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Scientific Inquiry and Data Analysis Using WildCam Gorongosa

Sable antelope

Topic

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Ecology
  • Populations
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Data Analysis

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Lessons

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
32 Users
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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

One to three 50-minute class periods.

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

Date Published 04.03.18
Date Updated 04.30.20

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

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Educator Materials (PDF) 242 KB
Student Handout (PDF) 541 KB
Excel PC Tutorial (PDF) 298 KB
Excel Mac Tutorial (PDF) 350 KB
Google Sheets Tutorial (PDF) 326 KB

Additional Materials

Internet connection to access WildCam Gorongosa

Use This Resource With

Interactive Media Resource
WildCam Gorongosa
Interactive Media Resource
WildCam Lab

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Gorongosa Data Activities

Kim Parfitt describes two activities (now merged into the activity “Scientific Inquiry and Data Analysis Using WildCam Gorongosa”) associated with the WildCam Gorongosa project. She also discusses a short film on lion populations in Gorongosa that she uses to introduce the topic.
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This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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Teaching Ecology Using Gorongosa National Park
Teaching Ecology Using Gorongosa National Park
6 Resources
By: BioInteractive
HHMI BioInteractive
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