# Teacher Guide - Reef Evidence Detectives ## At a glance **Pathway:** Adapted pathway **Time:** approximately 50 minutes **Focus:** finding evidence in an information text and using it in persuasive writing **Student product:** a five-to-six-sentence persuasive paragraph **Print:** `Lesson_14_GBR_Adapted_Student_Pack.docx`, one per student **Project:** `Lesson_14_GBR_Adapted_Presentation.html` ## Preparation - Open the presentation in a modern browser and use fullscreen. - Print the student pack double-sided if practical. - Give students a pencil and two coloured pencils or highlighters. - Read the one-page article before teaching. - Decide whether students will address “Australian decision-makers” or simply “people who can help protect the Reef”. The presentation keeps `DO`, `WORK`, `RECORD`, `FINISH` and `CHECK` information inside the Notes popup. Press `N` or select **Notes** to open it. ## Teaching point Evidence is not any sentence that sounds important. It is a fact from the text that helps prove a particular claim. Use the same oral routine throughout: > My claim is ... > > My evidence is ... > > This evidence shows ... ## Suggested teacher talk ### Opening “Today we will be evidence detectives. A persuasive writer does not only say what they believe. A persuasive writer finds facts that help prove the idea.” ### Before reading “Our claim will be that the Great Barrier Reef needs protection. As we read, we need facts that show there is a problem and facts that show what people can do.” ### During modelling “The article does not say that every reef is dead. It says scientists still found living coral, but coral cover fell. I need to keep both parts so my evidence stays accurate.” ### Before writing “A fact is not finished evidence until you connect it to your claim. Add ‘This shows ...’ and explain the connection.” ## Vocabulary | Word | Student-friendly meaning | Quick gesture or cue | |---|---|---| | evidence | a fact that helps prove an idea | point from the text to the claim | | coral cover | how much of an area is covered by living hard coral | spread hands over a surface | | bleaching | coral turns pale or white when it is stressed | hands open from colour to white | | local action | help in or near the Reef | point down to the local area | | climate action | action that reduces the warming of Earth and the ocean | make a large circle for the planet | | recover | become healthier again | hands rise slowly | ## Reading support ### First read Read the full article aloud while students follow. Stop only to clarify meaning. ### Second read Students: - underline two facts that show the Reef needs help; - circle one action people can take; - box “Bleached coral is stressed, but it is not always dead.” ### Highlighted reading option Before the lesson, mark these three sentences: 1. “In 2024-25, scientists checked 124 reefs.” 2. “They still found living coral in the north, centre and south, but coral cover had fallen.” 3. “Local action can help the Reef, but it cannot cool the whole ocean.” Students can select evidence from these sentences while still completing the same thinking task. ## Model answers ### Page 2 - Evidence hunt **Claim A: The Reef is alive, but it needs help.** Possible evidence: - Scientists still found living coral in the north, centre and south, but coral cover had fallen. - Hot water and other pressures damaged coral. Possible explanation: > This shows the Reef is still living, but some coral has been lost. **Claim B: Hot water is dangerous for coral.** Possible evidence: - Very warm water can make coral push out the tiny algae that give it food and colour. - Coral can die if the heat is very strong or lasts too long. Possible explanation: > This shows that hot water can stress coral and make it harder to survive. **Claim C: The Reef needs more than one kind of help.** Possible evidence: - Cleaner water, less rubbish and careful starfish control can reduce local pressure. - Local projects cannot cool the whole ocean. Possible explanation: > This shows local action can help now, while climate action is needed to reduce ocean warming. ### Evidence or opinion - “Very warm water can bleach coral.” - evidence from the article. - “The Reef is the prettiest place in Australia.” - opinion; the article does not prove it. - “Cleaner water can reduce pressure on the Reef.” - evidence from the article. ### Inaccurate overclaim > “The whole Great Barrier Reef is dead.” The article contradicts this claim because scientists found living coral in all three monitored regions. ## Model paragraph > Australian decision-makers should protect the Great Barrier Reef. In 2024-25, scientists found living coral in the north, centre and south, but coral cover had fallen. This shows that the Reef is alive and needs help. Cleaner water and careful Reef management can reduce pressure on coral. Climate action is also needed because local projects cannot cool the whole ocean. Please use both kinds of action to give the Reef a better chance to recover. Read the full paragraph first. Then label the claim, evidence, explanation, second evidence and call to action. ## Feedback and revision Partner A reads the paragraph aloud. Partner B says: > Your evidence matches your claim because ... > > One sentence you could make clearer is ... The writer revises one sentence immediately. Useful revisions include: - replacing an opinion with a fact; - adding “This shows ...”; - changing “all coral is dead” to an accurate statement; - naming the action more clearly; - adding “because” to explain a reason. ## Differentiation without changing the goal ### More support - Alternate sentences during reading. - Let the student point to evidence while an adult or peer reads it aloud. - Orally rehearse each sentence before writing. - Offer the sentence starters on page 3. - Scribe the paragraph or use speech-to-text. ### Expected pathway - Select two facts independently. - Paraphrase at least one fact. - Write five-to-six connected sentences. - Revise one sentence after feedback. ### Extension - Explain why one tempting sentence is opinion rather than evidence. - Add an “although” sentence that keeps both local action and climate action in view. - Change the audience to a local council and decide which evidence is most useful. ## Source trail The student facts are simplified summaries of: 1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, *Annual Summary Report of Coral Reef Condition 2024/25* (2025). 2. Reef Authority, AIMS and CSIRO, *Reef Snapshot: Summer 2024-25*. 3. Australian Institute of Marine Science, *What is coral bleaching?* 4. Australian Government DCCEEW, *Great Barrier Reef Scientific Consensus Statement* (2024). 5. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, *Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owners*. Facts were checked against the source trail in the parent Lesson 14 package on 29 July 2026. The classroom images are illustrative and must not be treated as survey evidence.