Environments - ZOO KEEPER

Design a suitable enclosure
Zoo Manager - Running a Zoo (Created by Werribee Open Range Zoo Vic)
Zoo Mathematics
Zoo Jobs: Smithsonian's National Zoo
Zoo related topics for Economics, Geography, Business Studies and Biology (created by Taronga Zoo)
Websites, Games & Apps

Design a suitable enclosure

 Primary Middle

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Sustainability Priority

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. You are the co-manager of a famous Zoo, and a rare species of animal is coming to your zoo. These animals are all Australian and are endangered.

a. The Corroboree Frog

b. Koala

c. Gouldian Finch

d. Numbat

Soon as co-managers [a pair of students], you will need to look up this rare species and find out about:

a. Their habitat
b. Their food
c. The space they require - the area
d. The types of stimulus that they would need in a zoo environment
e. The number needed in a group for them to remain healthy

2. However, before that can happen, you need to look at the following decisions that the Chester Zoo had to undertake for their Enclosure Design for the Painted Dog enclosure in the video below.

Teacher ZooLex Gallery - shows the stages, description, size, costs, construction, plants, features,  & more. Very complex and detailed. Look up this document first before you view the videos.

YouTube: Building the Painted Dog Exhibit at Chester Zoo 2011 The video below is about the building of the Painted Dog exhibit from the very start of the process to its completion. https://youtu.be/RLZv5IA0Qcs

YouTube: New African Painted Dogs at Chester Zoo
https://youtu.be/TqJ3hE8bVTk

YouTube: African painted dog pups make playful debut at Chester Zoo 2018
https://youtu.be/baV1Z31Q7zg

This video [above] can only be watched on YouTube. Put the URL into a search engine and it will come up.

3. Write down the process or the things you consider important to making a new enclosure for your animal. You are to note down the mathematics involved - the size, shape, materials and their costs. Check with a partner - what other areas is mathematics involved when making this new enclosure?

What things did you learn? How will this help with your decision making?

4. You are to design an enclosure for ONE of the following animals. Choose with your partner which animal you would like to investigate and design an enclosure. Use the resources to work out what you need in your enclosure.

Remember you need to find out:

As co-managers [a pair of students], look up this rare species and find out about:

a. Their habitat
b. Their food
c. The space they require - the area
d. The types of stimulus that they would need in a zoo environment
e. The number needed in a group for them to remain healthy

a. The Southern Corroboree Frog Corroboree Frog - Taronga Zoo Australian endangered species: Southern Corroboree Frog - The Conversation 2013 We name the 26 Australian frogs at greatest risk of extinction by 2040 - and how to save them - The Conversation 2021. There is an excellent table at the end of this article that students could convert into a graph.	(Source: The Conversation)
b. Koala Koala - National Geographic Frozen sperm and assisted reproduction: time to pull out all stops to save the endangered koala - The Conversation 2022 Koalas are feeling the heat, and we need to make some tough choices to save our furry friends - The Conversation 2016 Why do we love koalas so much? Because they look like baby humans - The Conversation 2021	(Source: WWF)
c. Gouldian Finch Gouldian Finch Australian Wildlife Conservancy World Wildlife Fund - Gouldian Finch	(Source: Birdsville)
d. Numbat Numbat World Wildlife Fund - Numbat Project Numbat	(Source: Zooborns)

4. As your animal is from a different climate, you must create a habitable home for this animal. Using what you have learnt from Chester Zoo and their Painted Dog Enclosure Design, design a suitable and comfortable enclosure for your rare animal. Tally up the mathematics involved as much as possible.

5. Give reasons as to why you chose your animals.

What did you learn about your animal that you found most interesting? Share with another pair of students.

6.

As a class, debate

"Should endangered animals be saved?"

Teacher

Extra Option

Taronga Zoo also has a "Design an Exhibit" based on a visit to the zoo. There are some excellent activities that as a teacher you could adopt in your classroom. One in particular is a Case Study on the Southern Corroboree Frog - Interpreting a Graph of Population Numbers.

* Exhibit Design for a Modern Zoo - Years 7 - 10 [23pages PDF]

* Local copy of Exhibit Design for a Modern Zoo [23 pages PDF]

Optional Extra:

Zoo SA - Enclosure Design - based on visit to zoo. Primary students only.
Teacher's Guide & Student handouts
Local Copy

Zoo Manager - Running a Zoo (created by Werribee Open Range Zoo, Vic)

Primary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Sustainability Priority

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher:

Teaching Guide (Local copy - PDF 11 pages)

Concept: Managers need new ideas that help them continue to keep people safe and provide a
fun experience for visitors.
  
This STEM Teaching Guide will help Year 5-6 students find solutions to this big and real world challenge. They will develop their STEM skills and knowledge through an engineering framework called Design Thinking.

Challenge: Students are to improve the zoo.

Target: STEM Years 5 - 6 students; Teams of up to 6 students

Length: Unit of Work: 1- 3 weeks or 10 weeks (adapted)

Links to Victorian Curriculum

Ideally completed after a visit to the zoo but could be completed after visiting any zoo. There are various resources listed within document.

Adding an Indigenous Priority would also be a good idea.

Zoo Mathematics (Created by Taronga Zoo & NSW Education)

Primary Middle

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Teacher

Before you get your students to start these activities, you might want to get the students to watch the following Australian video:

 YouTube: Maths: Make your career count - Zoo Keeper (4mins)
https://youtu.be/y-8WBarKFVA

Teacher

Teacher's Notes - Years 5 - 6 (Created by Taronga Zoo & NSW Education)

Activities are:

• Prices of food, transport, itinerary, estimation of distance
• Weighing animals - graph, trends,
• Animal diets for Ringtail Possums: fractions, pie chart
• Transporting animals at the Zoo: Volume,
• 3D objects at the Zoo: Taronga TV - Elephant and Tiger Live Cameras: spot 3D objects; Design
• Keeping up with the cubs: Compare and Contrast
• Animal patterns: Giraffe's skin pattern
• A Zookeeper's schedule: 24 hour clock

Teacher's Notes - Years 7 - 8 (Created by Taronga Zoo & NSW Education)

Activities are:

• Planning food
• Itinerary for the day - Cartesian Plane, Estimation of distance
• Weighing animals
• Animal diets: calculate, fractions
• 3D Objects - Chimpanzees' exhibit: Tiger Cam, Seal Cam, Elephant Cam; Design a new enclosure for a reptile or Chimp
• Keeping up with the cubs
• Animal patterns: Giraffe
• A zookeeper's schedule

Additional Work from Whipsnade Zoo: Zoo Keeper Mathematics (Internet)

Student Worksheets (2 pages) - local copy

Activities:

• Vaccinations calculations
• Weight; ratio; mean age

Zoo Jobs: Smithsonian's National Zoo: The Secret World of Zoo Jobs

Primary Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Teacher

Teacher's Guide [PDF - local copy] to go with the following four videos

Jobs:

• Small Mammal Biologist
  https://youtu.be/QWWLtG3J_TI
    
• An Endocrine Researcher
  https://youtu.be/gga5pxntMow
    
• Landscape Architect
  https://youtu.be/3tJkOjXqQQM
     
• Zoo Curator
  https://youtu.be/O-3CGnc-P9E

Zoo related topics for Economics, Geography, Business Studies and Biology (created by Taronga Zoo)

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Teacher

The following three activities can be conducted through the Zoo only:

* Tourism - Years  11 - 12 Economics; Geography

* Heredity & Genetic Change - Years 11 - 12 Biology

*Observing Animal Behaviour - Years 11 - 12 Biology

 The following activities can be found online or as PDFs

Business Studies using PDF and can be carried out at school

* It's Zoo Business - Years 11 - 12 Business Studies [PDF] Carry out a SWOT analysis

Local copy - It's Zoo Business [PDF 16 pages]


Biology for Years 11 - 12

Perth Zoo - Brilliant Biodiversity - Years 11 - 12 - Biology
Teacher's Guide - Local copy
Student Handouts - Local copy

* Perth Zoo - The Cold Shoulder Year 12 - Homeostasis - Biology

Teacher's Guide - Local copy
Student Handouts - Local copy

Websites, Games & Apps

Tiger Adventures: Primary Middle Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability Tiger on the Loose Zoo Tiger Save the Tiger! Tracking the Tiger Trade Survive! Choose your own adventure!	Word Jumbles     Primary Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy                                                   How well do you know your animals? Jumbled names of animals are given with a clue. Very easy.
Project Noah Primary Middle Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking "Become a citizen scientist and share your observations of wildlife. Take pictures of animals you see with your portable device and use Project Noah to identify them and share them in a worldwide database. Teachers who register have access to educational resources and the ability to set up classes with missions to help them understand the importance of biodiversity." (Source: Learning Reviews)	Taronga Zoo - Learning Resources Primary Middle Most of these resources are based on a visit to the Zoo. Virtual lessons * Predator & Prey - Years 5 - 6 Science [PDF] * Exhibit Design for a Modern Zoo - Years 7 - 10 [PDF] * Environmental Change & Management - Years 9 - 10 Geography Secondary * Tourism - Years  11 - 12 Economics; Geography * It's Zoo Business - Years 11 - 12 Business Studies [PDF] Carry out a SWOT analysis Local copy - It's Zoo Business [PDF 16 pages] * Heredity & Genetic Change - Years 11 - 12 Biology *Observing Animal Behaviour - Years 11 - 12 Biology
Learning Resources - Dept of Education WA Middle * Animal Adaptations - Years 7 - 10 Secondary * Perth Zoo - Brilliant Biodiversity - Years 11 - 12 - Biology * Perth Zoo - The Cold Shoulder Year 12 - Homeostasis - Biology

Did You Know? The San Diego Zoo in California has the largest collection of animals in the world. (Source: Useless Facts) What city in Australia has the largest zoo? Melbourne Zoo, Victoria, is Australia's oldest zoo. Significant historic features such as the design of the Main Walk and an early 20th Century menagerie exhibit are preserved in an historic zone so visitors are able to measure the great improvements which have been achieved since the zoo opened in 1862. The zoo displays a representative sample of the world's fauna and flora in a series of bioclimatic (or habitat) zones and boasts 350 animal species on 22 hectares of grounds and enclosures. Read more about Australian Zoos.