Hands-on Activity Acting Out Animal Tracking:
Map-a-Buddy

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should understand the purpose and reasons for performing animal tracking. In addition, they should be able to comprehend and interpret the data from this foraging activity.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

Common Core State Standards - Math

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Materials List

• paper
• poster board, for the master map
• pens, markers and/or crayons of various colors
• candy, various types

Pre-Req Knowledge

• Graphing on a coordinate grid.
• Knowledge from the associated lesson Marine Animal Tracking aids students' understanding of this activity.

Introduction/Motivation

Why is it important to understand and perform animal tracking? (Listen to student ideas and then supplement, as necessary.) The information learned from animal tracking is used for commercial, conservation and scientific research. Economically, animal tracking data is used by fishing and ecotourism industries as means to locate marine organisms. Conservation organizations also rely on tracking data to determine animal spatial movements, thus influencing locations of urban development. Tracking data is frequently collected by researchers to gain knowledge of animal behavior such as migration between foraging, breeding and nursery grounds. For what other purposes might we apply animal tracking information? (Perhaps to determine ocean, gulf and bay shipping lanes that are less disturbing to animals, or for smarter urban planning for the same reason.)

In today's activity, you will be monitoring animal foraging behavior on a spatial scale. You will be paired up with another student to track one another over a pre-defined region. Let's get started!

Procedure

Background

In this interactive activity, students track one another over a pre-defined region as an example of monitoring animal foraging behavior on a spatial scale. Various candy types serve as a food source from which foraging behavior can be monitored. Students use pre-designed trail maps (maps that include the pre-determined candy trails). The initial trail should be composed of one type of candy with external branches composed of different candy types. Once encountering a branching point, a student must choose which direction to travel without straying from the chosen path. While a student is following the path, a fellow classmate records the foraging path on the provided map. After all the data is collected, students record their final foraging maps on the instructor's master map with a unique color. The master map enables students to compare various spatial movements over the habitat.

Before the Activity

Gather materials.

Prepare a master map to determine how to lay out the candy. Place the candy according to the map design.

With the students: (Note: Answers are included in procedures)

1. Divide the class into groups of two students each.
2. Each group member takes a turn being the recorder or forager. While one student is following the path, the other tracks and record the other student's progress on the map. Inform students that they should NOT collect the candy while on their journeys, but wait to receive the "rewards" of their foraging efforts until the activity end.
3. After each group completes the spatial mapping activity, each student records the data on the teacher's master map using different colored pens, markers or crayons.
4. As a class, query students about the different types of information and patterns that arose from the data. Look at the master map. Ask for observations. Review the many applications of animal tracking information, such as in relation to commercial, conservation and scientific research decisions. See additional questions in the Assessment section.

Vocabulary/Definitions

latitude: The angular distance north or south of the Earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on a map or globe.

longitude: Angular distance on the Earth's surface, measured east or west from the prime meridian at Greenwich, England, to the meridian passing through a position, expressed in degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds.

spatial location: Where an object or animal is located in space.

tracking: To observe or monitor the course of (animal, for example), as by radar.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

• Engage students in a discussion regarding knowledge on animal tracking.

• Encourage students to hypothesize why animal tracking is important and whether they think technologies can aid in species conservation.

Activity Embedded Assessment

• Did the students correctly follow the outlined procedure?

Post-Activity Assessment

Did the students gain an understanding on the importance of animal tracking?

• How does current tagging technology helpful in tracking animals?
• What does the candy in the activity represent?
• Give one example of a commercial use of animal tracking. (For example, fishing boats for food, fishing boats for recreation, SCUBA boats)
• Give one example of a conservation effort which could use this data. (For example, knowing which areas are sensitive and where laws may be necessary to help protect endangered species.)

Lead a concluding discussion to see if students were able to draw final conclusions regarding foraging behavior and the collection of spatial data. Ask the students:

• What factors determined the path of individual students? (candy preference) Do you think animals vary their migratory paths depending on preferences such as food availability?
• What are some of the problems and challenges associated with animal tracking technology? Why do we still not know migratory or traveling paths for many species?
• What might be some of the challenges engineers face as they design tracking devices and tracking systems to gather and map data of animal movements? What are your ideas?

Safety Issues

Confirm that students do not have food allergies to certain candy types. As necessary, replace candy with other items or objects.

Activity Extensions

Engage students in in-depth discussions on the impacts of urban development on animal movement. Choose a site on the master map to build an urban center and query students about the impacts on animal behavior.

Assign students to research the various types of tracking tags, tracking systems and other technologies designed by engineers to gather and map data of animal movements.

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

This content was developed by the MUSIC (Math Understanding through Science Integrated with Curriculum) Program in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. DGE 0338262. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the NSF, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.