Radical Researchers. Hey there fellow researchers!

Radical Researchers Hey there fellow researchers! Pack your bags and get ready to embark on a journey into the world of conservation where you will di...
Author: Phoebe Powell
0 downloads 1 Views 2MB Size
Radical Researchers Hey there fellow researchers! Pack your bags and get ready to embark on a journey into the world of conservation where you will discover the important role that researchers (that’s you!) play in protecting and saving habitats and wildlife around the world. In this curriculum, your students will step into the role of a field researcher where they will practice many essential skills of a researcher including; sketching, note taking, and the use of descriptive language. Feel free to pick and choose activities to supplement or prepare your students for the Radical Researchers program—or use it as a standalone curriculum! Either way, we hope that you enjoy this radical adventure and journey with your students into the wilds of Africa, the Arctic Tundra, or even a Tropical Rainforest! Safe travels research team!

Descriptive Imagery Objectives   

Students will use descriptive language to illustrate a well-known animal. Students will identify various adaptations of the animal. Students will identify and describe various behaviors of the animal.

Introduction What if no one had ever discovered the Koala? What if there were no pictures, videos, or descriptions of this animal and not a single person has ever seen one before…? How would you describe it?

Materials    

Journal or Blank Paper Pencil Picture of a Koala Optional: Koala Cam: http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/koala-cam

Activity 1.

Pose the following scenario to students: Pretend that scientists never discovered the Koala. Nobody knows what it looks like, how it behaves, what adaptations it has etc. Pretend that you are a researcher out on St. Bees Island in Australia, and you are the first person to ever discover the Koala. Without using its name, how would you describe it? Remember-you don’t have a camera, phone, or goPro— only your journal and a pencil. 2. While projecting either a picture of a Koala or the Koala Cam, give students about 10 minutes to brainstorm ideas using descriptive language. Be sure to remind students to look for texture, size, coloration, behaviors, and adaptations. This can be mapped out by paragraph, i.e., one paragraph for coloration and size, one for behaviors, one for adaptations etc. 3. Have students begin to write their descriptions in their journal or on a piece of paper. 4. Students can pair share, or share with the class when finished with their descriptions. Extensions Instead of (or in addition to) having the entire class describe a Koala, give each student a different animal than their partner to describe. Have the students plan out and write their description without the rest of the class knowing what their animal is. At the end of the activity, have each student read their description aloud to the rest of the class, and see who can identify their animal!

Guided Imagery Objectives  Students will use listening skills to sketch a mystery animal.  Students will identify the mystery animal based on its description.  Students will identify key vocabulary in identifying the mystery animal. Introduction Way out in the wilds of Africa, there has been an amazing animal discovery! The lead researcher has sent in a description of this exciting animal, but they need an illustration to send in to the newspaper since they didn’t have a camera to catch it on film. Can you help?! Materials  Description of the mystery animal (Giraffe)  Blank Paper  Pencil  Yellow, Brown, Blue, & Black Crayons  Clip Board (Optional) Activity 1. Explain to the students that a field researcher out in Africa needs their help! They have discovered an amazing animal, but they forgot their camera back at their campsite. They have written up a description of the animal but they need an illustration to send in with it to the newspaper. 2. As the teacher reads the description aloud, have the students use their pencil and crayons to sketch along with the description. 3. Allow the students to share their sketches at the end of the description, and identify the animal that the researcher found. 4. Discuss what language (adjectives) was important in sketching and identifying the animal.

Description of Mystery Animal

Journal Entry #35 Monday, October 7th at 4:15 p.m. Today we discovered the most amazing creature! It had the most unusual body shape, so I will start my description with the face and work my way down. These animals have a long round muzzle or mouth with their nostrils down at the end. They have medium sized ears that are shaped like a triangle but with more rounded sides. Their dark eyes are quite large and have beautiful eyelashes. On the top of their head, they have bony horns, but they don’t come to a point at the end. They are shaped more like a thick horn with a rounded end. They have a very long neck with a sloping back and tail at the end of their body. The mane on their neck is short and stands upright. They also have a dark bunch of thick hair at the bottom tip of their tail. Their coat is short and a sandy yellow color. It is also covered with many different shaped patches. Some of the patches look like leaves and some of the patches look more like circles. All of the patches, however, are a brown color. You can find these patches all over the animal—from their face all the way down to their very long skinny legs. At the bottom of those long legs, you will find very thick strong hooves with a little split down the middle of the hoof. Lastly, these large animals have a very long bluish/black tongue. With this tongue, they can reach out and grab their food! It can curl around the leaves and pull them straight from the tree! This truly is an amazing animal to watch roaming around the savannas of Africa.

Adapted from: http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/hoofed_mammals/giraffe.html

What’s the Researcher Missing? Objectives   

Students will list important materials needed for a field researcher. Students will explain that researchers need different materials depending on where they are doing research. Students will identify materials needed for a researcher working in a cold habitat as well as in a warm habitat.

Introduction

Ready to go on an adventure? Are your bags packed with everything you need? Well, even though researchers around the world are doing many similar things to learn about saving wildlife such as taking notes, video taping, and lots of waiting, they need different supplies depending on where they are located. Imagine you are a researcher following Polar Bears in the Arctic. Would you need the same things as a researcher following Caribbean Rock Iguanas in Central America? Probably not…so, what should you take with you?

Materials    

Drawing of a researcher in the Tundra Drawing of a researcher in the Rainforest Crayons Pencil

Activity 1.

2.

3. 4. 5.

6.

Introduce the job of a field researcher to the students. Explain that their work is very important to help save plants and animals around the world. It takes patience, passion, and lots of preparation even before the researcher sets out to gather information in the wild. Make a general list with the students of what items a researcher might need while studying plants and animals out in the wild. Have the students explain their reasoning for the items they add to the list. Discuss what a tundra habitat looks like. What might you find there? What might the temperature feel like? What could be dangerous? Discuss what a rainforest habitat looks like. What might you find there? What does the temperature feel like? What could be dangerous? Pass out the pictures of the researchers in the tundra and rainforest habitats. Explain that these researchers are missing some things to help them do their research. They may need some of the same things, but they also need different supplies because they are in different places. Have the students add these supplies using their pencil and crayons. Discuss what was added and/or what was missed and why.

Extensions

Discuss with your students where they might want to go do research. You can even use the San Diego Zoo’s website (http://www.endextinction.org/) to look up many of the different research projects that we have going on around the world. Would any of the students what to join any of these projects someday? What might they need to take with them? Explain that by someday participating in these projects or even just learning from these researchers, the students are HEROES for wildlife around the globe and are part of the Zoo’s very important research team!

Name: ___________________________

Name: ___________________________

Objectives  

Caption This!

Students will identify animal behavior based on camera trap photographs. Students will create explanations for animal behavior based on camera trap photos.

Introduction Have you ever heard of “Smile! You’re on candid camera”? Did you know that researchers have learned how to do this with animals out in the wild? Sure we can learn quite a bit from animals by observing them in person, but we can also learn a lot about an animal when they think no one is watching…

Materials    

Pictures of a Camera Trap Camera Trap Photos Printed onto Cardstock or Paper Pencils or Markers Imagination!

Activity 1.

Introduce the concept of a camera trap: a camera camouflaged out in the wild with a motion sensor set to take photos whenever something moves past the camera. (Show photo of a camera trap.) Discuss why this tool would be helpful to a researcher. 2. Show a few examples of camera trap photos and have the whole class discuss what they think is happening and what can be learned from the photos. 3. Pass out the printed camera trap photos. Have the students create a caption or explanation for the photos in front of them. Have them write directly onto the photo. 4. Share with the class!

Example Caption:

“Watch out Mufasa, here comes Scar!”

Camera Trap Photo Examples

(More can be found online, just search “Camera Trap Photos”)

Birdwatching Ethogram Objectives    

Students Students Students Students

will will will will

identify the different behaviors of birds. tally the various behaviors of birds. graph the various behaviors of birds. explain the purpose of the various behaviors of birds.

Introduction

You can become a field researcher at school or in your own backyard! Birds are one of the easiest and most colorful animal species to observe, but have you ever stopped to really listen and look closely at what those birds are actually doing and why? Grab your chart, a pencil, and a comfy seat to find out!

Materials    

Bird Ethogram Worksheet Pencil Clip Board Binoculars (Optional)

Activity 1.

2. 3.

4.

5.

Ask students if they have ever seen a bird at school or at home. Ask if they have ever wondered what the bird was doing or stopped to think about what the bird was doing? Have students list some of the different things they have seen or heard birds doing. Explain that birds have many different behaviors and purposes for those behaviors. Scientists record these behaviors all the time to help them learn more about the animals that they are studying. Are they social? Do they hang out with other birds? Do they eat fruit or insects? Do they make different sounds in different situations? There is so much you can learn from simply sitting, listening, and watching birds. Pass out the bird ethogram and explain that for every time they see any bird doing one of the behaviors listed, they make a tally mark. (Clarify any key vocabulary such as preening or cleaning of the feathers.) Head outside and let the bird watching begin!

Extensions

After the students have completed their ethogram, you can either as a class, partners, or individually have the students chart the behaviors in a bar graph. Discuss which behavior(s) the students observed the birds doing the most and why. This can also be connected to projects that the Zoo partners with such as the ‘Alala or Hawaiian Crow: (http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/success_stories/hawaiian_birds ) Explain that through observation, scientists can learn whether animals are in danger of becoming extinct based on what behaviors they see or do not see from the animals. Based on what is seen, scientists can then learn and plan for how to help prevent the animals from going extinct.

NAME _____________________________________ DATE _______________

Bird Watching Ethogram 1.

Sit alone quietly for 5-10 minutes and look for birds. Make a tally mark on the line for every bird you see. __________________________________________________________ At the end of the five-ten minutes, count your tally marks and write the number in the box.

2.

Observe what the birds are doing. Make tally marks to record what you see and hear. Eating Drinking Flying Walking

Swimming Wading in the water Preening themselves Preening another bird Resting in a tree Resting on the ground Making a nest Sitting in a nest Vocalizing Communicating Eliminating body waste Other

3.

Look carefully at the features of one bird. Sketch your bird on the back of your ethogram.

Zoo Cam Observations Objectives   

Students will describe animal behavior based on video footage. Students will identify the animal’s habitat based on video footage. Students will identify necessary materials needed for a researcher in an animal’s habitat based on video footage.

Introduction Jump into the role of a field researcher and travel to the Australian Outback, Bornean Rainforest, Highland Desert, or Arctic Tundra. Through using the various web cams that the Zoo has to offer on their website, students can observe, sketch, and discuss animal behavior, needs, and adaptations with their classmates without even leaving the classroom!

Materials    

Web Cams: http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/video-more Projector for class to view the web cam Paper Pencils

Activity 1.

Explain that the students are going to become field researchers and take a trip to the habitat of your choice using the San Diego Zoo’s web cams! 2. Brainstorm what materials might be needed before taking a journey such as this: pencils, paper, jackets, scarves, cameras, binoculars etc. 3. Project selected web cam for the class to observe. Have the students sit quietly for about 15-20 minutes to observe what is happening on the camera. At the same time have students list the behaviors they see, sketch the animal, and speculate what might be happening and why it might be happening (i.e., foraging for food because they are hungry).

Extensions

This activity can be repeated with any of the other cams available on the Zoo’s website. Students can compare and contrast what they see on the different cams: habitats, behavior, adaptations, etc.

Name: Describe the animal’s behavior and explain why it might be doing that:

Identify the animal’s habitat:

What are the necessary items you will need and why?:

Sketch the animal:

Compare and Contrast Objectives    

Students Students Students Students

will will will will

define the words native and exotic. identify a native animal to San Diego. identify an exotic animal. compare and contrast a native and exotic animal.

Introduction San Diego has many amazing native animal species—or species that have always existed in San Diego like the California Desert Tortoise or Burrowing Owl. However, we also have many exotic plants and animals that were over time brought to San Diego from other parts of the world. If anything is added to our ecosystem, other plants and animals are always affected at some point—but are the effects good or bad?

Materials  

Picture of a native species: Desert Tortoise, Western Pond Turtle, Burrowing Owl, Coast Horned Lizard etc. (Can use multiple examples) Picture of an exotic species: Koala, Giraffe, Komodo Dragon, Red-Eared Slider etc. (Can use multiple examples)

Activity 1.

Explain the difference between a native animal and an exotic animal. Discuss how animals have developed adaptations to survive in the habitat that they are native to. Discuss what would happen if an exotic animal were introduced to our ecosystem. How would it affect different plants and animals? 2. Explain that the students are going to look at a picture of one native animal and one exotic animal. Have the students list the similarities and differences between the two animals. (Can use a Venn Diagram). Have the students speculate what habitat each animal might come from based on their adaptations.

Extensions Explain that because some exotic species like the Red Eared Slider have been introduced to our ecosystem here in San Diego, native species like the Western Pond Turtle are suffering and decreasing in number because of the new competition for food and habitat. Clarify that this is not just a problem here in San Diego, but animals and plants all over the world are affected by introduced species as well. Brainstorm ways students can help!

Sources: http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2011/11/fearless-jackal-faces-mighty-lionwinning-camera-trap-photo (Lion & Jackal Camera Trap Photo) http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/01/snow-leopard-cubpanthera-ffi.jpg (Snow Leopard Camera Trap Photo) http://www.forestgeo.si.edu/data////camera_trap.jpg (Bird of Prey Camera Trap Photo) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UV9jSNGDpqU/Sym_dNm3SMI/AAAAAAAADmw/PKN S7NyN4Kc/s1600/shris+deer.jpg (Deer Camera Trap Photo) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/nov/22/bbc-wildlifecamera-trap-in-pictures (Rabbit Camera Trap Photo) http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/2014/02/11/bear-courtship/ (Andean Bear Camera Trap Photo) http://www.livescience.com/50213-camera-trap-wildlife-photographycontest.html (Panda Camera Trap Photo) http://ipad.wallpaperswiki.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Koala-Bear-WithBaby.jpg (Koala Photo) http://www.worldlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/attenborough/riocanande-andrew-smiley.jpg (Rainforest Photo) https://instaar.colorado.edu/research/programs/mountain-researchstation/ (Tundra Photo) http://margdteachingposters.weebly.com/graphic-organizers.html (Venn Diagram)