Discussing

1. In groups of three or four have students cut out and sort magazine pictures of living things into categories, for example, flying creatures, insects, plants, reptiles and so on. Accept their diverse responses and ask students to share, explain and list features or attributes that are central to each category.

2. Display the word ‘ANIMAL’. Brainstorm and discuss the meaning of the word and record students’ ideas. Use dictionaries to check the meaning and agree upon a class definition.

3. Discuss whether humans might also be animals. Why or why not? Consider what it is that makes humans similar to and different from other animals.

Doing

1. Provide art materials to pairs of students and have them create, either:

1. a poster that shows what it means to be an animal
2. a collaged ‘animal’ made up of different parts from other animals cut from magazine images
3. a paper mask of an animal head, constructed with different textured fabrics and found objects.
4. A design for a robotic ‘animal’. The robot should be seen from front, back, left-side and right-side and display dimensions and swatches of materials, textures and colours.
5. Design a robot using Kahootz 3 and animate it with human characteristics, for example, voice and movement. Give it a name and write a story about it. Research robot characters in other animation movies and TV productions.

2. Display activities from this section in the classroom for future reference. Ask students to describe what they have designed and/or constructed. Share these responses with the class.

Note: Dogstar Episode 7: Underdogs provides a storyline that might help students to further extend ideas by exploring and comparing human qualities with robots.

Discussing

1. Draw three columns on a large sheet of paper for the class to view. Conduct a class brainstorming session, listing things that students already know about the physical and environmental characteristics of planet Earth. On a second list, ask students to list questions they have about planet Earth and/or what things they would like to know. Discuss how science uncovers the mysteries of the earth but that there are still many more things to be discovered in the future. Ask students to imagine earth at a future time. In a third column, list the characteristics of their future earth.

2. If students have not previously engaged with the Dogstar series and related lessons, encourage them to visit and explore the Dogstar website: http://www.dogstar.tv

3. If available, use an interactive whiteboard (or data projector linked to a computer with web access) and locate the Dogstar promo on the Dogstar website. Watch the promo several times in order to stimulate class discussion related to the questions below, taken from the Dogstar Study Guide. Alternatively, provide opportunities for pairs of students to use a computer to explore the Dogstar website. (Refer to Strand 1, Worksheet 1 Dogstar website)

1. What is the Dogstar series about?
2. Who are the characters in the series?
3. What messages do you think will be found within the series?
4. What type of voice is used in the narration?
5. What is the purpose of the promo? Do you think it achieves this goal successfully? Why or why not?

4. An episode synopsis and key discussion questions are provided in the Dogstar Study Guide published by the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM). Available from: http://www.metromagazine.com.au/studyguides/issues.asp?whichpage=2&pagesize=20

5. Ask students what stories they think might be told in the Dogstar series.

6. Review activities and questions related to planet Earth and to living things created in Section 1.1: Thinking about humans and other living things. Add new information or questions that arise after engaging with and discussing the Dogstar website. These questions may relate to how different their view of a future world is compared to how Earth is portrayed in Dogstar.

7. Discuss with students what they think Earth might be like 20 years from now. Have them describe these predictions for the future by completing Worksheet 01 Our planet now and in the future.

Doing

1. Encourage students to explore the Dogstar website further by playing the Dogstar games.

2. In groups of 4-6, ask students to design

1. a board game (based on Snakes and Ladders, or Monopoly) for Dogstar.  They can use the characters as the tolls and each episode as a guide to the advances and pitfalls of the game
2. a set of cards based on the characters, so they can play a game of Snap
3. a quiz game using Kahootz 3, where actions and reactions happen as a result of the correct and incorrect choices

Discussing

1. As a class, view Dogstar Episode 1: A Dog’s Tale.

2. In small groups, discuss the following questions and ask students to use Worksheet 02: Exploring Dogstar Episode 1, to record their responses.

1. The Dogstar series is set in the year 2347, how many years into the future is this?

What are some reasons why people of Old Earth need to move?

1. What are some of the ways that Old Earth changed? Describe the changes.
2. Do you think these changes reflect real life on Earth today? If so, how? If not, why not?
3. Why do the Clark kids set out on a quest to find the dogs?
4. Are Robogs suitable as replacement dogs? Why or why not?
5. What do you think will happen to the Dogstar?
6. What do you think will happen in future episodes of Dogstar?

Doing

1. While viewing Dogstar Episode 1: A Dog’s Tale again. Ask students to think about how the lifestyles portrayed in Dogstar are similar to or different from their own lives.

2. Working in small groups, create a ‘T chart’ to record examples suggested by students about how daily life in Dogstar Episode 1: A Dog’s Tale is similar to and different from a typical day in their own lives. Use Worksheet 03: Comparing our lifestyles with those in Dogstar to record responses, for example:

Discussing

1. As a class, view Clip 1: News broadcast segment or alternatively Dogstar Episode 1: A Dog’s Tale and list the messages seen and heard on the news broadcast?

2. Pre-record a television news broadcast that particularly relates to an environmental issue. Alternatively, download news reports from the web and show them to the students. The following sites are suggestions only:
• http://www.cbsnews.com/
• http://www.channel4.com/news/news_category/science_technology
• http://abc.com.au/

3. Screen segments from TV news broadcasts in class. Ask students to think about how these are similar to and different from the Dogstar news broadcast.

4. As a class, view Dogstar Episode 1: A Dog’s Tale and Episode 2: Obedience School. While viewing, help students to identify strategies used by the Dogstar film makers to focus the story on environmental issues. List these strategies on Worksheet 04: Film making strategies and consider why each strategy might be employed, for example,

7. As a class, discuss:

1. Why do film makers want us to think about how people use our environment and its resources?
2. Is this an important topic for a children’s TV series? Why or why not?

8. List other topics students think are important to include in a children’s TV series?

Doing

1. Use key environmental words such as those listed on Worksheet 05: Environment concept map or words generated by students, to play word games such as Memory or Snap.

2. Ask students to paste words from Worksheet 05: Environment concept map, plus any from their own words, onto A3 paper to create a concept map showing what he or she knows about Earth.  Alternatively, pictures could be used.

3. Working in pairs, use Kahootz 3 to build a 3-D World that is sustainable and healthy. Additionally, build a 3-D world that is polluted and spoiled. Compare the two worlds and present ideas and Xpressions to the class.

4. In small groups, develop a survey of questions about environmental protection and people’s attitudes to sustaining the environment. Interview students and teachers in the school; analyse the data and provide the results to ascertain what people today think about environmental issues and what they are doing to help the environment. Publish the results in the school newsletter.

5. In small groups, design a class website that is devoted to ideas for recycling. Include information, images, sounds, interviews and ‘mock’ news broadcasts. Ask other students to contribute their ideas in a blog about the topic.

6. Individually, design and create a costume for an environmental Superhero. As a class, conduct a Superhero Parade presented to the school. Ask the Principal to devote one day of the school year to environmental awareness.

Discussing

1. In small groups, ask students to explore the school playground looking for objects that can be listed under the headings ‘natural environment’ and ‘built environment’. They should use Worksheet 06: Natural and Built objects in the environment to draw or list things they see that come under these headings.

2. As a class, discuss and list resources that are used to make items in our built environment. Where do these resources come from?

3. Working in small groups or as a class, discuss the following questions and record students’ ideas on Worksheet 07: Needs and wants :

1. What things do people need? 
2. What things do people want?
3. How are needs and wants different?
4. What waste is created when people buy or consume things?
5. What happens to the waste created by consumerism?
6. How might this waste affect living things on our planet?
7. What could people do to reduce these effects?

Doing

1. Ask students to collect labels and images of things they consume or buy. These images can be obtained from drawings, brochures, catalogues, junk mail and magazine pictures. Use these images to create a class mural.  Encourage students to sort pictures into broad categories, for example, toys, food, drink, clothing, services, video games, communication media, petrol in cars.

View Dogstar Clip 2: If only we’d been more environmentally aware.

As a class, discuss what students think Mark may have meant? Refer to items on the mural to stimulate discussion about reasons why people buy (or consume) things. Write students’ ideas on sentence strips and add these to the mural, for example,
            - “to be cool like my friends”
            - “I saw it on TV”

2. Additionally, students could design and construct a junk sculpture from found materials and waste containers. Look at the sculpture of Australian artist, Robert Klippel, for reference. (http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media/archives_2002/klippel)

3. Create a spoke diagram showing ways our environment might be harmed by consumerism. Draw upon ideas from the mural by thinking about the detrimental effects of waste when people consume too much, for example:

1. seals become tangled in plastic bags
2. creeks dry up
3. air becomes polluted
4. drink cans get into the sea

Discussing

1. Provide opportunities for pairs of students to visit the Planetman section of the Dogstar website to view Clip 5: 3 x Planetman ‘trailers’. Have students work in pairs to complete Worksheet 08 Advertising Planetman, then as a class discuss:

1. What do you see?  What do you hear?
2. What is an advertisement?
3. Who usually produces advertisements?
4. Why are they produced? What is the purpose of an advertisement?

2. List the types of advertisements seen by children on TV, at the cinema, on billboards, buses, and so on. Ask students to watch 1-2 hours of television and record the number of ads, what they were selling and how the advertisement was portrayed (for example, scientific, humour, informational, etc). Use the scale in Worksheet 09: Rating scale to rate each advertisement according to how convincing or persuasive it is, for example,
   
   

   X                      X                      X                      X                      X Not at all convincing                                                                very convincing or             X                      X                      X                      X                      X Not at all persuasive                                                                very persuasive

Ask students to explain how TV advertisers attempt to convince people to buy or use their products or services. How do they convince young people that something is cool or that they really need to own it? What strategies do they use? What makes something ‘cool’ or desirable? Responses might include, suggestions that everyone owns one, ‘cool’ celebrities tell you to get one now, the item seems exciting or fun, popular people have one. 

Doing

1. View Clip 2: If only we’d been more environmentally aware again and ask the class to explain what does he mean? As a class, brainstorm practical and creative ways that people can care for the environment.

Depending on the age and abilities of students, assist them to work with a partner and select an idea from the brainstorm list to either

1. design and  create a brochure and car bumper sticker that contains a message about environmental protection
2. create a Kahootz 3 Xpression that is a persuasive advertisement to promote caring for the environment
3. plan and role-play a TV advertisement that will encourage people to ‘be more environmentally aware’ by promoting a strategy people can undertake to help care for our environment
4. use large paper and texta pens to draw ways people could be more environmentally aware. Use an image of a large tree and write planet friendly messages on the leaves of the tree

Share and discuss the work created by students.

Discussing

1. As a class, view Dogstar Episode 10: Sick as a Dog. This episode is where Zeke and Alice take the dogs to Old Earth and soon after they arrive the dogs begin to get sick. Ask students to discuss and provide reasons why this might happen.

2. Introduce students to the idea of a time capsule. Discuss what it is and why it is used. In small groups, have students think about what they would put in a time capsule to inform future generations about caring for the environment. Have each group agree on the top three items and work together to complete Worksheet 10: Time capsule

Doing

1. As a class, construct a time capsule. Research how to make it at: http://www.aiccm.org.au/public/content/ViewCategory.aspx?id=86

and what to put into it:
http://www.naa.gov.au/services/family-historians/looking-after/time-capsules.aspx

Document the process of collecting objects and preparing them for the archive. Start a website or blog where you can share this information and process with other students.

2. Make clay or papier mache models to compare what planet Earth was like early in the Dogstar series when everyone had to leave and secondly, what the planet could be like if everyone cared for the environment.

3. When the Dogstar leaves Old Earth, Ridley stays behind. As a class, list possible storylines that might follow. Encourage students to select one storyline and create a short comic strip or storyboard that explores the idea.

Discussing

1. As a class, view Dogstar Episode 25: Man Bites Dog. Then watch, Clip 1: News broadcast segment. As a class, discuss what students think this news broadcast tells them about:

1. Bob Santino
2. consumers
3. consumerism
4. recycling

2. Ask students to research and explain what is meant by the term toxic waste.  Encourage them to find an interesting or creative way to share their findings.

View Clip 3: The conversation which shows a conversation between Bob Santino and his son Dino. While they are viewing this clip, ask students to think about what they found out about Bob Santino and his real views on toxic waste?

3. As a class, view Clip 4: Reparation where Ridley talks about ‘fixing up’ the planet and then discuss:

1. How is Ridley ‘fixing up’ the planet?
2. Why is it such a difficult task?
3. How real life humans can help to ‘fix up’ Earth to help it to meet the needs of all living things?

4. As a class, view Dogstar Episode 26: Tail’s End. Discuss and respond to the questions using Worksheet 11: A question of sustainability:

1. Why is New Earth in dire trouble?
2. What promise did the children make to Ramon Ridley?
3. Simone tells the family that they should ask Ridley for permission to tell people that Old Earth is habitable again. Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. What is a responsible corporate citizen? Is Bob Santino one? Why or why not?
5. Ridley thinks he has made Earth a paradise once more, as it was before people destroyed it. Why does he feel betrayed?
6. What is the significance of the promise made to Ridley versus the lives of all the people?

Doing

1. Invite local Indigenous elders to talk with the class about the significance of the land for their people. Look at these attitudes and values from the contexts of past and present. Encourage students to share their ideas about caring for the environment and listen to the ideas and stories of their guests. Look at local artists’ works that portray the myths and legends of the land. Websites to assist with a search of Indigenous Australian Art include:

http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/indigenous/art/
http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/collection/indigenous_australian_art
http://www.mbantua.com.au/

Ask students to draw a map of their local community including landmarks, their house, the school, streets, creeks and parks. Use marks and textures to develop the surface of the map to show the characteristics of the land today.

2. Each student could design and construct a kite. The decoration on the kite should be developed from their ideas about environmental protection. Each kite would be individual and have a message written in text. As a class group, fly the kites on the school oval for the whole school to see. Here are a couple of websites to try for kite designs and instruction on how to build them:

http://www.aka.org.au/kites_in_the_classroom/plans.htm
http://www.primaryschool.com.au/scienceresults.php?kla=Science%20and%20Technology&unit=Sailing,%20Sinking,%20Soaring

3. Invite Indigenous elders and/or a local Indigenous artist to work with students to design and paint a large mural showing people co-operating to care for our planet. If possible, it could be painted permanently outdoors on a wall or fence. In this case much planning, sketching, preparing and getting permissions would need to take place first. This is an idea for a long term project.

4. Acrostic poetry is a form of short verse constructed so that the initial letters of each line taken consecutively form words. Give examples of how to create acrostic poetry. Ask students to use what they have learned to create poetry that will encourage people to care for our planet. Use the first letter of key words such as environment, living things, recycle and write words or phrases, for example,
   
   

   A ct to save the planet N ow is the time I t is up to each one of us M ake less rubbish A lways try to recycle L iving things need clean air and water S urvival of all animals is important.

Decorate each poem with images that enhance the meaning.

5. In Dogstar Episode 26: Tail’s End everyone returns to Old Earth, Ramon Ridley, is asked to develop the Ridley Protocol, rules to ensure sustainability of the planet. What might these rules be? As a class, develop ‘10 rules for sustainability’. Use Worksheet 12: Rules for sustainability to record student responses. Share the rules at school assemblies, in the newsletter and on the school website.

6. Working in groups of four, ask students to write an article about land protection and sustainability (approximately 250 words). Include a review (approximately 150 words) on the animated TV series Dogstar. Using the text and relevant images, ask students to design a page for the local newspaper. Assist students to contact the Editor of the local newspaper to share what they have learned about caring for our environment and working together to achieve a sustainable future for our planet. Offer the student newspaper page designs and articles for publication. Tips about layouts can be found at:

• http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/graphicdesignarticles/newspaperadsgraphicdesign/newspapersdesigningtips.html
• http://www.mddcpress.com/news/july98/story5.htm
• http://desktoppub.about.com/od/newspapers/Newspapers.htm