Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

45 minutes	Part B: Decomposers And Pollinators
60 minutes	Part C: Using iNaturalist
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Differentiation:

If students have completed the previous lesson in this unit:

Review the purpose and process of conducting a bush blitz. You could use the following suggested points to guide students:
- Purpose: To understand what organisms live in an area. By understanding what lives there, we can decide on what actions to take to protect these organisms and the habitats they live in.
- Process: Identify microhabitats, select and install traps to catch and observe organisms, identify and describe organisms.

If students have not completed the previous lesson in this unit:

Explain to students about why community groups blitz habitat to search for critters that live there. The clip (from 01:47 mins to the end) on the following page from National Geographic will help to explain the purpose of a bio blitz.
National Geographic - do-it-yourself bio blitz: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/do-it-yourself-bioblitz
Note: The terms 'bush blitz' and a 'bio blitz' mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably. In this lesson, the term bush blitz will be prioritised unless referencing an external source where the term 'bio blitz' is used.
Show students the Bush Blitz Slides of images of creatures found and only give them information on their habitat (at this stage). Ask students to come up with some questions they have about these creatures.

Step 2.

Reintroduce the word 'continuum' to those who have completed Lesson 2. If not, introduce the term to students. Direct students to a line on the floor or wall of you room. Place the Agree/Disagree Signs at either end of the line. Tell students that they will view a range of species (either from the Bush Blitz Slides or from your own school bush blitz if you completed) and for each species they must respond to the following statement: This is an important species in our environment. Students must then show their thoughts about each species by choosing a place on the continuum line to show where they stand in terms of agreeing or disagreeing with the statement.

Make sure students understand it doesn’t matter where they stand, and it’s just to get an understanding that there are different viewpoints, and each of these are okay. Students should know, however, that it’s important to reflect on why they chose to stand where they did.

Present each species to students. Students should then move to the space appropriate to their opinion on the continuum. Students can then discuss with a nearby classmate about their choice of spot. Invite answers from the class.

Step 3.

Once complete, break the class into small groups and give each group a piece of A1 sized paper (scrap paper is fine). Invite each group to brainstorm (write or draw) why the species discussed so far are important to their respective habitats.

Differentiation:

If students have completed other lessons in this unit, remind them to refer to the first lesson where they made notes and came up with questions about the animals.
If students have not completed other lessons in this unit, invite students to think broadly about various habitats in the schoolyard (leaf litter, trees, tall grass, vegetable garden, etc.) to scaffold their thinking. Share information with the rest of the class. This could be included as pre-assessment knowledge.

Suggested questions for students who might need some inspiration include:

Is each species good for the habitat?
What are the good things these animals do?
Are some of the species bad for the habitat?
What are the bad things these animals do?

Part B: Decomposers And Pollinators

Step 1.

Introduce students to the term, 'decomposition'. Invite students to suggest what they think this term means (suggested answer: decomposition means to break down). Ask students what an organism that is a decomposer might be.

Watch the following clip about decomposers.

Step 2.

Having watched the clip, work with the students to come up with the cycle of decomposition. Use the information on the Pollination and Decomposition Factsheet to guide you.

Step 3.

Now introduce students to the term, 'pollination'. Invite students to suggest what they think this term means. Use the following information to clarify student understanding:

Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from the male part of a flower (the anther) to the female part of a flower (the stamen). For many flower species, this happens when an insect, such as a bee, enters the flower to drink the sugary nectar at the base of the flower. When this happens, pollen from the anther sticks to the insect’s body. As the insect goes from flower to flower, the pollen brushes off on the stamen, which will eventually fertilise the eggs inside the flower. Without pollination, we could not get any chocolate, strawberries or other foods. Pollinators are important because plants can’t move to find a partner and so pollinators fulfil this role.

Note: The following infographic may also be useful in demonstrating this process: What is pollination? - the Eden Project (https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/what-is-pollination-a-diagram-for-kids)

You could then work with students to come up with some steps to help you describe pollination. The information on this factsheet can be used to help you: Pollination and Decomposition Factsheet.

Start a word bank for terminology: decomposers, decomposition, pollen, nectar, etc.

Step 4.

Divide the class into two groups and assign one group as pollination and the other as decomposition. On each side, invite students to break into smaller groups (about five students each) to act out the sequences of decomposition or pollination, making sure they have all parts of the process. Invite students to use props, drawings, or narration to help tell the story, and to draw on the steps for each process created by the class.

The story could be from the species (centipedes for decomposition, or bees for pollination) perspective, of their day-to-day life, or it could be from an observational perspective.

Each small group then needs to present their role-play to the other students in their larger group (i.e smaller pollination groups should share what they did with all the other students working on pollination, and smaller decomposition groups should share their role play with other students working on decomposition).

Students can then give feedback to other groups, remembering to be kind, helpful and specific when providing feedback. For example, they could focus on:

What worked, for example: "I liked how you were a dung beetle and grabbed the dung".
What didn't work, for example: "I was unsure how the dung became part of the ground again - maybe next time you could explain this a bit more".

Step 5.

Conclude this process by drawing the class back together again and explaining to students that cultures around the world pass stories of the interactions of animals and their habitats through songs, dances and stories. These songs and stories are a tool to remind the next generation of how they are useful. Ask the students if they know of any (song or dance) examples in their local culture that showcase stories about the species world.

Extend: Invite students to recreate the pollination or decomposition cycle through song and dance. Invite discussions on how you could move parts of your body to imitate the pollinator or the decomposer, as well as discussions on imitations of a flower or leave that is taken. Take into consideration different heights of body movement, as well as writing a piece of poetry/song that will showcase this scientific inquiry.

Part C: Introducing iNaturalist

Step 1.

Place students into mixed groupings of four students per group. Divide the animals found (from either the school bush blitz or the Bush Blitz Slides) into the groups, so that each group has a selection of different species.

Step 2.

Invite students to classify each animal found in the blitz as being a pollinator or decomposer. Invite students to share their ideas with the rest of the class as to whether or not the animals might be a pollinator or decomposer.

Step 3.

As a class, brainstorm ways we can find out if our information is right or wrong. If students have done this lesson, invite them to think back to the ways they identified their found animals.

Otherwise, introduce students to the iNaturalist App, explaining that this is an app that logs hundreds of thousands of photos and sound recordings of fungi, flora and fauna in a specified habitat. It also helps with identification so that the community can help to identify it. Alternatively, use books or internet search engines to check facts.

Extend: Where possible, invite students to select one animal species from their own bush blitz or from one of the Bush Blitz Slides, and to undertake research to find out what plants or animals this species interacts with in terms of pollination or decomposition. Students could create an A4 sized poster to communicate their research.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to think about the pollination and decomposition cycles and to respond to the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

I used to think...
But now I think...

Differentiated Learning

Extension -

Discuss the role of bacteria (microbes) in decomposition.
Discuss the food chain. What would happen if we did not have these pollinators or decomposers in our ecosystem? How would this influence us directly? The following clips can help when introducing the concept of food chains and food webs.
- Food Chains Compilation: Crash Course Kids - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZhE2p46vJk
- Food Webs: Crash Course Kids - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtb3I8Vzlfg

Provisions for Learning Support –

As a class, students can start to build a terminology wall for key terms using images and words to represent them.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Backyard Bush Blitz - Pollinators and Decomposers

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