Australian Curriculum Year 5 Science Sample assessment | Teacher guidelines

Adaptations
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.

Assessment description Category

Students research structural and behavioural Written
adaptations and explain how they enable
animals to survive in particular environments. Technique
They predict the impact of global warming on the Research
survival and future adaptations of animals living
in either Antarctica or the Sahara Desert.
Context for assessment Alignment
Human beings are unique in that they engineer Australian Curriculum v5.0,
environments to suit the ongoing survival of the Year 5 Science Australian Curriculum content
species. Other organisms are forced to adapt. and achievement standard ACARA — Australian
This assessment explores different kinds of Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
adaptations, how these adaptations assist www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
organisms to survive in their environment, and
the interactions occurring within environments. Year 5 Science standard elaborations
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_sci_yr5
Teachers could use Section 1 as a scaffolded _se.doc
teaching and learning experience and an
opportunity to provide students with informal Connections
feedback before they engage in research to
This assessment can be used with the QSA
complete Sections 2 and 3 more independently.
Australian Curriculum resource titled
Year 5 plan — Australian Curriculum: Science
exemplar available at:
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_scienc
e_yr5_plan.doc
Definitions
Adaptation: structural features and behaviours
that help plants and animals to survive in the
environment that they live in.
Environment: the surroundings, both living and
non-living, that an animal or plant lives in.
Organism: an individual animal, plant (or
single-celled life form).
In this assessment Assessment materials
• Teacher guidelines Not applicable for this assessment
• Student booklet
• Task-specific standards — continua
• Task-specific standards — matrix
• Assessment resource — Current scientific
conceptions and student’s prior
understandings
Teacher guidelines
Identify curriculum
Content descriptions to be taught
Science understanding Science as a human Science inquiry skills
endeavour
Biological sciences Nature and development of Communicating
• Living things have structural science • Communicate ideas,
features and adaptations • Science involves testing explanations and processes
that help them to survive in predictions by gathering in a variety of ways,
their environment data and using evidence to including multi-modal texts
ACSSU043 develop explanations of ACSIS093
events and phenomena
ACSHE081
General capabilities (GCs) and cross-curriculum priorities (CCPs)
This assessment may provide opportunities to engage with the following GCs and CCPs. Refer also
to the Resources tab on the P–10 Science Curriculum and Assessment page:
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/yr5-science-resources.html

Literacy
ICT capability

Critical and creative thinking

Achievement standard
This assessment provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the following highlighted
aspects.
By the end of Year 5, students classify substances according to their observable properties and
behaviours. They explain everyday phenomena associated with the transfer of light.
They describe the key features of our solar system. They analyse how the form of living things
enables them to function in their environments. Students discuss how scientific developments have
affected people’s lives and how science knowledge develops from many people’s contributions.

Students follow instructions to pose questions for investigation, predict what might happen when
variables are changed, and plan investigation methods. They use equipment in ways that are safe
and improve the accuracy of their observations. Students construct tables and graphs to organise
data and identify patterns. They use patterns in their data to suggest explanations and refer to data
when they report findings. They describe ways to improve the fairness of their methods and
communicate their ideas, methods and findings using a range of text types.
Source: ACARA, The Australian Curriculum v5.0, www.australiancurriculum.edu.au

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
Sequence learning
Suggested learning experiences
This assessment leads on from the learning experiences outlined in the QSA’s Year 5 Science Year
level plan. The knowledge, understanding and skills in the Year level plan will prepare students to
engage in this assessment:
• See Year 5 plan — Australian Curriculum: Science exemplar
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_science_yr5_plan.doc
Adjustments for needs of learners
To make adjustments, teachers refer to learning area content aligned to the student’s chronological
age, personalise learning by emphasising alternate levels of content, general capabilities or cross-
curriculum priorities related to the chronological age learning area content. The emphasis placed on
each area is informed by the student’s current level of learning and their strengths, goals and
interests. Advice on the process of curriculum adjustment for all students and in particular for those
with disability, gifted and talented or for whom English is an additional language or dialect are
addressed in Australian Curriculum — Student Diversity materials.
For information to support students with diverse learning needs, see:
• Queensland Studies Authority materials for supporting students with diverse learning needs
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/10188.html
• Australian Curriculum Student Diversity
www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/StudentDiversity/Overview
• The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians
www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html
• The Disability Standards for Education www.ag.gov.au.
Resources
Online
• BBC, Nature: Wildlife, ‘Animal and plant adaptations and behaviours’
www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations
Organisations
• Queensland Museum learning resources
www.qm.qld.gov.au/Learning+Resources/Resources
Animal ethics
• Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/science/animal-ethics.html
All schools must consider the 3 Rs of animal welfare:
• replacement of animals with other methods (alternatives)
• reduction in numbers of animals used
• refinement of techniques used, in order to reduce adverse impacts on animals.
These principles must be applied to all activities and should drive decision making in the
classroom and within the school.

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
Develop assessment
Preparing for the assessment
Learning experiences in preparation for the assessment could include:
Revising key concepts
• Revise from Year 3 that living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features (and
can be distinguished from non-living things).
• Revise from Year 4 that living things (including plants and animals) depend on each other and
the environment to survive.
Exploring adaptions
• Create a glossary or word wall of scientific language related to adaptations
• Use stimulus material such as photos or video footage to identify and classify adaptations as
structural or behavioural.
• Use animal and plant specimens to:
– identify structural adaptations
– describe structural adaptation
– explain why the adaptation is necessary in order for the animal or plant to survive in its
environment.
• Identify the adaptations of plants and animals in the students’ local area and explain how they
assist in the survival of the organisms.
• Make predictions about how global warming might affect the survival and future adaptations of
the living things in the local area.
• Appreciate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of adaptations.
Developing research skills
• Record details of sources of information used when researching.
• Develop research and summarising skills.
• Practice organising information in logical ways.
• Develop explanations and draw conclusions and use evidence to support claims.

Implementing
Section 1. Researching animal adaptations
Student role Teacher role
• Read the instructions for Section 1 in the • Revise the definitions of structural
Student booklet. adaptations, behavioural adaptations and
• Select one of the animals to research — environment with students.
echidna, platypus or camel. • Remind students of the importance of
• Conduct research into the environment of the collecting source details and completing the
animal and its structural and behavioural associated table as they are researching.
adaptations. • Provide opportunities for students to access
• As you research keep a record of the details online and print resources to research animal
of the sources of information you use. adaptations.
• Complete the table in Section 1 of the • Support students with their research and
Student booklet: Researching animal nominate a checkpoint stage where students
adaptations. discuss the progress towards the
assessment.

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
 Section 2. Researching adaptations of animals that live in extreme environments
Student role Teacher role
• Read the instructions for Section 2 in the • Remind students of the importance of
Student booklet. collecting source details and completing the
• Select one of the extreme environments to associated table as they are researching.
research – Antarctica, Sahara Desert. • Provide opportunities for students to access
• Conduct research into the adaptations of the online and print resources to research animal
animals that live in the chosen environment. adaptations.
• As you research keep a record of the details • Support students with their research and
of the sources of information you use. nominate a checkpoint stage where students
discuss the progress towards the
• Complete the table in Section 2 of the
assessment.
Student booklet: Researching adaptations of
animals that live in extreme environments.
Section 3. Analysing adaptations
Student role Teacher role
• Read the instructions for Section 3 in the • When the research phase is complete,
Student booklet. discuss strategies with students for
• Complete the questions in Section 3 of the identifying patterns and similarities in
Student booklet: Analysing adaptations. information.
• Read the questions in Section 3 to students
and encourage them to consider the ‘bigger
picture’ when developing their response.

Make judgments
When making judgments about the evidence in student responses to this assessment, teachers
are advised to use the task-specific standards provided. The development of these task-specific
standards has been informed by the Queensland Year 5 standard elaborations. See
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_sci_yr5_se.doc.

The Queensland standard elaborations for Science

The Queensland Year 5 standard elaborations for Science is a resource to assist teachers to
make consistent and comparable evidence-based A to E (or equivalent) judgments. It should be
used in conjunction with the Australian Curriculum achievement standard and content
descriptions for the relevant year level.
The Queensland Science standard elaborations provide a basis for judging how well students
have demonstrated what they know, understand and can do using the Australian Curriculum
achievement standard.
The Australian Curriculum achievement standards dimensions of Understanding and Skills are
used to organise the Queensland Science standard elaborations. Understanding and Skills in
Science are organised as Understanding dimension and Skills dimension.
The valued features of Science drawn from the achievement standard and the content
descriptions for Understanding dimension and Skills dimension are organised as:
• Science understanding
• Science as a human endeavour
• Questioning and predicting
• Planning and conducting
• Processing and analysing data and information

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
• Evaluating
• Communicating.

Task-specific standards
Task-specific standards give teachers:
• a tool for directly matching the evidence of learning in the student response to the standards
• a focal point for discussing student responses
• a tool to help provide feedback to students.
Task-specific standards are not a checklist; rather they are a guide that:
• highlights the valued features that are being targeted in the assessment and the qualities that
will inform the overall judgment
• specifies particular targeted aspects of the curriculum content and achievement standard
• aligns the valued feature, task-specific descriptor and assessment
• allows teachers to make consistent and comparable on-balance judgments about student work
by matching the qualities of student responses with the descriptors
• clarifies the curriculum expectations for learning at each of the five grades (A–E or the early
years equivalent)
• shows the connections between what students are expected to know and do, and how their
responses will be judged and the qualities that will inform the overall judgment
• supports evidence-based discussions to help students gain a better understanding of how they
can critique their own responses and achievements, and identify the qualities needed to
improve
• encourages and provides the basis for conversations among teachers, students and
parents/carers about the quality of student work and curriculum expectations and related
standards.

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
Task-specific valued features
Task-specific valued features are the discrete aspects of the valued features of Science targeted
in a particular assessment and incorporated into the task-specific standards for that assessment.
They are selected from the Queensland Science standard elaborations valued features drawn
from the Australian Curriculum achievement standard and content descriptions.

Task-specific valued features for this assessment

The following identifies the valued features for this assessment and makes explicit the understandings
and skills that students will have the opportunity to demonstrate. This ensures that the alignment
between what is taught, what is assessed and what is reported is clear.

Australian Queensland standard elaborations Task-specific valued features

Curriculum valued features
achievement
standard
dimensions

Science understanding Analysis of how the form of living things

enables them to function in their
Understanding

environments
dimension

Sections 1, 2

Science understanding Analysis of adaptations that are common

to animals living in the same extreme
environment; prediction of the impact of
global warming on future adaptations
Section 3

Communicating Communication of ideas, information and

explanations
dimension
Skills

Sections 1, 2 and 3

The task-specific standards for this assessment are provided in two models using the same
task-specific valued features:
• a matrix
• a continua.

Matrix and continua

Task-specific standards can be prepared as a matrix or continua. Both the continua and the
matrix:
• use the Queensland standard elaborations to develop task-specific descriptors to convey
expected qualities in student work — A to E or equivalent
• highlight the same valued features from the Queensland standard elaborations that are being
targeted in the assessment and the qualities that will inform the overall judgment
• incorporate the same task-specific valued features, i.e. make explicit the particular
understanding or skills students have the opportunity to demonstrate for each selected valued
feature
• provide a tool for directly matching the evidence of learning in the student response to the
standards to make an on-balance judgment about student achievement

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
• assist teachers to make consistent and comparable evidence-based A to E or equivalent
judgments.
Continua
The continua model of task-specific standards uses the dimensions of the Australian Curriculum
achievement standard to organise task-specific valued features and standards as a number of
reference points represented progressively along an A–E continuum. The task-specific valued
features at each point are described holistically. The task-specific descriptors of the standard use
the relevant degrees of quality described in the Queensland standard elaborations.
Teachers determine a position along each continuum that best matches the evidence in the
students’ responses to make an on-balance judgment about student achievement on the task.
The continua model is a tool for making an overall on-balance judgment about the assessment
and for providing feedback on task specific valued features.
Matrix
The matrix model of task-specific standards uses the structure of the Queensland standard
elaborations to organise the task-specific valued features and standards A to E. The task-specific
descriptors of the standard described in the matrix model use the same degrees of quality
described in the Queensland standard elaborations.
Teachers make a judgment about the task-specific descriptor in the A to E (or equivalent) cell of
the matrix that best matches the evidence in the students’ responses in order to make an
on-balance judgment about how well the pattern of evidence meets the standard.
The matrix is a tool for making both overall on-balance judgments and analytic judgments about
the assessment. Achievement in each valued feature of the Queensland standard elaboration
targeted in the assessment can be recorded and feedback can be provided on the task-specific
valued features.

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
Use feedback
Feedback to Evaluate the information gathered from the assessment to inform teaching and
students learning strategies. Focus feedback on the student’s personal progress and the
next steps in the learning journey.
The task-specific standards for this assessment can be used as a basis for
providing feedback to students.
Offer feedback that:
• maximises students’ opportunities to succeed in the assessment by providing
feedback on:
– conducting effective, focused research
– developing explanations (rather than descriptions)
– identifying patters and similarities across information collected during
research
– making evidence-based predictions
• involves students in the process by providing opportunities to ask follow-up
questions
• focuses on each student’s personal progress relative to previous
achievements
• identifies the characteristics of a high-quality response that aligns with the
descriptors in the task-specific standards.

Resources For guidance on providing feedback, see the professional development packages
titled:
• About feedback
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/as_feedback_about.doc
• Seeking and providing feedback
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/as_feedback_provide.doc

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Teacher guidelines
Year 5 Science
 Australian Curriculum Year 5 Science Sample assessment | Student booklet

Adaptations
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.

Image:Camouflage, guilherme jofili, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, www.flickr.com/photos/gjofili/6490129117

Research structural and behavioural adaptations that assist animals to survive in their
environment and use this information to develop explanations and predictions.
You will:
• research the environment and structural and behavioural adaptations of an Australian animal to
explain how these adaptations help the animal to survive in its environment.
• research structural and/or behavioural adaptations of animals that live in an extreme environment
and identify structural features and/or behaviours that are common across the animals.
• predict how global warming might affect the survival and future adaptations of animals.
Section 1. Researching animal adaptations

Adaptations are features and behaviours that help plants and animals to survive in the environment
that they live in.
A living thing’s adaptations are most effective in its own environment. If its environment changes,
these adaptations may no longer be effective and the living thing may have difficulty meeting its
needs.
Structural adaptations are the physical features that help organisms to survive.
Behavioural adaptations are the things organisms do in order to survive.
An environment is the surroundings, both living and non-living, that an animal or plant lives in.

What you need to do

• Select one of the following animals.
• Research the environment the animal lives in and its structural and behavioural adaptations.
• Record the information in the table on the next page and explain how these adaptations help
the animal to survive in its environment.

Echidna Platypus Camel

Image: echidna, Frankzed, Creative Commons Image: Feeding Platypus, Brisbane City Image: It’s Camel, Tarek Siala, Creative
Attribution 2.0, www.flickr.com/photos/ Council, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, Commons Attribution 2.0,
frankzed/6387790241 www.flickr.com/photos/brisbanecitycouncil/681 www.flickr.com/photos/tarksiala/10591251906
1147158

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
My research

The animal I have chosen is:

The type of environment it lives in is:

The structural adaptations of this animal include:

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

Explain how these physical features help the animal to survive in its environment:
.........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

The behavioural adaptations of this animal include:

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

Explain how these behaviours help the animal to survive in its environment:

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

Whenever you conduct research it is important to acknowledge where you got your
information from. Complete the details below for each source of information that you
used to complete the table above.
Source 1:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .....................................................................................

Site name and URL: .............................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: ...................................................................................................................................
Date accessed or published: .......................Page no/s:
Source 2:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .....................................................................................

Site name and URL: .............................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: ...................................................................................................................................
Date accessed or published: .......................Page no/s:
Source 3:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .....................................................................................

Site name and URL: .............................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: ...................................................................................................................................
Date accessed or published: .......................Page no/s:
Source 4:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .....................................................................................

Site name and URL: .............................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: ...................................................................................................................................
Date accessed or published: .......................Page no/s:

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
Section 2. Researching adaptations of animals that live
in extreme environments
• Select one of the following environments.
• Identify three animals that live in your chosen environment.
• Research up to three structural and/or behavioural adaptations of each animal and explain
how these physical features and behaviours help the animal to survive in its environment.
• Record the information in the table below.

Antarctica The Sahara Desert, Africa

Image: Antarctica Sailing Trip, 23am.com, Creative Commons Image: Sahara Desert, wonker, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0,
Attribution 2.0, www.flickr.com/photos/23am/3254471852 www.flickr.com/photos/wonker/4301197324

My research

The environment I have chosen is:

The features of this environment are:

Animal Structural or behavioural Explain how does this structural

adaptations feature or behaviour help the animal
to survive in this environment?

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
Whenever you conduct research it is important to acknowledge where you got your
information from. Complete the details below for each source of information that you
used to complete the table above.

Source 1:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .........................................................................................

Site name and URL: .................................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: .......................................................................................................................................

Date accessed or published: ...................... Page no/s:

Source 2:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .........................................................................................

Site name and URL: .................................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: .......................................................................................................................................

Date accessed or published: ...................... Page no/s:

Source 3:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .........................................................................................

Site name and URL: .................................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: .......................................................................................................................................

Date accessed or published: ...................... Page no/s:

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
Source 4:

Internet site  Book  Magazine  Other: .........................................................................................

Site name and URL: .................................................................................................................................................

Author, title and publisher: .......................................................................................................................................

Date accessed or published: ...................... Page no/s:

Section 3. Analysing adaptations

Look at the list of structural and behavioural adaptations of the animals that live in your chosen
extreme environment. Analyse them to identify any commonalities.

1. What structural features and/or behaviours are common across the animals?
...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................
2. Give a justified prediction of how global warming might affect the survival and future
adaptations of the animals in your chosen environment.
...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Student booklet
Year 5 Science
Australian Curriculum Year 5 Science Sample assessment | Task-specific standards — continua

Adaptations Name .................................................

© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.

Purpose of assessment: Research structural and behavioural adaptations that assist animals to survive in their environment and use this information to
develop explanations and predictions.
Understanding and skills
Science understanding Science inquiry skills
Sections 1 and 2 Section 3 Sections 1, 2 and 3
Analysis of how the form of living things enables them to Analysis of adaptations that are common to animals living Communication of ideas, information and explanations
function in their environments in the same extreme environment; prediction of the impact
of global warming on future adaptations

Comprehensive explanation of how Identification of adaptations common to Clear and coherent communication of
structural and behavioural adaptations animals and justified prediction of how ideas, information and explanations
assist animals to survive in their global warming might affect survival and
A
environment future adaptations

Description of structural and behavioural Identification of adaptations common to Communication of ideas, information and
adaptations of animals from different animals and prediction of how global explanations
environments warming might affect survival and future
adaptations C

Statement of isolated facts about Identification of adaptations common to Fragmented communication of ideas,
adaptations animals information and explanations
E

Australian Curriculum
Adaptations Task-specific standards — continua
Year 5 Science
Australian Curriculum Year 5 Science Sample assessment | Task-specific standards — matrix

Adaptations Name .................................................

© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.

Purpose of assessment: Research structural and behavioural adaptations that assist animals to survive in their environment and use this information to develop
explanations and predictions.

A B C D E
Sections 1 and 2 Comprehensive Explanation of how Description of structural Identification of Statement of isolated
Analysis of how the form explanation of how structural and and behavioural structural and facts about adaptations
of living things enables structural and behavioural adaptations of animals behavioural
Understanding dimension

them to function in their behavioural adaptations assist from different adaptations of animals
Science understanding

environments adaptations assist animals to survive in environments from different

animals to survive in their environment environments
their environment

Section 3 Identification of Identification of Identification of Identification of Identification of

Analysis of adaptations adaptations common to adaptations common to adaptations common to adaptations common to adaptations common to
that are common to animals and justified animals and informed animals and prediction animals and prediction animals
animals living in the same prediction of how prediction of how of how global warming of how global warming
extreme environment; global warming might global warming might might affect survival might affect survival
prediction of the impact of affect survival and affect survival and and future adaptations
global warming on future future adaptations future adaptations
adaptations
Sections 1, 2 and 3 Clear and coherent Clear communication of Communication of Narrow communication Fragmented
Skills dimension

Communicating

Communication of ideas, communication of ideas, information and ideas, information and of ideas, information communication of
information and ideas, information and explanations explanations and explanations ideas, information and
explanations explanations explanations

Australian Curriculum Adaptations

Task-specific standards — matrix
Year 5 Science
 Australian Curriculum Year 5 Science Sample assessment | Assessment resource

Adaptations
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.

Current scientific conceptions and students’

prior understandings
Current scientific conceptions
All living things have a common set of characteristics: they grow, move, reproduce, respire,
excrete, require nutrition, and are sensitive and responsive to their environments. The display of
any one of these characteristics, by itself, does not provide sufficient evidence of life; rather, it is a
combination of most or all of these characteristics that indicates something is alive.
Students can be given repeated opportunities to refine and extend their understanding of what it
means for an organism to be ‘alive’.
There is a strong relationship between the observable features and behaviour of living things,
their environments and their ability to obtain their needs. Particular living things have similar or
different features and behaviours depending on similarities and differences in their environments
and needs. For example, many animals in aquatic environments have fins, which help them to
move in water, whereas many terrestrial animals have limbs, which enable them to move on land.
The features and behaviour of an animal or plant that enable it to survive in the environment in
which it lives are referred to as ‘adaptations’. A living thing’s adaptations are most effective in its
own environment. If its environment changes, these adaptations may no longer be effective and
the living thing may have difficulty meeting its needs.

Students’ prior understandings

Students’ prior understandings may differ from current scientific conceptions in a range of ways.
Some students may have difficulties seeing the features of living things in terms of adaptation.
They may think that the:
• features of a living thing are the result of its wishes or wants
• features of a living thing occur for a particular purpose.
It is likely that students will have had some prior experience in making links between the features
of living things and the needs of those things — for example, they may relate the shape of a bird’s
beak to the food it eats, or the type of limb an animal has to the way it moves. Teachers can help
students build on this prior experience and knowledge to develop a broader understanding of the
relationship between living things’ features, needs and environments.

Resource
Sourcebook modules provide teachers with a range of learning and teaching ideas. Teachers are
encouraged to modify modules to meet the specific needs and interests of particular groups of
students and individual students, their own needs and the learning environment.
QSA, Science (1999) sourcebook module > Life and living > Observable features and survival,
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/992.html.