helps by…”, and a reduced choice of solutions.
• Allow students to communicate through a labelled diagram, construction, digital drawing, oral explanation or a combination rather than requiring extended paragraphs.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly options: clear sans-serif print, large readable text, short instructions, extra processing time, oral planning conferences, visual vocabulary and speech-to-text.
• Assign collaborative roles matched to strengths, explicitly model turn-taking, and provide adult check-ins for students who need support with organisation, writing, communication or fine-motor tasks.

Extension

• Ask advanced learners to include a materials list, estimated costs, possible challenges and a way to measure whether the solution succeeds.
• Challenge students to compare two possible designs and justify which is more sustainable, practical and effective for the animal and local community.
• Invite groups to consider custodial care for Country/Place and explain how their solution protects the environment over time.