Scientific Inquiry and Data Analysis Using WildCam Gorongosa

Resource Type
Description
In this activity, students will be guided through making observations using trail camera data collected in Gorongosa National Park, developing and investigating a scientifically testable research question, and analyzing their results.
This activity accompanies “WildCam Gorongosa,” an online citizen science platform for identifying animals photographed by motion-detecting trail cameras in Gorongosa National Park. The WildCam Lab is a part of WildCam Gorongosa, where students can view trail camera data on a map, filter, and download the data to investigate scientific questions. In this activity, students will download data from the WildCam Lab to conduct a scientific investigation.
The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
Student Learning Targets
- Develop testable ecological questions based on an available data set.
- Formulate hypotheses and predictions about the questions that they posed.
- Select and analyze data to investigate their questions.
- Analyze data and describe trends to investigate their questions.
- Communicate the results of their inquiry and generate new questions based on their findings.
Estimated Time
Key Terms
abundance, biodiversity, ecosystem, grassland, habitat, hypothesis, limestone gorge, observation, prediction, savanna, vegetation type, woodland
Terms of Use
The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.
Version History
NGSS (2013)
HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-8; SEP1, SEP4
AP Biology (2019)
ENE-4.A, SYI-1.G; SP1, SP3, SP4
IB Biology (2016)
4.1, C.1, C.2
AP Environmental Science (2020)
Topic(s): 2.1, 3.5
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-3.F, ERT-2.A, SP4, SP5
IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)
2.1, 2.2
Common Core (2010)
ELA.RST.9-12.7, WHST.9-12.7
Math.S-IC.3, N-Q.A.3; MP.2, MP.4
Vision and Change (2009)
CC5; DP1, DP2
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