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Early Stage 1 – STEM Activity 11

Home for a frog

A green frog resting on the large green leaves of a water lily in the water.

Description of activity

Students design and build a model of a frog pond that provides for the basic needs of frogs.

The suggested time for this activity is approximately 2 hours for:

  • research
  • designing and building
  • evaluation.

Context

Students have observed shapes in their school grounds and in a satellite image of their local area. They will have used the language of position when describing the position of shapes they identify and when describing the features of frog ponds.

Students will have identified the basic needs of living things. They will have made connections between the features of frog ponds and the needs of frogs.

Students will have used a simple design process to model a design, provided reasoned explanations for their design choices and represented their completed design using a sketch or diagram.

Outcomes

Skills

STe-4WS explores their immediate surroundings by questioning, observing using their senses and communicating to share their observations and ideas
STe-5WT uses a simple design process to produce solutions with identified purposes
MAe-1WM describes mathematical situations using everyday language, actions, materials and informal recordings
GEe-2 communicates geographical information and uses geographical tools

Knowledge and understanding

STe-8NE identifies the basic needs of living things
STe-10ME recognises how familiar products, places and spaces are made to suit their purpose
MAe-15MG manipulates, sorts and describes representations of two-dimensional shapes, including circles, triangles, squares and rectangles, using everyday language
MAe-16MG describes position and gives and follows simple directions using everyday language
GEe-1 identifies places and develops an understanding of the importance of places to people

Resources

  • School sandpit and sandpit spades and diggers. If a sandpit is not available, containers can be placed on grass or a hard surface instead.
  • Square, round and rectangular containers, eg large ice cream containers, tote trays, washing up bowls
  • Water, watering cans, buckets
  • Loose natural materials, eg short/thick sticks, fallen leaves, stones, rocks, grass
  • Small plastic frogs or small laminated images of frogs
  • Small plastic insects or laminated images of spiders and flies
  • Internet access to satellite images, eg Google Earth
  • Images of both natural and human-made frog ponds.

Work, health and safety

Evidence of work for assessment purposes

  • A photograph of the model frog pond that provides the basic needs for frogs or a video of the verbal explanation of the purpose of the elements of the frog pond.
  • A pictorial map of the model frog pond.

STEM teaching and learning activities

  • Walk around the school and identify two-dimensional shapes. Use the language of position, eg the window is in front of me. Discuss how shape relates to purpose, eg Why are doors usually rectangular?
  • Observe a satellite image of the school and local area and zoom in to identify circles, squares and rectangles on the map, eg square roofs, rectangular swimming pools, circular water tanks and playground markings. Explain that the satellite image provides a bird’s-eye view of the neighbourhood and school.
  • In map view, zoom out and identify the bodies of water. What are they? Describe their shapes. What might live in lakes, lagoons and ponds?
  • Observe photographs and videos of Australian human-made and natural frog ponds.
  • If accessible, visit and observe a human-made or natural pond that contains tadpoles, frogs and/or aquatic invertebrates.
  • Students recall the basic needs of living things and relate these to frogs.
  • Discuss and/or annotate images of frog ponds, identifying the common features and how these meet the needs of frogs, eg water to live in, plants to provide shelter, a log or rock as an access ramp, insects for food. Use the language of position, eg ‘The log leans on the outside edge of the pond’.
  • Explain the design task to the students: to create a model frog pond that provides for the basic needs for frogs.
  • Working in groups, students plan and sketch their design.
  • Working in groups, students select a container for their model pond.
  • Students collect loose natural items from the school grounds to construct features to provide for the needs of frogs.
  • In the school sandpit, students trace around their container then remove it and identify the shape traced in the sand.
  • Students dig a hole within the traced shape, using the container to test depth as they dig. Students insert their container into the hole.
  • Students add their collected items to the pond, constructing and arranging them so their purpose meets the needs of frogs.
  • Students add water and the plastic or laminated frogs and bugs.
  • Take photographs or use stop motion to record the plastic frogs using different features of the pond.
  • Using ‘think, pair, share’ strategies, students provide verbal explanations recounting how their model pond provides for the needs of frogs. They identify specific features and their uses to answer the question: What makes this a special place for frogs? Students use the language of position in explaining the pond features. The explanation can be recorded on video for assessment purposes.
  • Before dismantling the pond, students draw a bird’s-eye view pictorial map of their model pond. Alternatively, the map can be drawn from a photograph of their pond.
  • Discuss how the places frogs live can be cared for by people.

Vocabulary list

Features – tangible elements of a shape, place or environment, or organism
Living thing – living things can be distinguished from non-living things due to their ability to carry on life processes such as respiration, growth and reproduction, their responsiveness to environmental stimuli and to make nutrients a part of their body. Their basic needs are food, water and air. Most animals also need shelter.
Pictorial map a map that uses illustrations to represent information
Pond – a small body of water
Position – location in relation to other items: between, next to, behind, inside, outside
Satellite image – an image of the Earth collected by a satellite
Shape – a two-dimensional figure: circle, square, rectangle, triangle
Size – overall dimensions of an object or shape

Key inquiry questions

What shapes are around us?
Students observe shapes through exploration of their immediate environment and examination of satellite imagery. Encourage the use of specific language: shape, circle, triangle, square, rectangle, side, straight line, curved line, open line, closed shape.

How is the location of places represented?
Students observe maps and satellite images and are introduced to the term ‘bird’s-eye view’. Provide examples of pictorial maps. Encourage students to sketch maps of their surroundings.

How is the position of objects and places described?
Model the language of position when exploring shapes in the environment and satellite images. Encourage students to use the language of position, such as between, next to, behind, inside, outside, left and right, when identifying shapes in the environment and when describing the position of features of frog ponds.

What are the basic needs of frogs and other living things?
Students apply their knowledge of the basic needs of living things to the basic needs of frogs. They use images, videos and simple informative texts to identify the needs of frogs.

How can a place be designed to meet the needs of frogs?
Students identify the common features of human-made frog ponds. Encourage students to make connections between pond features and the needs of frogs.

Additional information

The following statements outline some common preconceived ideas that many students hold, which are scientifically inaccurate and may impede student understanding.

Shape and object
The word ‘object’ relates to three-dimensional figures and the word ‘shape’ relates to two-dimensional figures.

Living and non-living
Young students often have different perceptions of what is living and what is non-living, with movement often a defining factor. For instance, spiders’ and caterpillars’ eggs are often considered as non-living as they are static, and the wind and clouds as living as they move.
In Early Stage 1 the term ‘living thing’ is not defined. The focus is on the basic needs of plants and animals familiar to them, including humans. The characteristics of living things are investigated in Stage 1.

Humans as animals
When considering the needs of animals, young students may not consider that humans are animals. In order to make connections between the needs of humans for staying alive and healthy and the needs of animals, students need to understand that humans are animals and in the same major grouping as their cats and dogs at home.

Support materials

Diversity of learners

For additional support

  • Guide students through the design process.
  • Provide a visual checklist of the needs of frogs and the features of frog ponds.

For extension

  • Students use a stop-motion animation app to create an animation of a plastic frog moving around and using the features of their pond. They could add narration and frog calls.
  • Students research and report on a local frog species and their specific habitat needs.
  • The class design and construct a permanent frog pond in the school grounds, providing habitat for local frogs.

Review

In this STEM activity students have identified simple shapes in their environment and have considered their purpose in the environment. They have used the language of position when observing shapes in their surroundings. The use of explicit language is important to help students develop clear understanding of more complex mathematical concepts in their future studies.

Students have been introduced to the use of maps to represent location and the perspective of a bird’s-eye view. They have drawn a pictorial map to represent their model pond. Students have had the opportunity to enhance the development of their spatial understanding and representation.

Students have applied their understandings of the basic needs of frogs to the design and construction of a model pond that meets their needs.

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