B Barber
Science Coordinator

Partner Primary & Secondary Schools
John Paul, Nazareth, Padua, St John's Reg. Colleges & Partner Primary

Science
Middle Years Science Program - MiniBeasts Show

Middle Years Science Program

 
"MiniBeasts Show"
Return to Science Shows
Program: St Jude's 2004.

Presentation:

Equipment:

  1. Microscopes (x2) with pond water and slides.
  2. Microviewers (x15) with set of microorganism cells.
  3. Flash cards of "minibeasts" around ponds and lakes.
  4. Skeleton structure of animals
  5. Hand magnifying glasses (x20?)
  6. Digestive system of human
  7. Human skeleton.
  8. A4 paper worksheet for illustrating slides

Handout: Blank paper

Notes:

Topics:

  • Animal structure: Types of skeleton, senses, nutrition, behaviour for survival, body structures
  • What do you find in ponds?
  • Types of cells
  • Human skeleton and digestive system.
Demonstrations:
Experiment
Method
Equipment
Concepts
Animal structure

A look at the various parts of animals that help them survive.

5 skeletons for display.

 Discussion of skin type, 5 senses, reproduction, absorption of nutrients, animal behaviour for survival, unique body structures.
Climate & survival

A look at different types of living things around wetlands and water ways..

flash cards/picture of camel, polar bear, fish, lion, algae, bugs, insects etc.

 What do you find around lakes and ponds?
Microviewers

Set up microviewers and students can look and draw what they see.

microviewers and slides of cells, bacteria and microorganisms etc.

 What do they look like? What functions do they carry out?
Pond Water

Look at sample pond water and microorganisms

Microscopes and special slides for pond water.

 What do they look like?
Hand magnifying glasses

Look outside for minibeasts in the area outside. Find examples of types of minibeasts.

hand lenses.

 What sorts of minibeasts are in our neighbourhood?
Human skeleton and digestive system

Look at the structure of the human digestive system and skeleton

Human skeleton & digestive system

 How does it work? What might be inside bugs and minibeasts?

 

Minibeasts

Basic structure of an minibeasts: Minibeasts come in many shapes and sizes. All carrying different features. All creatures of some form or another take in inputs and return outputs to their environment.

Requirements for Life: All living things require a number of things for survival. They must all be able to ...

  • Reproduce
  • Growth
  • Movement
  • Remove waste products
  • Respiration [Getting energy from food or sunlight etc]
  • Irritability [Respond to their environment]
  • Nutrition