Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Paw-sitively the right temperature

20 minutes

Find Out: Thermo detectives

25 minutes

Take Action: Keeping cool

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

examine how trees and native plants reduce heat and support wildlife
plan a garden using culturally significant or native species.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain the environmental and cultural benefits of planting native vegetation
contribute to designing or planting a native garden.

Tune In: Paw-sitively the right temperature

Step 1

Open the interactive digital worksheet. Explain to the students that they will collaborate as a class and identify 3 statements that match each of the displayed animals. Drag and drop each statement underneath the applicable animal. Allow for debate and collaborative conversation throughout this process.

Once completed, ask the students to try and identify the concept that underlies each of the statements.

Step 2

Introduce students to the term 'thermoregulate'. Explain to them that thermoregulation is how animals keep their body temperature just right - not too hot and not too cold! Animals have different ways to stay warm when it's cold, or cool down when it's hot.

Ask students to brainstorm and share any other ways they know that animals and people can stay cool/warm.

For example:

Cool

dogs pant
people sweat
elephants flap their ears
kangaroos lick their arms
birds open their wings or find shade
people drink water and rest in the shade

Warm

penguins huddle together
polar bears have thick fur and fat (blubber)
lizards bask in the sun
people wear warm clothes
birds fluff up their feathers
kangaroos and possums shelter in warm places

Find Out: Thermo detectives

Preparation

You will need to prepare the following materials for this activity:

infrared or digital thermometers (1 per group)
clipboards
data investigation sheet (1 per group)
map of school grounds (for planning testing sites)
pens/pencils

Step 1

Explain to the students that they are going to be acting as thermo detectives by researching which parts of the school are the coolest and why.

Ask the students to predict and hypothesise:

Where do you think it will be hottest/coolest in our school grounds?
What makes you think so (for example, sunlight, shadows, concrete, trees)?

Step 2

Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with the data investigation activity sheet.

Assign each group to an area to test. For example:

shaded surface
unshaded surfaces
natural ground cover (grass, mulch, beneath trees)
man-made surfaces (concrete, asphalt)
the ground under trees and plants in garden beds
areas with no vegetation

Direct students to visit their assigned spot to measure the surface temperature with thermometers and record if the spot is sunny or shaded, and what type of surface it is. To ensure fair testing, make sure all groups measure surfaces within the same lesson window, as sunlight and temperatures can shift quickly.

Step 3

Gather students as a class and facilitate a discussion to help students compare findings using the following prompts:

Which surfaces were hottest? Coolest?
What patterns do you see?
How do trees, grass, and shade affect temperature compared to bare or man-made ground?

Share the presentation Visual Explainer with students, briefly explaining that trees are natural air conditioners.

Outline to students how native plants play an important role in supporting wildlife and caring for the environment. They provide shade and help cool the area through transpiration, which is the release of water vapour. Native animals rely on these plants for both food and shelter. Because native plants are adapted to local conditions, they usually need less water and care to survive. Many native plants are significant for their ecological roles and for First Nations cultures (for example, bush tucker, medicine, totems, and ceremonies).

Scientists have discovered that people are more physically healthy and have better mental well-being when there are trees around them. Seeing trees helps things like your blood pressure. People from suburbs with more trees make less trips to the hospital than those in areas without many trees. In order to help keep the community healthy, some scientists have recommended a 3-30-300 rule:

People should be able to see at least 3 trees from their classroom or house.
The neighbourhood should have at least 30% tree canopy cover.
People should be able to walk to a green space like a park in 300 metres.

Step 4

In groups, ask students to research or brainstorm a local native or culturally significant plant that helps cool spaces and supports wildlife. The following website lets students search for native and culturally significant plants by region or postcode, including occurrence records, ecological roles, and traditional uses where available. Alternatively, provide info sheets/books/devices for quick research of native plants in your area.

Step 5

Ask each group to share 1 cool fact or story about their plant, focusing on how it cools/protects the local habitat and supports living things. Encourage students to explore and include First Nations perspectives in their feedback.

Learning opportunity: Students can apply the 3-30-300 rule by counting how many trees they can see from their classroom and home windows, using Google Maps or aerial photos to estimate local tree canopy cover, and measuring the distance from their house to the nearest park.

Take Action: Keeping cool

Step 1

Direct students to use the data from the Find Out section of this lesson to identify an area of the school needing cooling. Go on a class walk to this area and plan a small ‘cool corridor’ or culturally significant garden area for the students to ‘plant out’, selecting appropriate local species from their earlier research.

Step 2

Preparation

For this task, it is important for you to organise the school permissions, plants, tools and mulch to create the ‘cool corridor’.

Students work together to clear, prepare, and plant their cool corridor, signing it with information on the research behind their decisions for other year levels to learn from.

Reflection

Step 1

Facilitate a class discussion with students, helping them to identify:

How did the planting make you feel?
What change have your efforts created?
What extra changes will it create as the plants grow?
How will you work together to maintain it?

Trees That Cool, Plants That Protect

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Trees That Cool, Plants That Protect

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables