Creating informative texts that communicate scientific understanding using Ningaloo

Year 4 English Science Geography Sustainability

Build students' knowledge of ecosystems, biodiversity and sustainability while explicitly teaching how informative texts use vocabulary, sentence structure, visuals and multimodal elements to communicate scientific information clearly.

Explicit teaching sequence Rich assessment task Science integration Curriculum aligned

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What students will learn

This unit helps students build knowledge about Ningaloo while learning how informative texts communicate scientific ideas through language, visuals and structure.

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Understand ecosystems and biodiversity

Explore habitats, biodiversity and how living things depend on each other within ecosystems.

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Read informative texts

Use questioning, summarising and note-taking to gather and organise key information.

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Interpret visual information

Use maps, diagrams, images and multimodal sources to build scientific understanding.

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Use scientific vocabulary

Communicate ideas with precise technical language connected to ecosystems and conservation.

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Examine language choices

Analyse noun groups, verbs, similes and complex sentences as tools for meaning-making.

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Create informative texts

Compose a multimodal text explaining an animal, its habitat and its ecosystem relationships.

A sequenced approach to literacy learning

This unit reflects PETAA's approach to literacy teaching: building knowledge, engaging with rich texts, making language visible and supporting students towards independent application through carefully sequenced instruction.

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STEP 1

Build
knowledge

→

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STEP 2

Read
& view

→

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STEP 3

Study
language

→

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STEP 4

Write
together

→

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STEP 5

Apply
independently

Inside this teaching unit

The unit is designed as a complete instructional resource, supporting teachers to build knowledge, teach language explicitly and guide students towards independent informative writing.

Build knowledge before reading

Activities to activate background knowledge, build field knowledge, introduce vocabulary and prepare students to engage with the text.

Support deep reading comprehension

Guidance for reading sections of the text, interpreting maps and visuals, taking notes and using multimodal information sources.

Develop vocabulary and word knowledge

Teaching options for compound words, prefixes, suffixes, word-building morphemes and key scientific vocabulary from the text.

Teach language and grammar for meaning

Explicit teaching of noun groups, similes, verb functions, present tense relating verbs and complex sentences that show relationships.

Guide students into writing

Modelled and shared writing, note-taking, sentence composition, diagramming relationships and preparation for independent composition.

Assess student knowledge and communication

Students create a diagram and informative multimodal text explaining the relationships between a chosen animal and other living things in the ecosystem.

Rich assessment task

Students bring together ecosystem knowledge, vocabulary, language choices and multimodal composition.

🎯

Students create an informative multimodal text explaining an animal and its place within the Ningaloo ecosystem.

Their final product:

explains an animal and its ecosystem relationships
uses scientific and topic-specific vocabulary
communicates information through words, diagrams and text features
demonstrates understanding of ecological relationships

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Ecosystem knowledge

Use information gathered through reading, viewing, discussion and note-taking.

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Informative structure

Organise information clearly using headings, diagrams and supporting detail.

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Scientific vocabulary

Communicate ideas using accurate technical and topic-specific language.

✏️

Language choices

Apply noun groups, present tense relating verbs and complex sentences to explain relationships.

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