Science · Year 6

Active learning ideas

Behavioral Strategies for Survival

Active learning works for this topic because Year 6 students need to move beyond memorizing animal features toward understanding how behaviors directly impact survival. By acting out migrations, debating survival choices, and observing plant responses, students connect abstract concepts to observable actions.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9S6U01

• 15–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Solo vs. Social

Divide the class into two sides to debate whether it is better for survival to be a solitary hunter or a social group member. Students must use specific examples of behavioral strategies, like pack hunting or communal nesting, to support their arguments.

Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of migration versus hibernation for different species.

Facilitation Tip

During the Solo vs. Social Debate, assign roles clearly so students focus on evidence rather than opinions.

What to look for

Present students with scenarios: 'A herd of kangaroos moves to a new area with more grass' and 'A koala sleeps for 20 hours a day'. Ask: 'Which behavior is likely migration or hibernation? What are the benefits and drawbacks for the individual animal in each case?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Migration Game

Create an obstacle course representing a migration path. Students role-play as migratory birds and must make behavioral decisions at different 'checkpoints' based on weather or food availability cards, discussing the outcomes of their choices afterward.

Evaluate how living in a group alters an individual's probability of survival.

Facilitation Tip

In The Migration Game, pause after each round to ask students to reflect on how their strategy affected their group’s survival.

What to look for

Provide students with images of different animal groups (e.g., a flock of galahs, a mob of kangaroos, a single echidna). Ask them to write down one sentence for each image explaining how group living might affect the individual's survival chances, or why solitary living might be advantageous.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 15 min · Pairs

Role Play: Plant Tropisms

In pairs, one student acts as a 'growing plant' while the other acts as a 'stimulus' (like a moving light source or water). The 'plant' must demonstrate phototropism or geotropism, explaining the survival benefit of the movement to their partner.

Explain the internal and external cues that trigger a plant's phototropism.

Facilitation Tip

For Plant Tropisms Role Play, provide props like flashlights, rulers, or pipe cleaners to make the abstract visible.

What to look for

On a slip of paper, have students draw a simple plant. Ask them to label the direction of light and draw an arrow showing how the plant's stem would grow. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining the cue that causes this growth.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by modeling how to distinguish instinct from learned behavior before students practice identifying examples. Avoid starting with definitions—instead, let students experience behaviors first, then name them. Research suggests students retain concepts better when they physically act out responses, so use movement to anchor understanding.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why an instinct or learned behavior improves an organism’s survival chances. They should use evidence from simulations, role-plays, or debates to justify their reasoning and identify trade-offs in different survival strategies.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Plant Tropisms Role Play, watch for students who believe plants only grow upward because they "like" the light rather than responding to a cue.

  Use the role play to show that plants bend toward light because of hormone signals, not preference. Have students mimic this by slowly turning toward a flashlight while explaining the physiological response.

• During The Migration Game, watch for students who assume all animal behaviors are taught by parents rather than recognizing instinct.

  After the game, ask groups to list behaviors that required prior learning versus those that worked without instruction. Highlight that some behaviors, like following ocean currents, are programmed responses.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate
• Simulation Game
• Role Play