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About frogs
Year level: 3–6
L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat. Copyright Education Services Australia Ltd.
About the unit
Unit description
Students examine the characteristics and diversity of frog species in their local area.
Knowledge, understandings, skills, values
Students will learn:

the main characteristics of frogs

that frogs are amphibians requiring certain environment conditions for survival

that human changes to habitats affects the survival of frogs.
Focus questions

What are the physical features and characteristics of frogs?

What do frogs need for survival?
Resources
Digital curriculum resources
L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat
L1144 Food Chains: the wetlands
R6755 ‘Lift Off’ – Upwardly mobile frogs
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
About frogs
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Internet sites

Frogs Australia network: http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au/

All about frogs for kids and teachers: http://www.kiddyhouse.com/

A frog's life: http://www.waterwatchadelaide.net.au/

Creating a frog friendly habitat in the suburbs: http://www.lifeinthesuburbs.net.au (look in
‘Habitat guidelines’)

Frogs of the Murray–Darling Basin: http://www.mdba.gov.au/

The Amphibian Research Centre (tadpole kits for the classroom): http://frogs.org.au/

The somewhat amusing world of frogs: http://www.latham.dropbear.id.au/ (look in ‘frogs’)
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A thousand friends of frogs: http://cgee.hamline.edu/ (type ‘frogs’ in search engine)

Images of amphibians in the Murray–Darling Basin: http://images.mdba.gov.au/ (search in
‘Animals’ category)

Plants that attract frogs to gardens: http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/ (type ‘frogs’ in search
engine)

The Rainbow Serpent: http://www.youtube.com/

Wordle: http://wordle.net

VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/

Froggy Frenzy Teacher resource pack, available at http://waterwatchadelaide.net.au/ under
'A frog’s life'
Print

Tiddalick the Frog, Susan Nunes and Ju-Hong Chen, Simon and Schuster, 1991

Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976

Spotted Grass Frog, Greg Pyers, Echidna Books, 2004
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Frogs and Tadpoles of Australia, Marion Anstis, Young Reed, 2007

Amazing Frogs and Toads, Barry Clarke and Jerry Young, Random House, 1990

Tale of a Tadpole, Karen Wallace, DK Publishing, 1998

First Field Guide to Australian Frog and Reptiles, S Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997

Amazing Facts About Australian Frogs and Reptiles, P Slater and S Parish, Steve Parish
Publishing, 1997

Australian Frogs, C MacLulich, Scholastic Australia, 1996
Other resources

Blue paint or food colouring

Bubble fluid

Dried grass and leaves

Paper and fineliner pens
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
About frogs
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Attached printable resources
The following teacher-created learning resources referred to in the unit of work are
available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context:

What I know about frogs

Frog debate map
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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Teaching the unit
Setting the scene
Resources

What I know about frogs (page 8)

Wordle: http://wordle.net

Frogs of the Murray–Darling Basin poster available from http://www.mdba.gov.au/
Teaching and learning activities
Students list what they know about fogs in the attached worksheets.
Review characteristics of frogs. Investigate the species of frogs in your local area. Record and
display these species. What makes them unique? Listen to their mating calls.
~
Present non-fiction books and poster to students for exploring and investigating. List common
characteristics that frogs have.
Explore frog habitats. Where are frogs found? What conditions do they require for survival?
Extension activities
What human activities might affect the survival of frogs?
Assessment
Assess students’ lists in the worksheets.
Investigating
Resources

R6755 ‘Lift Off’ – Upwardly mobile frogs

L1144 Food chains: the wetlands

L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat

A frog's life: http://www.waterwatchadelaide.net.au/

Amazing Facts About Australian Frogs and Reptiles, P Slater and S Parish, Steve Parish
Publishing, 1997

VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com
Teaching and learning activities
Invite a field expert (eg a Frog Watch environmental education officer) to discuss important
habitat requirements for frogs.
Visit a local waterway. Take photos and report its suitability as a frog habitat. Is it polluted?
What human impacts can be seen? Dip net to survey water bugs living in this waterway.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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Discuss frogs’ reliance on unpolluted waterways.
Download the Froggy Frenzy Teacher Resource Pack to explore the ways human have affected
frogs: How does climate change impact on frog communities?
~
Cut a coloured frog image in half and have students recreate the missing half using various
drawing media such as oil pastels, chalk or coloured pencils.
Investigate how frogs are important to our environment. Introduce a simple food chain by
viewing L1144 Food chains: the wetlands. Have students create their own food chains. Discuss
what happens if frogs disappear from the food chain.
Extension activities
View L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat and explore why a frog
population is declining. Investigate water quality, habitat loss and predation by introduced
species. Build a food web for the pond.
~
Present a news broadcast on the current plight of frogs. Students script their broadcast and
record using VoiceThread. Broadcast to a younger grade.
Contact your local council to enquire about their policies on healthy waterways.
Research if there are any factors affecting the survival of frogs in your local area.
Assessment
Imagine you are a frog. Write a letter to humans outlining the hazards they present to your
environment.
Use L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat to determine which species have
the greatest impact on frog populations and build a report using collected evidence to support
your conclusions.
Bringing it all together
Resources

Frog debate map (page 9)

Blue paint or food colouring

Bubble fluid

Paper and fineliner pens

Dried grass and leaves
Teaching and learning activities
Design a frog pond for your school to provide a habitat for local frog species.
Become a journalist and script an interview with a frog about their habitat and how it affects their
life.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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Create a frog mural fact board using blue paint or food colouring and bubble fluid. Blow bubbles
onto a marbled mural background then create coloured frogs (by drawing frogs onto dry
marbled paper) to place on it. Make lily pad shapes or dragonflies to add the facts to the mural.
Write facts using a fineline marker and include natural dried vegetation.
Extension activities
Debate the statement: ‘Children should be allowed to keep frogs as pets’. Use the attached
Frog debate map to organise your list of arguments.
Drawing conclusions
Teaching and learning activities
Investigate the school grounds for a possible habitat to attract frogs and propose the
construction of a pond. Approach local businesses or the local council for assistance in building
the frog pond.
Your proposal must include an action plan with diagrams showing the steps in construction, the
plants, materials and management required and the positive difference you will make to the frog
population in your area.
Assessment
Justify the features needed for the frog habitat.
Draw or write about how frogs are important in our environment.
Communicating
Teaching and learning activities
Invite students to become members of the Frogs Australia Network:
http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au.
Investigate the shape of frog footpads and draw them on marbled backgrounds or create a frog
path leading to your frog mural fact board.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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Writer: Antonina Fieni
The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not
connected to Education Services Australia Ltd and which it does not control (‘Sites’).
Education Services Australia Ltd:

provides the links for ease of reference only and it does not sponsor, sanction or approve of
any material contained on the Sites; and

does not make any warranties or representations as to, and will not be liable for, the
accuracy or any other aspect of the material on the Sites or any other matter connected to
the use of the Sites.
While the material in this unit of work is not remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act
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your responsibility to read and comply with any copyright information, notices or conditions of
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Note:
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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What I know about frogs and tadpoles
Name
Class
Date
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
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Frog debate map
Name
Class
Date
Consider the question ‘Should students be allowed to keep frogs as pets?’ Do
you agree? Circle your response then in the ‘Reason’ boxes give three reasons
for your decision. Give facts and examples to support your reasons in the next
set of boxes.
Reason 1
Fact/example
Fact/example
Fact/example
Students
should be
allowed to
keep frogs
as pets.
Reason 2
Fact/example
fact/example
YES/NO
Fact/example
Reason 3
Fact/example
Fact/example
Fact/example
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
About frogs
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