Lateral Thinking Around the Curriculum (1 of 10 to Collect)

Skeletons

Lateral Thinking Around the Curriculum (1 of 10 to collect)

Unit Planner

About this Unit Planner

This unit planner expands on Bubble Dome’s Skeleton Activity Map, and focuses on developing lateral thinking around the curriculum. The curriculum focuses include Science, English, Mathematics, Technology, and The Arts. Specific thinking skills are built into each area and cross-curricula integration is encouraged.

This unit planner shows you how you can have four weeks of themed activities with specific thinking skills deeply embedded in each activity. Each week has a particular curriculum theme, starting with Science and finishing with The Arts.

This unit planner can be used from Year 0 to Year 10. Suggestions are given throughout for younger and older students.

This unit planner can be used in conjunction with Bubble Dome Activity Masters and Task Cards. Contact to find out how you can get these free Activity Masters and Task Cards.

Curriculum Links

Highlight your chosen key curriculum focus and levels from the curriculum links below.

Science / English / Mathematics / Technology / The Arts
Level 1 / Nature of Science
(Investigating in Science)
Extend their experiences and personal explanations of the natural world through exploration, play, asking questions, and discussing simple models / Speaking, Writing and Presenting
(Processes and Strategies)
Acquire and begin to use sources of information, processes and strategies to identify, form, and express ideas
(Ideas)
Form and express ideas on a range of topics / Numbers and Algebra (Number knowledge) Know groupings within five, within ten, and with ten / Technological Knowledge (Technological modeling)
Understand that functional models are used to represent reality and test design concepts and that prototypes are used to test technological outcomes / Developing Ideas
(Dance)
Improvise and explore movement ideas in response to a variety of stimuli
(Drama)
Contribute and develop ideas in drama, using personal experience and imagination
(Visual Arts)
Investigate visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination
Science / English / Mathematics / Technology / The Arts
Level 2 / Nature of Science
(Investigating in Science)
Extend their experiences and personal explanations of the natural world through exploration, play, asking questions, and discussing simple models / Speaking, Writing and Presenting
(Processes and Strategies)
Select and use sources of information, processes and strategies with some confidence to identify, form, and express ideas
(Ideas)
Select, form and express ideas on a range of topics / Numbers and Algebra (Number knowledge)
Know how many ones, tens, and hundreds are in whole numbers to at least 1000 / Technological Knowledge (Technological modeling)
Understand that functional models are used to explore, test, and evaluate design concepts for potential outcomes and that prototyping is used to test a technological outcome for fitness of purpose / Developing Ideas
(Dance)
Use the elements of dance in purposeful ways to respond to a variety of stimuli
(Drama) Develop and sustain ideas in drama, based on personal experience and imagination
(Visual Arts)
Investigate and develop visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination
Science / English / Mathematics / Technology / The Arts
Level 3 / Nature of Science
(Investigating in Science)
Ask questions, find evidence, explore simple models and carry out appropriate investigations to develop simple explanations / Speaking, Writing and Presenting
(Processes and Strategies)
Integrate sources of information, processes and strategies with developing confidence to identify, form, and express ideas
(Ideas)
Select, form and communicate ideas on a range of topics / Numbers and Algebra (Number knowledge)
Know basic multiplication and division facts / Technological Knowledge (Technological modeling)
Understand that different forms of functional modeling are used to inform decision making in the development of technological possibilities and that prototypes can be used to evaluate the fitness of technological outcomes for further development / Developing Ideas
(Dance)
Select and combine dance elements in response to a variety of stimuli
(Drama)
Initiate and develop ideas with others to create drama
(Visual Arts)
Develop and revisit ideas, in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination, and supported by the study of artists’ works
Science / English / Mathematics / Technology / The Arts
Level 4 / Nature of Science
(Investigating in Science)
Ask questions, find evidence, explore simple models and carry out appropriate investigations to develop simple explanations / Speaking, Writing and Presenting
(Processes and Strategies)
Integrate sources of information, processes and strategies confidently to identify, form, and express ideas
(Ideas)
Select, develop and communicate ideas on a range of topics / Numbers and Algebra (Number strategies and knowledge)
Use a range of multiplicative strategies when operating on whole numbers / Technological Knowledge (Technological modeling)
Understand that different forms of functional modeling are used to explore possibilities and to justify decision making and how prototyping can be used to justify refinement of technological outcomes / Developing Ideas
(Dance) Combine and contrast dance elements to express images, ideas, and feelings in dance, using a variety of choreographic processes
(Drama)
Initiate and refine ideas with others to plan and develop drama
(Visual Arts)
Develop and revisit visual ideas, in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination, supported by the study of artists’ works
Science / English / Mathematics / Technology / The Arts
Level 5 / Nature of Science
(Investigating in Science)
Develop and carry out more complex investigations, including using models / Speaking, Writing and Presenting
(Processes and Strategies)
Integrate sources of information, processes and strategies purposefully and confidently to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas
(Ideas)
Select, develop and communicate purposeful ideas on a range of topics / Numbers and Algebra (Number strategies and knowledge)
Use prime numbers, common factors and multiples, and powers including square roots / echnological Knowledge (Technological modeling)
Understand how evidence, reasoning and decision making in functional modeling contribute to the development of design concepts and how prototyping can be used to justify ongoing refinement of outcomes / Developing Ideas
(Dance)
Manipulate the elements and explore the use of choreographic devices and structures to organize dance movement
(Drama)
Select and to develop drama for specific purposes
(Visual Arts)
Generate, develop and refine ideas in response to a variety of motivations, including the study of established practice

Key Competencies

Thinking: Thinking is about using creative, critical, and metacognitive processes to make sense of information, experiences, and ideas. These processes can be applied to purposes such as developing understanding, making decisions, shaping actions, or constructing knowledge. Intellectual curiosity is at the heart of this competency.

Students who are competent thinkers and problem-solvers actively seek, use, and create knowledge. They reflect on their own learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuitions, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions.

Using language, symbols, and texts : Using language, symbols, and texts is about working with and making meaning of the codes in which knowledge is expressed. Languages and symbols are systems for representing and communicating information, experiences, and ideas. People use languages and symbols to produce texts of all kinds: written, oral/aural, and visual; informative and imaginative; informal and formal; mathematical, scientific, and technological.

Students who are competent users of language, symbols, and texts can interpret and use words, number, images, movement, metaphor, and technologies in a range of contexts. They recognise how choices of language, symbol, or text affect people’s understanding and the ways in which they respond to communications. They confidently use ICT (including, where appropriate, assistive technologies) to access and provide information and to communicate with others.

(New Zealand Curriculum)

Curriculum and Thinking Skills Links

• Science – Creative thinking, Thinkers Keys
• Writing – Thinking Hats
• Philosophy – Thinking Hats
• Technology – Questioning
• Maths – Creative and critical thinking
• The Arts – Creative thinking

For more information

• Bubble Dome
• Thinkers Keys
• Thinking Hats
• PMI
• Creative Thinking
• Critical Thinking
• Questioning

• NZ Curriculum
• Skeletons

• Google Sketch Up Free to download at
• Bryce Free to download at

Week 1 of 4

/ Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Science and Inquiry Activities / Introduction to Skeletons / Compare the skeletons of 5-10 very different animals
AND
Construction challenge: combine the skeletons of two animals and make a model of your morphed skeleton / Make a model of the most unusual skeleton you can find
OR
Make a working model of a ball and socket joint OR a hinged joint. / Invent and build a new way to support the body of an animal that is NOT a skeleton
OR
Redesign a human skeleton with a tail OR a shell OR an extra limb / Plan and make a book about skeletons for people with limited vision.
Thinking Skills / Extended brainstorming uncovering students’ initial ideas / Matrix Thinkers Key / Innovation and creation / BAR Thinkers Key
Reverse Thinkers Key / Creative thinking – flexibility and originality
Activity Description / Choose a selection of 5-10 of the following to brainstorm what is already known the topic:
-List 1-100 facts about skeletons (fluency)
-How many ways can you make a skeleton? (flexibility)
-How can you improve your skeleton? (originality)
-What do you see when you look at different types of bones under a microscope? (elaboration)
-What would change for you if you had no skeleton? (curiosity)
-What makes bones useful? (complexity)
-Would you rather be a leg bone or a rib? (Risk-taking)
-What would it be like to have an exoskeleton? (Imagination) / Students can choose a range of interesting animals, research them, and compare their skeletons in terms of features like: what the bones are made of, how many bones, functions of the skeleton, types of joints, etc.
Use the Activity Master 1 to record ideas and designs.
Refer also to Task Card 1. / Students choose between making a model of an unusual skeleton OR a working model of type of joint. Provide students with limited range of everyday materials (such as cardboard, string and playdough OR newspaper, leaves and paper clips OR ribbon, twigs and blue tak OR ball of paper, string and paper clips). Students can use materials to build small but accurate and detailed models.
Younger students can work in groups to achieve this challenge. Older students can work independently and should first access scientific information about skeletons before constructing an accurate model. / Students can use BAR thinking key to identify what they can make bigger or better, what can be added, and what can be replaced. Younger students can contribute to a whole class discussion and design. Older students should sketch their designs prior to seeking peer feedback. Designs can be modeled using everyday materials, using computer design software such as Google Sketch Up or Bryce, or sketched in detail. / Students should identify key facts about skeletons from a range of information sources. Discuss how ideas might be presented to people with low vision (such as enlarged text with one key idea per page with textured graphics). Students can make a whole book each (or in pairs or groups) or make one page each (or in pairs and in groups) to contribute to a class book.
Week 2 / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Writing
Activities / Use Thinking Hats to discuss ideas about a strange looking skeleton you have found / Sketch the place you found this skeleton and label the things you find nearby / Write a scientific explanation about this skeleton and the creature it belongs to / Imagine this creature was in a sticky situation. Write a story about this situation and how the creature works out what to do
Thinking Skills / White Thinking Hat (Facts)
Yellow Thinking Hat (Positives) / Green Thinking Hat (New ideas) / White Thinking Hat (Facts)
Green Thinking Hat (New ideas) / Yellow Hat thinking (Positives), Black Hat thinking (Negatives), Green Hat thinking (New ideas), Red Hat thinking (emotions)
Activity Description / Discuss using think, pair, share method, using White Thinking Hat initially to determine facts about the found object. Encourage fluency and diversity of ideas. Come to individual decisions for facts about the found skeleton. Then use Yellow Thinking Hat to discuss positive features of the found object.
Use Activity Master 3 (top half) / Using ideas developed through Thinking Hats, students can create visual map of area where this skeleton was found, including at least 5-10 other objects or landmarks in this area. Encourage original ideas. / Discuss ideas about how scientific explanations might work. Discuss facts using White Hat thinking. Encourage students to draft their explanation using interesting language.
Use Activity Master 3 (bottom section) / Have students use Black Hat thinking to come up with problematic situations this creature might face. Then use Yellow and Green Hat thinking to explore ways to get out of these situations. Use Red Hat thinking to imagine how the creature might have felt at different plot points.
Students can then use these ideas to develop a fictional narrative based on this problem situation and how it is resolved, using the creature as the central character.
Philosophy and Debating
Activities / Imagine you could make your bones longer with bone-stretching paint / What would be good, bad, and interesting about this paint? / List 10 questions that should be considered before using this paint / Make a storyboard for a TV advert promoting the benefits of this paint OR warning against this paint / Construct a debate for or against this paint
Thinking Skills / Creative thinking – fluency, flexibility and originality / Yellow Thinking Hat (Positives), Black Thinking Hat (Negatives) / Blue Thinking Hat (control) / Yellow Thinking Hat (positives), Black Thinking Hat (negatives) / Yellow Thinking Hat (positives), Black Thinking Hat (negatives), Rubrics Thinkers Key
Activity Description / Students discuss a wide range of implications of this paint. Have students brainstorm multiple ideas (fluency), group them in a variety of ways (flexibility), and rank them in terms of personal importance (originality). / Students can construct a PMI chart (identifying Positives, Minuses, and Interesting Points) from multiple points of view – user, doctor, teacher, etc
Use Activity Master 4, top section as a variation on this activity. / Students can develop range of questions that should be answered before using this paint. Encourage depth of thinking and a wide range of questions. / Can use activity master 4 for variation on this activity.
Students use ideas from PMI to develop into storyboard for tv advert that highlights key positives OR negatives of using this paint / Students in small groups can prepare arguments for and against the use of this paint. A further group can develop a judging rubric: students should identify at least three criteria for a persuasive argument, then develop a scale to rate each criteria against (eg score from 1 to 5).
Week 3 / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Technology and Design Activities / Imagine you could connect a new piece of technology directly to your skeleton / Construction challenge: construct a model of this skeleton and the piece of technology that connects to it / Create a storyboard for a television news item about your new improved skeleton / Make a promotional poster (which could accompany the television news item) for your new improved skeleton
Thnking Skills / Thinking Hats (multiple) / Questioning / Questioning / Critical thinking – Venn diagram
Activity Description / Discuss the concept and have students consider their responses to the following questions:
White Thinking Hat (Facts) What piece of new technology would you want to connect to your skeleton? What changes would you need to make in your life with a piece of technology connected to your skeleton? Yellow Thinking Hat (Positives) What would be great about this invention? Black Thinking Hat(Negatives) What problems might you face? Green Thinking Hat (New Ideas) What if this piece of technology was solar powered?
Use first half of Activity Master 2 and questioning to support discussion and recording of ideas / Use a limited range of everyday materials (eg cardboard and rubber bands, OR clay and toothpicks, OR string and newspaper). Have students share their constructions and explain their ideas in detail. Encourage students to ask challenging questions of each other in order to extend their thinking. / Younger students could work in larger groups supported by the teacher to consolidate their ideas into one storyboard to film.
Older students could market-test their storyboard with peers, and also give feedback. Encourage the use of critical questioning when giving and receiving feedback. Use ICT resources to film television items.
Use second half of Activity Master 2 to shape ideas. / Present students with a large and empty Venn diagram and discuss how this mapping tool could be used to promote their new improved skeleton. Encourage a wide range of ideas and diverse thinking about use of this tool. Students can then draft and create (using ICT resources) a poster that promotes their new improved skeleton – a Venn diagram must be integral to the poster.