Exploring Field Studies:

From Field Trips to Exit Projects

WCS-BRONX ZOOwelcomes you to Cycle 3!

Rebecca Wilson, WCS- Bronx Zoorwilson@wcs.org

UA LEAD TEACHERS:Mitch Goodkin: drgoodkin@aol.comBetty Picpican: bettypicpican@msn.comSephali Ray: sephali@gmail.com

We’re here to help!

Overview of Cycle 3:

• Day 1: Forming Investigable Questions» What is a Field Study? How is it different from

the other types of Exit Projects?

• Day 2: Tools for Collecting Data, Field Trip Boot Camp and Evaluating Exit Projects

Upon completion of Cycle 3,You will be able to:

• Understand an animal well enough to generate a question and hypothesis.

• Learn how to create and use an ethogram to collect data.

• Evaluate Exit Projects based on criteria for solid scientific design components.

Pop Quiz:

What are the four types

of Exit Projects?

Controlled Experiment

Design Project

Field Study

Secondary Research

Exit Project

What is a “Field Study?”

•Turn to an elbow partner.•Have each person speak about what comes to mind for 30 seconds. Then switch partners.•Group will share out in 1 minute.

60 second Think/Pair/Share Instructions:

Simply defined Learner’s

Teacher’s Perspective

Standards

Field Study

Perspective

What is a field study?

The scientific study of wild animals in which the subjects are observed in their natural environment or a zoo setting, without changing, harming, or altering the setting or behavior of the animals being studied.

It’s a fancy way of saying:

• We watch animals.

• We record what they do without interacting with them.

Simply defined Learner’s

Teacher’s Perspective

Standards

Field Study

Perspective

NYC Performance Standards

• 2 Life Science Concepts: Demonstrates understanding of regulation and behavior response to stimuli

• 5. Scientific Thinking: Frames questions to distinguish cause and effect; and identifies or controls variables.

• 6. Scientific Tools and Technologies: Uses technology to observe and measure organisms, directly, indirectly, and remotely. Collects and analyzes data using concepts in Mathematics Standard 4. Acquires information from multiple sources. Recognizes sources of bias in data.

7. Scientific Communication: Represents data and results in multiple ways. Explains a scientific concept or procedure to other students. Communicates in a form suited to the purpose/audience.

•8: Scientific Investigation: Demonstrates competence by completing a field study, design project or secondary research.

Simply defined Learner’s

Teacher’s Perspective

Standards

Field Study

Perspective

Teacher’s Perspective1. Pre-trip Planning.

Does the student understand vocabulary?

2. Question Development.Is my student’s question logistically possible?How can we transform weaker questions into a stronger, possible study?

3. Post-trip assessment.Does this project have all the elements of a solid, scientific inquiry?

Simply defined Learner’s

Teacher’s Perspective

Standards

Field Study

Perspective

That’s why you’re here!

Introducing Ethograms:Card Game Activity

Your Mission:

1. When everyone has a card.2. Read your assignment

silently3. Turn over your card face

down and begin!4. Don’t show anyone your

card!

Ethology:Measuring Behavior

What is ETHOLOGY?

What is ethology?

• Ethology is the comparative study of animal behavior.

What is behavior?

• An animal’s response to stimuli.

• The movements and actions of animals.

• What an animal does and why it does it.

Why study Behavior?

• Understand how animals live to help protect them– Design protected areas– Better zoos and animal care– Understand ecology and species interactions– Improve captive breeding

• Understand animals to better understand ourselves

How do we study behavior?

questions

hypothesis

background researchand/or

observations

Getting Started: Overview

1. Choose a study animal. 2. Record initial observations

and field notes in journal.3. Determine a question.4. Create a basic ethogram.5. Generate and test the

hypothesis.

Choose a Study Animal

Things to Think About:

1. You should choose an animal that can be reliably found and observed.

2. Consider the speed and how the animal moves. (This will assist in choosing a time interval later.)

AD LIBITUM sampling

• An informal, note-taking procedure of as many behavior patterns as you see.

• Be as descriptive as possible.

Asking Questions:

Two questions that can be easily measured in a zoo setting are:

1. How does the animal use it’s exhibit space?

2. What is the animal doing in it’s exhibit space?

How are these questions different?

Think.

Pair.

Share!

Ethogram• A qualitative

description of an animal’s normal behavior becomes quantitative data.

• An inventory of an animal’s behavior.

• A list of behaviors

Measuring Behavior = Sampling

Who?

Focal or Group

How?

• Continuous – All occurrences

• Discontinuous– Instantaneous– Scan

Forming Behavioral Questions

1. Work with what is available.

2. Start simple.

3. Avoid using human attributes and judgments to describe.

Questions?(That’s what today is all about!)