Early Stage 1 Australian NSW Science Unit 1 Living Things Can Survive Teaching Bundle

STE-SCI-01: identifies and describes characteristics of living things, properties of materials, and movement

STE-PQU-01: poses questions based on observations to collect data

Australian Curriculum V9 Outcomes:

COMING SOON

Unit Description:

In this unit, students explore how living things use their senses, body parts, and behaviours to survive in their environment. Students will learn to identify the five senses and their associated sense organs, describe their functions, and investigate how tools can enhance our ability to observe the world around us. Through hands-on investigations and guided observations, students examine how living things - including humans, animals, and plants - meet their basic needs for air, water, and energy.

Students investigate the structures and functions of plant parts such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit, and discover how plants produce their own food. They explore how animals differ from plants in obtaining food, and examine the external features, coverings, and eating habits of different animals. Students group animals based on shared characteristics and provide reasons for their classifications.

The unit also incorporates Indigenous perspectives by exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples observe and use specific characteristics of plants and animals for survival, tools, food, and medicine. Students develop an understanding of how deep cultural knowledge of living things supports sustainable practices and connection to Country.

• NSW Science Syllabus (2024-25) and Australian Curriculum V9 outcomes (COMING SOON) in 2 separate units of work.
• Fully planned lessons structured around the I Do, We Do, You Do explicit teaching model.
• Clear Learning Intentions and Success Criteria for every lesson.
• Whole-class explicit teaching supported by partner and independent evidence-based practice.
• Hands-on activities and science experiments that promote deep critical thinking.
• STEM and inquiry-based opportunities such as craft, posters, and model-making.
• Joint construction activities that guide students in building knowledge collaboratively.
• Reflection and consolidation tasks to reinforce learning.
• Built-in extension and fast-finisher opportunities for differentiation.

Assessment Opportunities

• Ongoing formative and observational assessment embedded in lessons.
• Pre- and Post-Assessment tasks with a detailed marking rubric to identify if students are working above, at, or below stage expectations.
• Complete answer keys to support easy and consistent marking.

Engaging Digital and Print Resources

• Teaching slides that directly complement the written unit.
• Interactive elements including embedded online games, digital tasks, videos, and high-quality images.
• Student worksheets for independent tasks with answer keys.
• A Science Journal for students to record reflections, develop subject-specific vocabulary, and track their learning journey.

Reporting Support

A set of report comment banks tailored to this unit with 6 comments per grade (A–E):

A = Outstanding

B = High

C = Sound

D = Basic

E = Limited

File Type:

This teaching bundle consists of both pdf and PowerPoint files.

The teaching slides have been made in PowerPoint but are Google Slide compatible.

To use in Google slides you will need to:

• Upload the PPT file to your Google drive first.
• Open in Google slide
• Click file - Save as Google slide.

Please note that some formatting, font issues may occur when using in Google slides as they were designed in PowerPoint.

Why Teachers Love It

• Aligned directly to the NSW curriculum and the Australian Curriculum V9.
• Combines explicit instruction with hands-on, inquiry-based learning.
• Includes everything from planning documents to slides, assessments, student resources, and reporting support.
• Designed to save you hours and hours of preparation, so you can focus on teaching and engaging your students.