Background

All living things have adaptations to help them survive in an environment. The Ecolinc wetland and grassland features an array of native plants and animals that have a range of adaptations to survive seasonal changes, human impact and predation. 

Key Learning Question

What adaptations do animals and plants have that help them to survive in their environments?

Learning Intentions

In this program students will:

• Define the term adaptation
• Recognise some structural and behavioural adaptations of Australian animals and plants 

Activities

• Be given 2 macroinvertebrates to view and draw, look at them under the microscope, draw and label their features, and predict their  survival value.
• View a taxidermy bird and carry out a series of activities investigating the structure of different feathers.
• View a live snake or turtle and discuss their structural and behavioural adaptations.  Students will also undertake a temperature experiment and graph the results.
• Undertake a series of activities looking at plant adaptations followed by a Kahoot

• Maximum number of students for this program is 50 per day.

Victorian Curriculum

Science – Biological sciences

• Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (VCSSU074)
• The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (VCSSU075)

Learning Continuum

The following Learning Continuum is a guide for teachers to show the links between the programs. Ecolinc offers onsite, online and through outreach. The Learning Continuum can be used to access Ecolinc resources to support the development of units of work.

Ecolinc Learn Online is an online learning management system offering interactive online courses for students and teachers. These courses can be undertaken either as a pre-visit, post-visit or stand-alone. Students are encouraged to do the pre-learning course before coming to Ecolinc for an onsite program.