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Explore the type of acts often considered right and those often considered wrong and the reasons why they are considered so (VCECD002)

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Participate in guided investigations, including making observations using the senses, to explore and answer questions (VCSIS051)

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Living things have a variety of external features

(VCSSU042)

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Living things live in different places where their basic needs, including food, water and shelter, are met (VCSSU042)

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Sustainable futures result from actions designed to preserve and/or restore the quality and uniqueness of environments

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Data Representation and Interpretation: Choose simple questions and gather responses (VCMSP101)

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Data Representation and Interpretation: Choose simple questions and gather responses (VCMSP101)

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Represent data with objects and drawings where one object or drawing represents one data value. Describe the displays (VCMSP102)

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Link to maths collecting and representing data.

Place minibeast pictures around the room (or also include the incapsulated real insects), students go around and find them and tally the amount of legs.

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Minibeast texts assigned on epic for independent reading to "examinate further details about living creatures of interest"

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Minibeast hunt around the school. Comparing minibeasts found in different environments - sand, dirt, water puddle, bushes

*Magnifying glasses

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Sorting minibeast based on features - legs, body segments, exoskeletons, shells, wings

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Link to sustainability - Create a protect the minibeasts poster stating a reason why we should protect them.

Recycle dead matter and waste

Produce honey/wax/silk

Pollinate flowers

Source of food for the ecosystem

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Learning about the contributions minibeasts make in the ecosystem.

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Sort group and classify minibeasts based on their identified features and behaviours

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Linking to science - animal life cycles

'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'

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Knowledge of what is a minibeast and can distinguish things that are/are not.

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Schoolyard safari addresses the AC Science Understandings ACSSU017 Living things have a variety of external features, and ACSSU211 Living things live in different places where their needs are met, in the context of exploring and investigating habitats found in the schoolyard.
Schoolyard safari provides students with hands-on opportunities to:

observing the features and behaviour of small animals such as earthworms, snails and ants

develop a better understanding of how adaptations help animals survive in their habitats

identify similarities and differences between small animals

Students apply their new learning by:

planning and conducting an investigation to collect data that will encourage students to make links between the types of habitats and the features of the animals that are found there, and how that contributes to meeting animals' needs.
Linking science with literacy
In the Primary Connections approach, students are supported to create representations that draw on and strengthen their literacy development. In Schoolyard safari, students represent and explain their understanding about how living things have a variety of external features and live in different places where their needs are met, by creating these representations:

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Schoolyard safari addresses the AC Science Understandings ACSSU017 Living things have a variety of external features, and ACSSU211 Living things live in different places where their needs are met, in the context of exploring and investigating habitats found in the schoolyard.

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Take photos in the school yard of minibeasts in our environment. Sort these into groups. Compare the groups at the end of the unit (how did students sort/classify them at the beginning vs end of unit)

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Food Chains - What do they eat?

Examples-

Spiders eat flies

Caterpillars eat plants

Ladybirds eat aphids

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Minibeast Incursion

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Teacher expert groups: students sign up to interest

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Comparing minibeast life cycles to another life cycle (Frogs to Butterflies). Venn Diagram to represent differences and similarities.

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Importance of minibeasts to our world: bees / butterflies pollinate plants that produce fruits and vegetables, worms work the soil

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Human impact on minibeasts and their environments (empathy)

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The day the crayons quit style letter to humans about how and why they should be left alone

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Minibeast Book list to tune in.

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Can you BEE-lieve how many minibeast books there are?

To help make your search for minibeast books easier, the Twinkl Book List has gathered a huge collection of them, all in one place! Read about these bugs going on adventures far and wide or learn about how these creatures live - whatever kind of minibeast book you're looking for, you're sure to find it in this list. Do you know of any minibeast books that aren't on this list? Feel free to suggest them using the 'Suggest a Book' button below and let other educators and parents like yourself know about them! You never know - you might just help a child find their new favourite book. For more book suggestions, check out KS1 Twinkl Originals books, under the sea books, or rainforest books.

Minibeast Books Your Readers Will Love

Planning a lesson on minibeasts? Or do you have a child obsessed with minibeasts at home? Whatever you need minibeast books for, you can find ones that your readers will love here. To help you get started, we've picked some out for you:

Bug's Big Trip by Twinkl Originals - Bug needs a bath, but it's a very long way to the pool. Hitching a lift with a range of animals living in the African savanna along the way, can Bug make it in time for a relaxing bath? This book is perfect for minibeast lovers and for introducing positional language.

Cody the Caterpillar by Twinkl Originals - Cody loves being a caterpillar, but all her friends keep telling her how nice it will be when she finally turns into a butterfly. She's nervous about the change, so will she be brave enough to do it? This story is great for teaching butterfly lifecycles and how to deal with change.

The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman and Jack Tickle - This greedy bee won't share his nectar with anyone. While the other busy bees are out working hard, this bee spends all day guzzling pollen and nectar for himself. Teach children about sharing and the importance of hard work with this story.

What makes an animal a 'minibeast'?

Minibeasts are invertebrates, which means they don't have backbones. This definition encompasses a range of different creatures, including insects, spiders, beetles, centipedes, worms, snails and lots more. In the UK alone, there are 25,000 different species of minibeasts! Of this 25,000, 20,000 of them are types of insects. Some of these creatures have 'exoskeletons' rather than an internal backbone, while others, like snails, have a shell.

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Minibeast Books | Twinkl Book List - Twinkl

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Check out our interactive series of lesson plans, worksheets, PowerPoints and assessment tools today! All teacher-made, aligned with the Australian Curriculum.

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Build own Mini beast habitat - Insect hotel,   plant bug friendly flowers,   bee water station etc

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Build own Mini beast habitat - Insect hotel,   plant bug friendly flowers,   bee water station etc

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Indigenous habitats and local habitats, who lives here? What is their impact? What is affecting their habitat?

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Reverse Art Truck for supplies.

Students make a minibeast and write info report

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Schoolyard safari addresses the AC Science Understandings ACSSU017 Living things have a variety of external features, and ACSSU211 Living things live in different places where their needs are met, in the context of exploring and investigating habitats found in the schoolyard.
Schoolyard safari provides students with hands-on opportunities to:

observing the features and behaviour of small animals such as earthworms, snails and ants

develop a better understanding of how adaptations help animals survive in their habitats

identify similarities and differences between small animals

Students apply their new learning by:

planning and conducting an investigation to collect data that will encourage students to make links between the types of habitats and the features of the animals that are found there, and how that contributes to meeting animals' needs.
Linking science with literacy
In the Primary Connections approach, students are supported to create representations that draw on and strengthen their literacy development. In Schoolyard safari, students represent and explain their understanding about how living things have a variety of external features and live in different places where their needs are met, by creating these representations:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schoolyard safari addresses the AC Science Understandings ACSSU017 Living things have a variety of external features, and ACSSU211 Living things live in different places where their needs are met, in the context of exploring and investigating habitats found in the schoolyard.

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What are the different types of minibeasts

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Minibeast classification seesaw activities 

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Minibeast classification seesaw activities 

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Where do they live? Why don't they live in houses? What is in their environment that helps them survive?

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Worm farm, stick insects, spider, etc

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Search in homes and school yard for mini beast habitats.

What type of habitats are our school missing? Why?

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Human impact and sustainability

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Glass resin minibeasts to count and classify - tally and math displays

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create a display to share comparisons of minibeasts

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share one way you will help save the mini beasts

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Incursion

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Classify and share details on your mini beast

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Students expressing how they feel about certain minibeasts before learning.

Then after learning about minibeast students reflect on how they feel about minibeasts.