Upper Primary Years 4-7 SOSE and Science

Unit 3: Wet Tropics Rainforest Survival

Issues about the rainforest divide the community. Investigate a topical issue, ranging from feral pigs to tourism development.

The inquiry approach is built around the need to:
• prepare for the investigation or the fieldwork
• broaden student experiences and understandings during the investigation or field trip
• consolidate and extend them following the study or visit.

Some tips to help the unit run smoothly

• Read through the Unit 3 Flowchart, looking at what students will be able to know and do at the end of the unit. The yellow boxes detail the assessment items.
• The flow of activities in the Unit 3 Bloom’s Gardner’s Matrix outlines the pathway through the unit to the assessable outcomes. This pathway covers a range of multiple intelligences and a range of thinking skills.
• All the resources, templates, assessment and teaching strategies are located in the Resources section.
• When you begin the unit, use the Assessment Guidelines to clearly explain to students what will be valued in their work.
• Use the websites in Resources as a starting point for student research. A general web search using key terms like ‘tropical rainforest’ and ‘wet tropics’ will also provide a lot of linked sites.
• Contact your local Environmental Education Centres to get an understanding of the types of activities and resources they can provide to enhance the unit.