CSIRO National Science Experiment: Wild Watch Australian Curriculum links iNaturalist CSIRO Wild Watch Participation in the project supports CSIRO’s National Research Collections Australia by undertaking citizen science that contributes to the study of flora and fauna locations. Observations added by young people to the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) through iNaturalist increases the data available to researcher and can advance research being conducted across Australia and the globe. CSIRO Wild Watch helps build awareness of the critical role biodiversity plays in the environment and the importance of protecting it. Young people develop a deeper understanding of the natural world and how science contributes to its conservation when they can directly contribute and collaborate. Science Science Understanding Biological sciences Year 5 5AC9S5U01 Examine how particular structural features and behaviours of living things enable their survival in specific habitats Science as a human endeavour Year 5-6 Science Nature & development of science AC9S5H01, AC9S6H01 Examine why advances in science are often the result of collaboration or build on the work of others Year 5-6 Use and influence of science AC9S5H02, AC9S6H02 Investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions Science Understanding Year 7 Biological sciences AC9S7U01 Investigate the role of classification in ordering and organising the diversity of life on Earth and use and develop classification tools including dichotomous key Year 7-8 Science Nature & development of science AC9S7H01, AC9S8H01 Explain how new evidence or different perspectives can lead to changes in scientific knowledge CSIRO Wild Files & supplemental activities CSIRO Wild Files give a short introduction to the organisms, offer some interesting facts about each of the organisms, explain why they’re of interest to CSIRO researchers and Australia more broadly. The information provided will give young people a starting point when learning about the six organisms CSIRO researchers are interested in. The supplemental activities are an opportunity for students to conduct their own research to learn more about the six organisms of interest to CSIRO researchers. The knowledge gained through these supplemental activities aligns with multiple Year 5-8 Australian Curriculum content descriptors. These curriculum links are specified for each activity below. Sightings map The Sightings Map activity supports the development of geographical skills by encouraging students to interpret and analyse the mapped data to identify similarities and differences between species distributions, explain patterns and trends in biodiversity, and infer relationships between organisms and their environments. The activity fosters critical thinking, spatial literacy, and ecological awareness, while giving students a meaningful opportunity to engage with real-world data in a creative and purposeful way. English - Language Language for expressing and developing ideas Year 6 AC9E6LA07 Identify and explain how images, figures, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to meaning Geography - Skills Questioning and researching using geographical methods Year 7 and 8 AC9HG7S03, AC9HG8S03 Interpret and analyse geographical data and information to identify similarities and differences, explain patterns and trends and infer relationships Year 7 and 8 AC9HG7S02, AC9HG8S02 Collect, organise and represent data and information from primary research methods, including fieldwork and secondary research materials, using geospatial technologies and digital tools as appropriate CSIRO Wild Files & supplemental activities Wanted poster In this activity, students research and present key facts about a living thing using a combination of written and visual elements. As they create, edit, and publish their posters, students apply specialist vocabulary, expanded noun groups, and connectives to build informative and persuasive texts. The inclusion of images, bold headings, and structured layouts allows them to explore multimodal features while developing skills in punctuation and text structure appropriate to purpose. This task brings literacy to life, engaging students in meaningful writing through a scientific lens. English - Literacy Year 5 AC9E5LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and punctuation including dialogue punctuation Year 6 AC9E6LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features Year 7 AC9E7LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, selecting subject matter, and using text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features as appropriate to convey information, ideas and opinions in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical Year 8 AC9E8LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, organising and expanding ideas, and selecting text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features for purposes and audiences in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical CSIRO Wild Files & supplemental activities AmAZed! Mini Book In this activity, students plan, create, edit, and publish a multimodal text that showcases their understanding of the organism through a blend of informative, imaginative, and reflective writing. They organise and expand ideas by selecting appropriate text structures such as headings, subheadings, and captions and use language features like technical vocabulary, descriptive phrases, and literary devices such as metaphor or alliteration to engage their audience. Visual features, including photographs, diagrams, or stylised layouts, enhance the clarity and appeal of the page. Whether the purpose is to inform readers about biodiversity, persuade them to care about conservation, or reflect on the organism’s ecological role, this task empowers students to tailor their writing to suit both purpose and audience while developing sophisticated communication skills. English - Literacy Creating texts Year 5 AC9E5LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and punctuation including dialogue punctuation Year 6 AC9E6LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features Year 7 AC9E7LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, selecting subject matter, and using text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features as appropriate to convey information, ideas and opinions in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical Year 8 AC9E8LY06 Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, organising and expanding ideas, and selecting text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features for purposes and audiences in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical HASS F-6 - Skills Questioning and researching Year 5-6 AC9HS5S02, AC9HS6S02 Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats Digitising Natural History Collections This information sheet discusses the current state or digitisation process in CSIRO’s National Research Collections Australia, discussing the technology involved in creating digital copies of specimens in the collections. This overview examines the benefits of digitisation, as well as some of the challenges in creating a digital collection. This can help to make concepts such as large volume data storage relevant by examining its use in scientific collections. Science Science Understanding Year 7 Biological sciences AC9S7U01 Investigate the role of classification in ordering and organising the diversity of life on Earth and use and develop classification tools including dichotomous keyYear 7-8Science Nature & development of science AC9S7H01, AC9S8H01 Explain how new evidence or different perspectives can lead to changes in scientific knowledge Digital Technology Knowledge and Understanding Year 5-6 Data representation AC9TDI6K03 Explain how digital systems represent all data using numbers Year 7-8 Data representation AC9TDI8K03 Investigate how digital systems represent text, image and audio data using integersProcesses and Production Year 5-6 Evaluating AC9TDI6P06 Evaluate existing and student solutions against the design criteria and user stories and their broader community impact Year 7-8 Evaluating AC9TDI8P10 Evaluate existing and student solutions against the design criteria, user stories and possible future impact