People and River Habitats

Overview

In Lesson 5 of the eight-part Collie River Animal Guardians unit, students investigate how human actions can affect animals and habitats in and around the Collie River. They analyse varied scenarios, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and suggest ways people can care for river environments.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify positive and negative ways people affect river animals and their habitats.
• WALT explain how a human action may affect an animal.
• WALT support ideas with a relevant example.
• WALT communicate findings using environmental and scientific vocabulary.

Success criteria

• I can identify a positive and negative human impact.
• I can explain a possible effect on an animal.
• I can support my ideas with an example.
• I can suggest one action that could help protect the Collie River.

Curriculum links

• HASS: the importance of environments, natural vegetation and water sources to people and animals in Australia.
• HASS: sustainable use and management of resources and custodial responsibility for Country/Place.
• Science: creating texts to communicate findings and ideas using scientific vocabulary and digital tools where appropriate.
• English: planning and delivering structured oral or multimodal presentations using appropriate vocabulary, tone and volume.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and prior learning. Teacher displays a before-and-after image of a healthy riverbank and a littered riverbank using the opening comparison slide, then asks, “What might happen to an animal if its habitat changes?” Students use think-pair-share and recall what animals need from the Collie River environment.

2. 7–17 min · Explicit teaching. Teacher explains that people can have positive or negative impacts on habitats, modelling a cause-and-effect chain: “Rubbish enters the water → water becomes unsafe → a frog may become sick.” Use the impact teaching slides to introduce the six scenarios: rubbish, pollution, changed water flow, introduced species, recreation and habitat restoration. Students help classify each action as mostly harmful, helpful or dependent on how it is managed.

3. 17–32 min · Scenario investigation. Teacher places students in five groups of four and gives each group two illustrated, short-text scenarios from the river habitat scenario worksheet. Students read, listen to or role-play each scenario, then record the action, whether it is positive or negative, the affected animal or habitat, and a likely consequence. Scenarios should include examples such as litter harming a turtle, polluted water affecting fish, a barrier changing water flow, an introduced predator reducing native animals, people damaging nesting areas during recreation, and revegetation providing shelter.

4. 32–43 min · Cause-and-effect discussion. Teacher pauses groups to compare reasoning and models precise vocabulary such as habitat, water quality, vegetation, shelter, pollution, introduced species, native animal and restoration. Students complete the cause-and-effect template on the river habitat scenario worksheet and use the sentence frame, “When people ___, it may cause ___ because ___.”

5. 43–54 min · Share and propose action. Teacher invites each group to present one scenario and one possible solution, using the group-share and solutions slides as visual prompts. Students deliver a brief report to the class, explaining the impact with an example and suggesting a protective action, such as using bins, keeping chemicals away from drains, staying on tracks, controlling introduced species or planting native vegetation.

6. 54–60 min · Plenary and assessment. Teacher revisits the WALT on the final reflection slide and asks students to complete the final response on the exit response section: “One negative human impact is ___. It may affect ___ by ___. One helpful action is ___.” Students share selected responses and hand in their worksheets.

Resources

• the People and River Habitats slide deck
• the river habitat scenario worksheet
• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Six illustrated scenario cards or teacher-read scenario texts
• Collie River animal and habitat photographs
• Group pencils, coloured pencils and highlighters
• Optional headphones or audio recordings of scenario texts

Assessment

• Listen to group discussions and check whether students distinguish human actions from their effects.
• Review worksheet cause-and-effect chains for an identified impact, an affected animal or habitat, and a supporting example.
• Use the exit response to assess individual understanding and identify students requiring further support before the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Present scenarios through pictures, role-play and short oral texts; read all text aloud and offer audio scenario cards or headphones.
• Provide one idea per line, an accessible sans-serif font, generous spacing, highlighted key words and the sentence frame “When people…, it may cause… because…”.
• Allow students to respond orally, draw labelled cause-and-effect diagrams, scribe responses or use speech-to-text.
• Use mixed-ability discussion groups, assign roles such as reader, actor, recorder and reporter, and provide a word bank with visuals for EAL/D and students requiring language support.
• Extend capable students by investigating a local conservation action and evaluating how effective it may be, considering benefits, limitations and who would need to participate.