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indigenous
plants
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Unit
overview: Children
use an investigative approach based on an Indigenous Taxonomy (ways of
thinking) to develop their understandings of the relationships between
indigenous plants and the local indigenous community. |
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Author(s): Sophie Mountzouris and Mary Ttikirou |
Band: Primary Years Strand: Life Systems |
Duration:
6 weeks |
Financial assistance for the development of this resource was provided by The National Quality Teacher Program |
| Context:
Alberton
Primary is situated in Queenstown north west of Adelaide. It is an area
characterised by low income and disadvantage families. There is also a high
component of Indigenous students [almost a third of the school] and Non English Speaking students attending
Alberton Primary School. Many of the students have difficulties with the
standardised curriculum on offer in our school. Students who have the greatest difficulty
with the scientific concepts presented to them are our Aboriginal students.
This we believe is largely due to the different worldviews our students
come to school with. Consequently, the dominant and Indigenous funds of
knowledge are presented in inequitable ways or omitted from school curriculums
altogether due to little understanding of the issues at hand. This produces
outcomes which do not reflect the achievements of other groups in society.
We have tried to bring these two domains a little closer in the following
units of work and the Indigenous organisations we have used throughout the
lesson sequences. Most importantly at Alberton Primary School we have attempted
to make the knowledge and skills brought from home an integral part of our
science curriculum while at the same time steering all our students towards
standard curriculum understandings. Hence, this unit of work attempts to
highlight the need for inclusive practices in the approaches to teaching
primary science. The South Australian Curriculum standards and Accountability
Framework promotes this in their statement.Science is a rational way of
understanding the physical world that enables all people to be questioning,
reflective and critical thinkers.It also points out that (SACSA Framework p. 201) |
| Key Idea: Students pose questions and seek explanations about internal and external features of living things in order to better understand the supports of life in particular environment. |
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Elements
of the SACSA Framework
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Essential
Learnings
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Key
Competencies
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Outcome
(SACSA Standards)
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Interdependence Thinking Communication |
1: Collecting, analysing, organising information 2: Communicating ideas and information 6: Solving problems |
Students
have used Indigenous scientific taxonomies to explore Indigenous plants
used by local Indigenous groups. Students have examined the relationship between indigenous plants and the environment.
Students
have constructed questions that seek to explain their ideas about indigenous
plants. |
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©
South Australian Science Teachers Association Inc. 2002
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