Panda Curriculum Guides for Grades 9-12
Activity Overview and Objectives
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Activity 1
Investigating
Behavior and Interdependence
Combining "fieldwork" and research, students will
gain a better understanding of animal behavior and interdependence,
through their focus on the interaction between two chosen
species.
Activity 2
Biomes
Students will learn the term and different types of biomes.
They will map out China's major biomes and select one on which
to report, learning about plants and animals that live there.
Starting with a discussion of giant pandas and their temperate
forest habitat, this activity will likely broaden your students'
horizons, helping them begin to picture the vast range of
habitats and creatures living in China.
Activity 3
Giant
Panda Landscape Activity
Students will juggle land-use planning issues relating to
giant pandas and their interdependence with bamboo and other
habitat characteristics, in the process learning about habitat
fragmentation and other threats to giant pandas and other
wildlife.
Activity 4
Islands
of Uniqueness
Starting from classroom discussions of giant pandas and other
Chinese wildlife, students will learn the terms divergence,
endemism, and biological evolution and apply their budding
knowledge of these topics through their investigations of
remote corners of the globe famed for unique animals.
Activity 5
Panda
Short Story
Students will draw upon their creativity and writing skills
to write a short story that incorporates at its core a panda
metaphor.
Activity 6
Bamboo
Students will learn about bamboo, its diversity, distribution,
importance to giant pandas, and its many uses for humanity.
They will report or speak on one selected aspect.
Activity 7
Giant
Panda Behavior Watch
While at the Zoo, students will choose and observe one of
the Zoo's giant pandas and three other species. They will
present their data and compare rates of the various observed
activities among the species.
Activity 8
What
is an Endangered Species?
Drawing upon their eye for detail and research talents, students
will research the national and international laws protecting
an endangered species of their choice.
Activity 9
The
Bear Facts
By comparing and contrasting the natural history and threats
facing giant pandas and another of the world's bear species,
students will gain a better understanding of the animals and
better appreciate their differences.
Activity 10
Reintroductions
By researching the reintroduction of a wild animal, students
will learn more about the costs of habitat destruction and
of putting wildlife back from whence it came. Students will
select a wild animal, report on its background
(past), conservation efforts (present), and future.
Activity 11
Giant
Panda Reintroduction Debate
By debating the pros and cons of giant panda reintroduction
possibilities, students will appreciate the complicated, ometimes
controversial efforts involved in saving a species in this
modern era.
Activity 12
Zoos:
Past and Present
Through surveys and research, students will learn about the
evolution of zoos, from menageries to educational and conservation
institutions.
Activity 13
AI,
DNA Fingerprinting, and Cryopreservation
Students will investigate three modern techniques that geneticists
use to breed endangered animals and identify them. Students
will then follow up with coverage of how these techniques
help people.
