Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Lessons of connection from the koala

20 minutes

Find Out: Koalas as biodiversity umbrellas

25 minutes

Take Action: Biodiversity bonanza - Exploring life in our schoolyard

5 minutes

What action will you take?

Tune In: Lessons of connection from the Koala

Step 1

Everything is connected! The web of life is more complex and intertwined than you can even imagine. So let’s think about why protecting koalas (and even small bugs like cockroaches!) is important. To demonstrate this, let’s watch the following video.

We All Need Trees: Bangalow landholder creates a koala habitat haven | WWF-Australia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2bGjQ0UKw

The take-home message is: Biodiversity matters! We know habitat destruction is a key reason for declining koala numbers. Without their forest homes and all the other plants and animals that live there, what other species might be impacted? Greater gliders, swift parrots, regent honeyeaters share the same habitat with koalas. And, like the koala, these species are also listed as endangered. See a pattern? On the flip side, what would happen if we did more to protect koalas and the habitats they lived in?

Find Out: Koalas as biodiversity umbrellas

Step 1

Ask students:

“Who thinks koalas are pretty cute?”

“Would you be sad if they became extinct?”

“What about cockroaches, do you think they’re cute and want to protect them too?” NO!?

They’re just as important to the web of life in the bush as koalas, they all have their roles and jobs. But not many people want to help protect cockroaches, do they?!

That’s where koalas come in. They are what we call an “umbrella species”. Imagine an umbrella on a rainy day. Just like it protects you from getting wet, an umbrella species is like a big protector for lots of other animals and plants. When we take care of this special species, we're also taking care of many other living things that share its home. So, it's like helping one friend, but also helping all their friends too. So by protecting koalas and their habitats, many other animals benefit too.

Step 2

So let’s work through this worksheet. Ask students to think about which species at their school could be the umbrella species. Then, draw or write what other species they would be protecting at their school if this animal (or plant, etc) was protected.

Ask them to write down the steps they might take to help this happen (e.g. improve their habitat by…) planting more trees, creating more gardens, putting in composting systems to improve the soil, putting in nesting boxes, and educating the students at school through presentations, newsletters, signs, etc.

Take Action: Biodiversity bonanza: exploring life in our schoolyard

Step 1

I wonder what biodiversity we really do have in our school grounds? Let’s find out!

Hand out the Biodiversity worksheets. Give students explicit instructions: the area they are to survey, how long they have until they meet back in the classroom, keep noise down, and safety priorities.

Working in small groups or pairs, students move about the school in the area(s) designated by the teacher and take note of the species and abundance of that species they find there. Be sure to include:

birds
plants
insects
reptiles
mammals.

If students are unsure of anything they see, make note of it and draw it the best you can and look it up when back in the classroom using the internet or any field guides if they are available.

Step 2

Once back in the classroom (if time allows, look up unknown species) and have a class discussion about the findings from the survey. Talk about the limitations of the survey (time constraints, not having knowledge of the species, etc.)

Numeracy Extension: Students could create a bar graph with their biodiversity survey.

Reflection: What action will you take?

We now have a deeper understanding of the importance of biodiversity and why we should do everything we can to preserve it.

Ask students if they have any ideas about what we can do in our schoolyard to increase biodiversity. You might want to revisit the Umbrella worksheet to add some of the species you found in your biodiversity survey and also any of the ideas you have to protect it.

Spend a few minutes with students reading through the 10 easy ways we can all help wildlife right now.

You could also:

Wear It Wild! This is WWF-Australia’s NEW annual Earth Hour fundraising event, held each year to help schools celebrate, support and learn about the environment. Students and teachers across Australia are encouraged to Wear it Wild by wearing wildlife-inspired fancy dress to school in exchange for a gold coin donation to raise funds to protect Australia’s precious landscapes and unique wildlife, like koalas. You could become a koala – get informed and help raise awareness of this Aussie icon.

Koalas: Biodiversity Guardians

Go to

Summary

Lesson guides and printables

In this lesson