Patty McGinnis
EDTECH 504
Spring 2011
Lesson Plan Title: A Trip to the Zoo
Background Information:
When teaching seventh grade science the last several years, I always scheduled an
annual trip to the Philadelphia Zoo for the purpose of observing animals from different
biomes. I found this great free app for the Houston Zoo that I have used to build my
mobile learning lesson. Although the Philadelphia Zoo does not currently have a similar
app, I am anticipating that at some point in the future an app will become available. I
created this lesson using my personal I-Touch. I do not currently have a classroom set of
I-Touches; undoubtedly I have not anticipated all management issues related to
classroom implementation. For example, I originally included some activities that
utilized the Houston Zoo You Tube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/houstonzoo)
until I remembered that access to You Tube is blocked by the district.
Objectives
Students will utilize I-touches to access information about the Houston Zoo both prior
and during a field trip
Students will be able to:
 Navigate to the Houston Zoo App to schedule their day at the zoo
 Utilize the Houston Zoo App to find information concerning the conservation
status of selected animals
 Observe an animal being fed
 Interact with a zoo keeper to gain information about a specific animal
 Be able to name at least one insect whose conservation status is not stable
 Record information directly onto a document loaded on the I-Touch
 Describe how representative animals from five different biomes are adapted to
life in their biome
 Use an I-Touch to take a picture of five different animals
 Compare the adaptations of two birds: a bird of prey and a bird that is a seed, nut,
fruit, or insect eater
 Add a placemark, picture, and text to a Google Map
 Analyze a class-generated Google Map for patterns or trends related to
conservation
Instructional Activities
Pre-Trip
1. Follow Mrs. McGinnis’ directions to access this document and import it into
your I-Touch. Open this document in Docs To Go (you will be recording
answers onto the document via the I-Touch)
2. Download the Houston Zoo App available at
http://www.houstonzoo.org/iphone-app/
3. Find two animals featured in the Lion King and use the animal button on the
Houston Zoo App to learn about them (Hint: Timon and Pumbaa). How do
these animals defend themselves from predators?
4. Your group needs to select five animals that they would like to observe while at
the zoo. Use the animal tab on the Houston Zoo App to help you decide (be sure
to watch some of the videos). Note that you must select animals that represent
each of the different biomes listed in the table below. Record their conservation
status and why you selected them into the chart below on your I-Touch. Save
your work.
Name of
Animal
Biome
Conservation
Why We Selected
Status/Include Reason if This Animal
Threatened or
Endangered
Grasslands
Rain Forest
Desert
Tundra
Freshwater
5. Use the animal tab of the Houston Zoo App to look up the Honeypot Ant. Note
that the honeypot ant conservation status is threatened.
a. Using what you have learned from reading about animals and their
conservation status, predict why the honeypot ant’s conservation status is
threatened
b. Use the Internet to find out if your prediction is correct. Was it? If not,
what is the real reason the honeypot ant is threatened?
6. Type in www.houstonzoo.org. Click on “Eat at the Zoo” to plan where you
would like to eat on the day of the field trip. Record your decision below:
The Day of the Field Trip
1. Plan your day at the zoo! Open the Houston Zoo App. You will use the “today”
button to plan your day and the Maps button to plan your route.
2. Working with your group, select a Keeper Talk that sounds interesting to you and
add it to “My Schedule”
3. Select an Animal Feeding activity that you would like to observe and add it to
“My Schedule.”
4. Use the Map to find the 5 animals your group wants to observe. Plan a route that
will take you each animal without a lot of back-tracking
Things to Do During the Day
1. Attend the Keeper Talk
Take a picture during the Keeper talk. Ask the keeper a question about the animal (keep it
appropriate!). Record some facts you learned from the keeper in the space below:
2. Watch a Feeding
Take a picture of the animal that is being fed. Record the name of the animal and what it
eats in the space below:
3. Observe Animals from Different Biomes
Find the five animals your group decided they wanted to observe. Fill in the chart below
to include at least TWO adaptations the animal has for surviving in its biome (Hint: you
may have to ask a keeper). Take a picture of each animal. You may also record a podcast
or video of the animal if you wish.
Name of Animal
Biome
Adaptations for Biome
4. Compare Two Birds
Observe a bird that is a predator (such as a hawk) and a bird that eats seeds, nuts, fruits,
or insects. Do not use birds you already observed! Use the Houston Zoo App to find
information about the birds or attend a Keeper Talk to learn even more. List at least three
adaptations each bird has for survival. Include points such as how the bird is adapted for
eating, escaping from enemies, and/or attracting mates.
Bird Name
Adaptations
Post Trip
1. Select three of your five animals that you would like to feature on a group Google
Map.
2. Open the class Google Map and insert a placemark on the location in the world
where you would find the animals in the wild. Use a red placemark for
endangered animals, a yellow placemark for threatened animals, and a green
placemark if the animal population is stable.
3. Upload the animal pictures to the class wiki (or other designated site)
4. Add the picture to Google Map by navigating to its online location
5. Add some some text about the animal’s conservation status and how the animal is
adapted for its biome.
6. Save the map
7. Once each group has added their placemarks and information, examine the map.
a. Describe any patterns you see
b. Propose a reason why the pattern(s) exist
c. Are there certain biomes that have more endangered species than others?
d. Do you have suggestions for improving the status of endangered and
threatened species?
Application to Learning Theory
This lesson, which utilizes a guided inquiry approach, is constructivist in nature; students
work in cooperative groups to create meaning about animals, animal adaptation, and
conservation. The activity has been scaffolded using a guided inquiry process worksheet
which asks the students to perform specific tasks (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006).
The use of the worksheet will assist students in their task management skills and ensure
that learning objectives are met. This cooperative learning activity falls within the coconstructivist dimension, requiring discussion and cooperation among the group members
(Kanuka & Anderson, 1999).
I chose a project-based learning approach because I wanted to provide a student-centered
activity that would engage students via an authentic context. Observing animals and
discussing their behavior with zoo experts will deepen student understanding and
increase the likelihood that knowledge will be successfully transferred to new learning
situations (Land & Hannafin, 2000). This lesson promotes higher level thinking skills; I
have been on many field trips where students run from exhibit to exhibit trying to fill in a
scavenger hunt worksheet. Unlike a typical scavenger hunt, students are given the
freedom to map out their day and to make decisions regarding what animals they would
like to observe and document. The technology, rather than being the focus of the lesson,
supports the lesson objectives. The end product, a class-generated Google map, will be
analyzed for patterns related to global animal conservation status and will provide an
opportunity for students to reflect on their learning.
References:
Kanuka, H., & Anderson, T. (1999). Using constructivism in technology-mediated
learning: Constructing order out of the chaos in the literature. Radical Pedagogy, 1(2).
Retrieved March 5, 2011 from
http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue1_2/02kanuka1_2.html
Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during
instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery,
problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41.
doi:10.1207/s1536985ep4102_1
Land, S. M. & Hannafin, M. J. (2000). Student-centered learning environments. In D. H.
Jonassen & S. M. Land (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments (pp.123). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.