Teacher’s Page

Draw places where water is being used around the school. Place: Name: Place: Name: Place: Name:

Write a sentence about how water is used in your school.

Design a voki which tells about where water is used. Click on the picture to go to

Teacher’s page Declarative KnowledgeProcedural Knowledge Know that water is used for different purposes at school such as drinking, cleaning and toilets. Predict what water looks, sounds and feels like in different situations. Observe and collect data in different scenarios where water is used in a school context Analyse data and draw conclusions on why water is needed within the school context Foundation Year Science Understandings Biological ScienceContent descriptorElaborations Living things have basic needs, including food and water (ACSSU002)(ACSSU002) identifying the needs of humans such as warmth, food and water, using students’ own experiences Click here to view suggestions for classroom use.

Suggestions for Classroom Use This task card enables students to consider how they use water through the use of a POE scaffold and the inclusion of a school context to enable students to view hands on uses of water. It is recommended students work in groups to encourage collaborative learning and discussion about the uses of water. The task card is designed to be both printable so each student may use the templates to complete the tasks and viewed online, so the teacher may explain each of the tasks to the students. Text has been included to develop student knowledge of text types and to remind teachers and aides of the tasks; however, picture cues have been incorporated to ensure comprehension of the task and facilitate the student’s ability to complete the task independently. The task card can be enlarged to form a class science journal. Students will need a basic prior knowledge of water and needs of humans. This card could be used to scaffold students during the explore phase of the 5 e’s to encourage students to explore their world. The first card (predict) is a Y-chart where students consider what water looks, sounds and feels like designed to stimulate prior knowledge and focus their thinking. (Some students may prefer to predict water uses in this section.) The second card (observe) is designed to allow students to draw images of places where water is used throughout the school. The teacher can photograph different places to be incorporated in the class journal. As a further investigation, students can consider how other living things use water, such as animals and plants. A teacher and aide should accompany students to ensure they remain safe. Students select one image and write a sentence answering the question “How is water used in our school? Depending on the level of the students, the student may have to dictate the sentence to the teacher. Further Investigation Students use voki to create a speaking avatar which communicates their scientific knowledge on how water is used in their school. With teacher and aide support, students would type their sentence into their avatar and adjust its characteristics to ensure it conveyed the intended message. Teacher scaffolding would be necessary to ensure students are able to use the technology appropriately. The vokis could then be collated on a wiki page or website, to develop the student’s ability to communicate to an audience.