This website describes the materials designed, developed and tested during the first phase of the project. One pilot software module was developed for this feasibility study that includes many features of the proposed prototype of Urban Habitats. The content was designed for children to learn about living things that they might find in an urban environment. This pilot module is entitled: Who tipped over the bird bath?
Below is a screen shot of the main environment of the software. It represents a vacant city lot in Southern California.

If one looks closely one can see some of the “signs”, like foot prints, a feather, etc. of living organisms. In the software the cat and the scrub jay are animated.

The software contains a field guide that contains text, audio, pictures, and short videos. Field guide screen shot:

There is also a reference for teachers for further in depth information on the animals and plants as well as an introductory video.

The evaluation (please see progress report for Urban Habitats; SBIR Phase I Grant #: 1 R43RR24086-1) of this first module of the software started with a pretest to find out what students already knew and it concluded with a posttest to see what had been learned by the students.

Lesson Plan

Objectives of the lesson were:

• To investigate the biodiversity (variety of species) of animals and plants that live in the city

• To understand that the vacant city lot provides habitats for a variety of organisms (a habitat provides all the things living organisms need to survive and reproduce: food, water, space, air, sunshine, and shelter)

• To research the exchange of energy and materials between these organisms (producers, consumers, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, decomposers)

• To recognize and understand the role of these organisms in the vacant city lot food web

• To understand that the energy for living organisms comes from the sun and enters the food web through green plants

• To learn that a group of living and non-living things that interact and depend on each other is called an ecosystem.

• To utilize and incorporate science-related vocabulary into oral and written work in a manner that shows a deep understanding of the terminology

Step 1: Discussion and introductory video. One teacher started the lesson by asking students what types of animals and plants they have observed living in the city. Examples included dogs, cats, pigeons, crows, squirrels at the park, trees, flowers, bushes etc. This was followed by a short discussion of what these organisms need to live in the city. Animals need food, water, shelter, air. Plants need sunshine, water, soil, air…and where they might find these things.

The teacher then explained that the students will investigate who lives in the virtual vacant city lot and who might have tipped over a bird bath that is found there. The teacher used the introductory video to present to the students the concepts of biodiversity, ecosystems, habitats, food webs, etc. (This video focuses on vertebrates that live in the city.)

Step 2: Software. In the lesson, students used the software and a hand-out to list all the animals and plants they see, hear, or find signs of within the virtual environment that could have tipped over the bird bath. Then they investigated -by using the information available in the multimedia field guide- how each of the animals obtains food (energy) to live (fostering an understanding of food webs and ecosystems).

Grades 3-5 used a glossary to construct sentences with the new vocabulary they encountered in the software. Screen shot of software glossary:

A Quizz Game for practicing vocabulary was also developed. Screen shot:

Links:

Teacher Materials

Introductory video

Grade K-1 pre-posttests

Grade 2 pre-posttests

Grade 3-4 pre-posttests

Lesson hand-outs Grade K-4

Copyright 2008 Kinder Magic Software 7/15/2009