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Curriculum support material

Curriculum-linked lesson and activity ideas and student activity sheets for primary students.

Below you will find curriculum-linked lesson and activity ideas and student activity sheets to support Stamp Collecting Month (SCM) 2014. The lesson and activity ideas cover a range of learning areas and are grouped accordingly.

The education resource materials have been designed for a national audience and offer a broad range of learning experiences for middle to upper primary students. The student activity sheets are also provided in SMART Notebook format, where applicable.

Some lessons require students to view the new stamps featured for SCM 2014. They can be found in About the stamps.

Broad learning outcomes

Using the curriculum support material on this website will assist students in achieving the following outcomes.

Students will:

  • > learn about stamps and the history of stamps both in Australia and around the world.
  • > discover and learn about some of Australia's dangerous creatures that sting or bite.
  • > find out about the hobby of stamp collecting and how to get started.

Lesson and activity ideas for students

English

  • Students to read the information about creatures that sting or bite in About the stamps then complete the "Things that Sting crossword" student activity sheet. There are two levels of difficulty. Select the level that is most appropriate for your students.
  • Students to use their word-finding skills to locate words about Australian creatures that sting or bite, and uncover the hidden message in the "SCM wordsearch" student activity sheet. There are two levels of difficulty. Select the level that is most appropriate for your students.
  • Invite a stamp dealer or collector to speak to your class about stamp collecting. You could also contact a local Post Office and ask if someone could visit your class to speak about SCM.
  • Students, working individually or in pairs, to read the information on the SCM website then answer the questions on the "All about stamps" student activity sheet.
  • Students to use the "SCM 2014 KWL chart" student activity sheet to record what they "know", what they "want to know" and what they "learnt" about Australian creatures that sting or bite.

Student activity sheets
All about stamps (pdf, 328 kb)
All about stamps (SMART Notebook, 356 kb)

Stamp Collecting Month 2014 KWL chart (pdf, 304 kb)
Stamp Collecting Month 2014 KWL chart (SMART Notebook, 145 kb)

Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 1 (pdf, 316 kb)
Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 1 (SMART Notebook, 375 kb)

Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 2 (pdf, 340 kb)
Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 2 (SMART Notebook, 687 kb)

Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 1 (pdf, 307 kb)
Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 1 (SMART Notebook, 236 kb)

Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 2 (pdf, 314 kb)
Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 2 (SMART Notebook, 357 kb)

Student activity sheet solutions
Student activity sheet solutions - English (pdf, 339 kb)

Mathematics

  • Students to practice plotting coordinates by completing the "Things that Sting coordinates picture" student activity sheet.
  • Using grid paper, students to scale down a large drawing or picture of one of the creatures featured on the stamps for SCM 2014 as if they were using it to design a postage stamp.
  • Students to complete the calculations and colouring on the "Hidden creature puzzle" student activity sheets to reveal the hidden picture. There are two versions of this activity sheet. Select the level that is most appropriate for your students.

Student activity sheets
Things that Sting coordinates picture (pdf, 362 kb)
Things that Sting coordinates picture (SMART Notebook, 681 kb)

Hidden Creature puzzle - level 1 (pdf, 361 kb)
Hidden Creature puzzle - level 1 (SMART Notebook, 474 kb)

Hidden Creature puzzle - level 2 (pdf, 361 kb)
Hidden Creature puzzle - level 2 (SMART Notebook, 512 kb)

Student activity sheet solutions
Student activity sheet solutions - Mathematics (pdf, 413 kb)

History

Science/Technology

  • Students to select one creature featured on the 2014 SCM stamp release and research its life cycle, habitat, behaviour and appearance. Use the "Creature classification matrix" activity sheet to record the information.
  • Students to research the science/technology behind "lickable" stamps. What sort of glue is used and why?
  • Students to explore how to remove a stamp from an envelope with minimal damage to the stamp. Students to conduct a science experiment by starting with a hypothesis, testing their theories and recording their results. Students to experiment with both gummed and self-adhesive stamps.
  • Students to select a creature featured on the 2014 SCM stamps and make a 3D model of it and its habitat.
  • Students to sort and classify the six creatures featured on the 2014 SCM stamps, then add more animals to each category.

Student activity sheets
Creature classification matrix (pdf, 307 kb)
Creature classification matrix (SMART Notebook, 158 kb)

Geography

  • On a world map and/or a map of Australia, students to shade in (using a different colour for each) the areas where each of the SCM creatures can be found.
  • Students to identify the habitat of one of the creatures featured on the 2014 SCM stamps, then consider how humans are affecting the areas in which the creature lives and what we can do to protect/preserve them.

The Arts

  • Students to colour and make their own Stingray using the "Make your own Stingray" template.
  • Students to complete the "Design a stamp" student activity sheet.
  • After reading about stamp printing in How stamps are made, students to use paint to explore what colours can be made using different combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
  • Students to collect as many stamps as they can from letters that they, their family, or their friends, have received. Make a stamp collage for your classroom. Students may wish to group stamps by value, theme or country of origin.
  • Student to use coloured paper or card to make their own stamp collecting album.

Student activity sheets
Design a stamp (pdf, 344 kb)

Make your own Stingray (pdf, 362 kb)

Health and Physical Education

  • Students to investigate (with the assistance of your teacher) the correct first aid response if bitten or stung by one of the featured SCM creatures. Students to create a poster illustrating the appropriate first aid actions.

LOTE / Languages

  • Students to read about the design principles used in stamp making in How stamps are made. Research stamps from other countries and determine whether they have the same design principles as Australian stamps. What are the similarities and differences?
  • Students to research the meanings / translations of the SCM creature names.

Activities just for fun

All of the activities below also appear in the Games hub.

  • Students to complete one or more of the "Colour in" sheets. There are six to choose from.
  • Students to use their counting skills on the "Dot-to-dot" student activity sheet to reveal which creature is in the picture.
  • Students to use their fine motor skills to complete the "Bull Ant maze" student activity sheet.
  • Students to read the information about creatures that sting or bite in About the stamps then complete the Things that sting crossword" student activity sheet. There are two levels of difficulty. Select the level that is most appropriate for your students.
  • Students to use their word-finding skills to locate words about Australian creatures that sting or bite, and uncover the hidden message in the "SCM wordsearch" student activity sheet. There are two levels of difficulty. Select the level that is most appropriate for your students.

Student activity sheets
Colour in Sheet - Wasp (pdf, 632 kb)
Colour in Sheet - Stingray (pdf, 414 kb)
Colour in Sheet - Stonefish (pdf, 433 kb)
Colour in Sheet - Bull Ant (pdf, 405 kb)
Colour in Sheet - Lionfish (pdf, 848 kb)
Colour in Sheet - Tiger snake (pdf, 513 kb)

Dot-to-dot activity sheet (pdf, 417 kb)
Dot-to-dot activity sheet (SMART Notebook, 271 kb)

Bull ant maze activity sheet (pdf, 2.22 mb)
Bull ant maze activity sheet (SMART Notebook, 510 kb)

Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 1 (pdf, 316 kb)
Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 1 (SMART Notebook, 375 kb)

Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 2 (pdf, 340 kb)
Things that Sting stamps crossword - level 2 (SMART Notebook, 687 kb)

Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 1 (pdf, 307 kb)
Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 1 (SMART Notebook, 236 kb)

Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 2 (pdf, 314 kb)
Things that Sting stamps wordsearch - level 2 (SMART Notebook, 357 kb)

Student activity sheet solutions
Student activity sheet solutions (pdf, 2.43 mb)