Lesson Plan

Lesson 8: WildCam Gorongosa Data Analysis

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

How do scientists analyze data to get a specific answer to a question? The final chapter in an eight-part series of activities centered around Gorongosa National Park encourages scholars to dig deeper into the scientific process. After using spreadsheet technology to sort their data, individuals answer a practice question using it and then create a testable question of their own that can be answered by their observations of park camera images.

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Instructional Ideas
  • Make this the culminating lesson the summative assessment for your ecology unit
  • Have the class answer a question they previously generated during other lessons in the series, or propose a new question for the study
Classroom Considerations
  • Schedule computer lab time if you plan to complete the data analysis on Excel or Google Sheets
  • Individuals can pool data and complete the lesson in small groups
Pros
  • Pupils get practice using metadata to help identify and sort the characteristics of the animals they choose to study
  • The activity puts the class in a very realistic research setting
Cons
  • None