Welcome to the
Giant Panda Challenge
What’s it all about?
The Giant Panda Challenge is all about developing your thinking, problem
solving, ICT and teamwork skills!
Effective communication is essential if you are to find solutions and make it
to the end of the Challenge!
You should try and complete this challenge with your team although your
teacher will be there to guide you along the way. Make your decisions
carefully, work together and most importantly, have fun!
What do you need to do?
The Giant Panda Challenge has 5 sets of tasks. You won’t have enough time to
work on every task as a whole team.
You need to sensibly share out the tasks – take responsibility for a specific
task/question and work hard to find the answers!
Remember to communicate with your teammates - share your findings.
Record what you have found out in a learning portfolio.
Are you ready to let your imagination run wild?
A Global Institution
The G7 group meets annually.
What does the group’s name mean?
Where did they meet in 2014?
Name an important decision that this group has made.
Stop Press!
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United
Kingdom, the United States, (G7 leaders), the President of the
European Council and the President of the European Commission meet
each year to discuss important global issues.
You have been invited to present to the G7 leaders at the next summit.
They are keen to find out about the negative impacts of climate change
which is a major threat to the Giant Panda population in certain parts
of the world!
They have decided to send a number of task force teams around the
world to bring back essential information. The teams will travel in ecofriendly hot-air balloons.
The Challenge
You and your fellow teammates have been chosen to form Task Force Teams.
Your job is to solve your group’s tasks and report back on what you have found out.
This will help inform the Summit about climate change, its impact on the giant panda
population around the world and other threats to this species.
You and your team must decide on the most effective way of reporting back to the Summit.
Your feedback should include:
*Background information on Giant Pandas
*The main issues affecting conservation
*Your recommendations for the future of the Giant Panda
First Reactions?
Use the Compass Points thinking routine to explore what the team feels about the task
Need to know – what additional information or skills
would help you with this challenge?
Worrisome – what are
your worries or concerns?
Making a presentation to
the Summit about global
warming and the future
of the giant panda.
Excited – what excites you
about this challenge?
Stance – what is your stance or feeling
about the challenge ahead/what do
you have to do to succeed?
Teamwork is Crucial!
Design a LOGO and create a MOTTO or SLOGAN for your team that demonstrates what you
are all about.
In your team, decide on the most important jobs that will need to be done.
Agree who will take on each job and what his or her title will be.
Create a set of rules for effective team working.
Be a Detective
FINDING THE EVIDENCE
In your team, brainstorm the different sources you could use to find out information in this
challenge.
(remember, the internet is not the only source of information)
RECORDING THE EVIDENCE
As you complete each task, keep a record of your findings in your team portfolio.
What did you find out/solve?
How did you go about the task?
(remember to keep evidence such as replies to e-mails, video and taped discussions)
What do we already know?
What do you know about giant pandas and global warming already? Use sticky notes
to show your prior knowledge and what you want to find out. It may be useful to
keep this grid on display in Task Force HQ.
Giant Pandas/Global Warming
K
What do we know already?
W
What do we want to know?
L
What have we learned?
The Tasks
1
2
If at any point
you get lost,
click on the
panda symbol
at the bottom
left of each
page to return
to this page!
Finding the Giant Panda
Habitat Exploration
3
Things are Heating Up!
4
Will We Miss Giant
Pandas?
5
What Can We Do?
1
Finding the Giant Panda
Most wild giant pandas are found in the Sichuan region of China, an
area of mountainous forest that covers over 9000 square kilometres.
Your team decides to travel here.
• Is the Sichuan region in the northern or southern hemisphere?
• Using a map, illustrate your hot air balloon journey from Scotland to
this part of the world. Remember to include distances!
• Will this be a long journey for a hot air balloon? Why?
2
Habitat Exploration
Around 450 species of vertebrate live in the Sichuan region including the red
panda, takin, golden snub-nosed monkey, snow leopard, clouded leopard, Asiatic
black bear, white-eared pheasant, Tibetan snow cock, snow partridge,
Temminck’s tragopan, common buzzard, golden eagle, Alpine chough
and spectacled parrotbill.
• What can you find out about these and other species in the region?
• How many different ways can you find to group or pair these different
species? (e.g. by anatomy, behaviour…)
2
Habitat Exploration
Emergency! Emergency!
Your team’s official guide and photographer has fallen ill. It is now down to
your team to photograph some animals in their natural habitat.
Be careful however, many animals are naturally cautious so you will have to
take great care!
Try and photograph up to 10 different animals in their natural habitat.
2
Habitat Exploration
Whilst exploring the giant panda’s habitat in the Sichuan
region, you decide to make a postcard showing some of the
team exploring.
Remember to write a message on the back and show where
the card is from!
address
Task Force Headquarters
Genève
Switzerland
1209
3
Things are Heating Up!
Have you heard about how the world's getting hotter?
Some people say it is. Some say it isn't. Who's right? And
does it matter? How will it affect you and your friends?
How will it affect giant pandas? What can we do about it?
These are some of the things your team must investigate!
Move on to the next page….
3
Things are Heating Up!
What links each of these pictures?
3
Things are Heating Up!
Connect to the BBC Weather Forecast here.
Record and compare the annual rainfall for Scotland and China.
Record the average summer and winter temperatures for Scotland and compare
with China.
What are the main differences?
At what time of year would you choose to visit China? Why?
4
What would the world be like without giant pandas?
It’s a sad
thought
isn’t it!
Move on
to the
next
page to
find out
more…
How could we tell our children that the beautiful black and white
animal in their story books no longer exist in the wild?
4
Will we miss giant pandas?
Giant pandas are an endangered species, with only an estimated 1,600 left in
the wild.
Without significant conservation efforts, the giant panda will become extinct.
• Give at least 3 more reasons for the decline in the giant panda population
throughout the world.
• Take one of your reasons above and outline to the Summit why that factor is
negatively affecting giant pandas.
• Will we miss giant pandas if they become extinct? Why?
4
Will We Miss Giant Pandas?
The G7 leaders are keen to work with partner agencies to address the
problems giant pandas face.
• Can you recommend one organisation that is helping to conserve
the giant panda population throughout the world?
• Provide the Summit with an overview of what this organisation is
doing to try and protect giant pandas.
5
What Can We Do?
Part of your presentation to the Summit should focus on what
members of the public throughout the world can do to prevent the
giant panda population becoming extinct!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
With your team, create an action plan for the steps you
would take to encourage people throughout the world to
conserve the Giant Panda population.
Back on Home Soil!
Well done!
You have made it home in one piece and are now ready to
stand in front of the Summit to present your findings.
Make them pay attention to what you have to say – this is
your chance to make a difference!
Final Reactions?
Use the Compass Points thinking routine to explore how the team feels now that you have completed the task
Need to know – what additional information or skills do
you need to work on in this way again?
Worrisome – what were
the difficulties or
concerns?
Making a presentation to
the Summit about global
warming and the future
of the giant panda.
Excited – what excited you
about this challenge?
Stance – what is your stance or feeling
about working in this way?
Thanks for helping to save me!
Image credits:
Slide 1 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGiant_Panda_eating_Bamboo.JPG
Slide 2 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vraagteken.svg
Slide 5 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mongolfi%C3%A8re.jpg
Slide 6 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APanda_closeup.jpg
Slide 7 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACompass_icon_matte.svg
Slide 8 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AWorking_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg
Slide 12 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AP_question.png
Slide 14 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGiant_Panda_eating_Bamboo.JPG
Slide 15 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASichuan_in_China_(%2Ball_claims_hatched).svg
Slide 16 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARakiura_386.jpg
Slide 18 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AEarth_On_Stove.png
Slide 19 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGiant_Panda_in_Beijing_Zoo_1.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AEarth_On_Stove.png
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABamboo_(3708256).jpg
Slide 20 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rain_on_grass2.jpg
Slide 21 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APanda_Cub_(4274178216).jpg
Slide 23 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAiluropoda_melanoleuca_Schoenbrunn_072008.jpg
Slide 26 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACompass_icon_matte.svg
Slide 27 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APanda_Cub_from_Wolong%2C_Sichuan%2C_China.JPG