LA Zoo - Engineering Exploration - Jake Dickerman
Reviewed by: Jacob Dickerman - Environmental Science, Chemistry and Physics Teacher - Ulysses S. Grant College Prep and Digital Arts Magnet
Location:
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 644 - 4200
Description:
The LA Zoo is a fantastic trip to bring your biology kids to, but it's also fantastic for introducing design and engineering concepts to your Environmental Science students. The goal of this field trip is to have your students see how they can create small versions of biomes, to have them try to imagine why a particular habitat might need reengineering and why. This trip could potentially help your students see how engineering is prevalent in all environments and to help them see how problems are solved in the field.
Audience:
An environmental science student would benefit by getting to explore how humans can create versions of biomes for the benefit of living species and to consider what tools were used to create these biomes. A biology teacher could use this trip to try to bring some ESS DCIs into their biology class.
This trip could also benefit a chemistry teacher who wants to think about the sorts of materials used in the construction of animal habitats and try to figure out why the specific choices used by the engineers who built these habitats are there.
Science Concepts Addressed:
HS-ETS1-3.
HS-LS2-7.
Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offsthat account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.*
Before they Go
Before students go to the zoo, their job will be to research three different animals at the LA Zoo, each from a different biome. Students must walk into the zoo knowing
What are their animals' diets?
What sorts of climates are those animals used to?
What sorts of vegetation are in these animals native areas?
Are these communal creatures?
How much space do these animals tend to use for their habitats?
Students should have also read the article below:
Study Guide:
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Photographs:
