Teaching notes

Introduction

The keeping of native animals in schools, in particular reptiles, is becoming increasingly popular. The Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee has had numerous enquiries from schools wishing to keep reptiles. Many teachers are unsure of the requirements for keeping these animals in their classrooms. There are mandatory requirements relating to the keeping of any animals in schools and specific requirements for the keeping of native animals. This resource aims to increase awareness about these requirements and to give teachers specific advice and assistance about keeping four commonly available reptile species in their classrooms. These species are:

The Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
The Eastern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scinoides)
The Eastern Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
Children’s Pythons (Antaresia sp.)

Please note that these are not the only species that are considered suitable as pets and therefore able to be kept in captivity with relative ease. However, they are considered the most suitable species for schools to keep. Another common and popular species that might be considered is the Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa). It is important to note that regardless of which species you choose to keep, a special scientific licence must be obtained.

Curriculum Links

There are many ways in which reptiles can be incorporated into the teaching of a range of syllabuses in NSW. Some of these include the use of reptiles:

as stimulus material for a range of writing tasks. These include creative writing tasks, journal and diary keeping, writing recounts, reports and procedures.
to allow students to have practical experience in measurement of length and weight.
as stimulus material for creative arts tasks in the K-6 syllabus¹ – dance, photography and drawing to mention just three of these.
to illustrate concepts encountered in the stage 4 and 5 Science syllabus², particularly those relating to the classification of living things and to environmental interactions.
in the stage 6 Biology syllabus³ to support learning about evolution, reproduction and environmental interactions.

Students chat about reptiles

Why keep reptiles?

Text version (.docx 32kB)

Ethical and welfare considerations

Before a decision is taken to keep an animal of any kind in a school classroom a number of important questions need to be asked and answered by the classroom teacher.

What do I hope to achieve by keeping this animal in my classroom?

Points to consider when answering the question above

Can I achieve my aims in a manner that does not involve keeping this animal?

Points to consider when answering the question above

What are my legal obligations with regard to keeping this animal?

Points to consider when answering the question above

Is my classroom physically suitable for housing this animal?

Points to consider when answering the question above

Do I have the skills required to care for the health and well-being of this animal?

Points to consider when answering the question above

How will I care for the animal on weekends and during school holidays?

Points to consider when answering the question above