Teachers Guide Scientriffic 81 - CSIRO

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ConnECTInG SCIEnTRIffIC To LITERACY In YoUR CLASSRooM Trilobite trivia Scientriffic pages 28–29 1. Give pairs of students a copy of the image of the trilobite below. 2. Write the following points on the board under the heading ‘Trilobite facts’: • They have been extinct for 250 million years. • They lived on Earth for around 270 million years. • Around 20 000 different types of trilobite have been classified by palaeontologists. • Their size and shape varied greatly. 3. Give students 10 minutes to brainstorm and answer the questions below by considering the facts on the board and looking at the image of the trilobite. 6 St | www.csiro.au/scientriffic | Scientriffic Teacher’s Guide | September 2012 WikimediaCommons/Amuseofpc a. Where do you think these creatures lived? Describe features of their environment. b. What types of special adaptation could they have had? c. What might they have eaten? d. Why do you think there are so many different types? e. What colours do you think they might have been? f. Why do you think they became extinct? 4. As a class, discuss the students’ responses to the questions. 5. Ask students to draw their own extinct creature, describing its features, adaptations, the environment it would have lived in and the reason it became extinct. istockphoto.com
All About Albinos Scientriffic pages 12–13 Students will answer some questions to test their comprehension skills and will then have a discussion about the topic of albinism. 1. Ask students to silently read the article ‘Albinism’ on pages 12–13 of Scientriffic. 2. Have students answer the following questions in their workbooks: a. What do albino animals look like? b. What chemical are albino animals missing? c. How does an animal become albino? d. Are there humans with albinism? e. How common is albinism? f. How can you tell if an animal is albino or not? g. What are some of the risks that albinos face? h. What’s the name of the albino humpback whale? i. What kind of test will scientists need to do to determine who the father of the albino humpback whale is? 3. Put students into small groups. Give each one a different question to discuss. After a few minutes, change the question for each group. • Albinism is a genetic condition. What does that mean? • Why do you think albinism is rare? • Have you ever seen an albino animal? What was it? Where did you see it? • Why isn’t a polar bear an albino? Does that mean that polar bears can’t be albinos? • Is there any type of animal that can’t be albino? Why or why not? • You are more likely to find albino echidnas than many other types of Australian animal. Why do you think that is? Cheesy tAles … Scientriffic pages 22–23 Students will create some humorous pieces of writing about cheese. 1. As a class, read the article about cheese on pages 22–23 of Scientriffic. 2. Ask students to brainstorm all the different adjectives they can think of that can be used to describe cheese. For example: stinky, tasty, yummy, yellow, blue, mouldy, holey etc. 3. Put students in pairs and ask them to write a limerick about cheese. Remind them of the rhyming structure of limericks with this example: Scientriffic pages 12–13 Students will learn the basics of drawing family trees to show the inheritance of some traits. 1. Put the information below onto the board and ask students to copy it into their workbooks. Explain that albinism is a trait, as is an ability to roll one’s tongue into a tube. shape text trait FAMily trees Female No trait (can’t roll their tongue) Female Trait (can roll their tongue) Male No trait (can’t roll their tongue) Male Trait (can roll their tongue) 2. Ask students to choose one of the following inherited traits: • Able to roll tongue / unable to roll tongue • Crooked little finger/ straight little finger • Widow’s peak / straight hairline • Attached earlobes / not attached 3. Ask them to work in groups to investigate a person’s family members. Tell them to draw a family tree of the person’s family which shows how that trait is expressed in the parents and siblings. There was an old man from Kerrat Who was short and grumpy and fat. He sang all day long The most terrible songs About his orange and white fluffy cat. 4. Ask students to work with a different partner and write a silly short story about cheese that begins with this sentence: “Martin the mouse stuffed the green mouldy cheese in his ears”; and ends with this sentence: “Susie learnt her lesson and never again dipped her fingers in cheese sauce”. September 2012 | Scientriffic Teacher’s Guide | www.csiro.au/scientriffic | St 7
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Teachers Guide Scientriffic 81 - CSIRO

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