Survive and Thrive

Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Science
Year Level: Year 5
Strand: Biological Sciences
Content Descriptor:
ACSSU043 – Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment.

Science Inquiry Skills:

• ACSIS231 – Pose and refine questions that can be investigated scientifically, and make predictions based on scientific knowledge.
• ACSIS086 – Communicate ideas, explanations and processes using scientific representations.

Learning Intentions

We are learning to:

• Identify the structural features and adaptations of animals.
• Understand how these adaptations provide survival advantages in specific habitats.
• Apply our understanding to explain how animals thrive in challenging Australian environments.

Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
✅ Describe three different animal adaptations.
✅ Explain how specific adaptations help animals survive in Australian habitats.
✅ Create their own “adapted” animal designed to live in a unique Australian environment.

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Duration

Total lesson time: 50 minutes
Class size: 26 students

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Resources Required

• A3 Paper
• Coloured pencils/markers
• Scissors, glue
• Interactive whiteboard or projector
• Printed photos of Australian animals (e.g., thorny devil, kangaroo, cassowary, platypus, sugar glider, bilby)
• Laminated habitat cards (e.g., desert, rainforest, alpine, wetlands, bushland)
• “Creature Creation” worksheet
• Timer

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Engage (10 minutes)

Hook: Quick Animal Mystery Quiz
Projected on the screen: three close-up photos of animal parts (a spiny back, webbed feet, a long tongue).
Ask: "What could these be, and why might an animal have them?"

• Think-Pair-Share: Students guess with a partner.
• Discuss as a class and reveal they are from a thorny devil, platypus, and green tree frog.
• Use this to introduce the term adaptation: a feature that helps an animal survive in its environment.

Introduce Vocabulary:

• Adaptation
• Habitat
• Predator / Prey
• Behavioural vs Structural adaptation

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2. Explore (10 minutes)

Animal Adaptation Stations
Divide the class into 5 groups of 5–6 students (1 or 2 groups can be slightly larger).

Each station contains:

• Picture card of one Australian animal
• Brief info sheet about its habitat and adaptation
• 2–3 tactile items (e.g., feathers, sponge for echidna’s burrowing, sand for desert animals)
• 1 question to answer as a group (e.g., “Why might this animal have this feature?”)

Example Stations:

1. Thorny Devil – Desert, camouflage, water collection via skin.
2. Sugar Glider – Forests, gliding membrane to escape predators and find food.
3. Platypus – Wetlands, webbed feet and electroreception.
4. Cassowary – Rainforest, strong legs and helmet (casque).
5. Bilby – Arid regions, large ears for cooling, burrowing behaviour.

Students record answers and rotate every 2 minutes.

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3. Explain (10 minutes)

Mini-Lesson: Why Adaptations Matter
Use visual slides to compare:

• Thorny devil vs frill-necked lizard
• Bilby vs European rabbit
  Discuss which has the better survival advantages in the Australian outback and why.

Key Question:
"What happens when an animal doesn’t have the right adaptations for its environment?"

Introduce the idea of natural selection in simple terms: animals with helpful adaptations are more likely to survive and reproduce.

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4. Elaborate (15 minutes)

Activity: “Create-a-Creature” Challenge

Students work individually or in pairs.

• Draw a brand-new animal that could survive in a randomly chosen Australian habitat.
• Use the “Creature Creation” worksheet to help guide structure (name, habitat, 3 adaptations, predator/prey role).
• Encourage creativity, but adaptations must make sense (e.g., flippers in the desert? Think again!).

Habitat Cards handed out: Each pair draws one at random.

Possible habitats:

• Snowy Mountains (alpine)
• Central Desert
• Rainforest in Queensland
• Freshwater swamp
• Coastal cliffs

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5. Evaluate (5 minutes)

Gallery Walk and Peer Feedback
Post student creations around the room. Students walk around and do a “silent gallery” view with sticky notes, writing compliments or questions.

Quick debrief at the end:

• “What was your favourite adaptation someone included today?”
• “Were there any creatures that seemed especially well-suited to their environment?”

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Assessment

Formative Assessment Opportunities:

• Responses during group rotatation and class discussion
• Completeness and creativity of “Creature Creation” worksheet and design
• Participation in gallery walk and feedback

Look for students' ability to:

• Identify adaptations and understand the link to survival
• Apply knowledge in new contexts (creating a fictional animal)
• Communicate ideas using scientific language

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Extension / Early Finisher Ideas

• Create a food chain including their animal.
• Write a short comic strip showing their animal in action.
• Use modelling clay to create a mini sculpture of the creature.

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Differentiation Strategies

Support:

• Word bank on desks
• Sentence starters for written components
• Paired or small group support

Extension:

• Research real animals with similar features
• Explain why their animal might face extinction if its habitat changes

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Reflection (Post-Lesson)

Teacher Notes:

• Were students able to clearly link form to function in their animals?
• Did students engage actively in station rotations?
• Who may need further support with inference or synthesis in future lessons?

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Teacher Bonus Tip 💡

Use student creations as a class display for the science room under the heading:
“Born to Survive: Australian Animal Adaptations” – add QR codes to short student audio explanations using a platform like Seesaw (optional).

This showcases student voice and makes an excellent parent engagement piece for science week!