Welcome to Week 1 of GO WILD!
The first day of this programme is an opportunity for your pupils to connect to their local environment wherever they are. We have created a video to introduce the programme as a whole but also today’s activities with an opportunity for your pupils to discover that at Chester Zoo we are working as hard for native species as we are for all the species we work with and that we have some pretty awesome species right here in the UK.
DOWNLOAD – GO WILD – Week 1 – Detective Week! – RESOURCE PACK
Resource pack includes:
- Week 1 – Step-by-step Guide for Educators
- Printable resources
- Links to video content
Step 1: Introduction Video
The first day of this programme is an opportunity for your pupils to connect to their local environment wherever they are.
To start the session, play our video to introduce the topic to your learners.
Resources & links:
Wildlife connections song and notation
Wildlife connections singalong video
Step 2: Why are native species important
This is an opportunity for your pupils to discover that at Chester Zoo we are working as hard for native species as we are for all the species we work with and that we have some pretty awesome species right here in the UK.
Complete the native species blog comprehension.
Share the link to our native species fact file collection.
Can your pupils create a fact file for a native species not already included?
Resources and links:
UK Wildlife Expedition Comprehension Task
Native Species Fact Files Collection
Step 3: Prepare to survey
Time to start thinking about how to complete a wildlife survey, what they might look for, how they might record data, what equipment they might need and more!
Share the Wildlife recording word search
Discussion questions for group work or to share with your pupils to think about:
- Where might be the best places to look for wildlife?
- If you can’t see any animals is there any other way to know if they have been in the area?
- It’s not just animals that you are looking for, what other wildlife might you be able to record?
- When might be the best time to record wildlife (through the day and the year)
- What equipment might be useful (don’t worry if you don’t have it there will be plenty to see and there are ways of recording even when you don’t know what something is)
- What information could you collect as part of a wildlife survey?
- How might you present the information you collect?
Share our how to record wildlife video with the option to discuss anything that was not covered in your previous discussion
Resources and links:
Step 4: Get outdoors and surveying
There is good evidence to suggest that a connection to the natural world enhances well-being so we would love for your pupils to get outdoors and connect with the environment where they are. Our introductory survey encourages the use of more than just sight to discover what is living locally. There will be the opportunity for more detailed surveys and data collection in Step 6
Share the wildlife recording sheet for you pupils to complete*.
(*please include appropriate safety information for the age of your pupils)
Resources and links:
Step 5: Share what you found
An opportunity for your pupils to share what they experienced, this could be through live discussion, message boards or sharing completed survey sheets.
Step 6: A bit more detail (and get outside again)
Now that your pupils have started to discover what wildlife is sharing their environment they can choose a more detailed survey to complete. We have provided some additional survey materials in our resources and links, but they could choose to look at plants or something else appropriate to where they are. How long you ask your pupils to survey for is entirely up to you as well.
Share survey and ID sheets.
Resources and links:
15 minute ideas for immersing yourself in local nature (Resource created by our partners, RECORD.
Step 6b: Extension
If materials and resources are available why not have ago at our UK birds food investigation too
Step 7: But what about the species we can’t see or don’t cross paths with.
Not all wildlife is out and about during the day so how can we discover what nocturnal wildlife is active in our area? Here are some activities you could have a go at if resources and materials allow or perhaps your pupils could design their own footprint tunnels with the materials they have at home. Maybe they can research other ways to survey wildlife at night.
Share – Who has been visiting my garden?
Share – ‘How to build a footprint tunnel’
Share – Marvellous moths ID sheet.
Share – Moth recording sheet.
Resources and links:
How to build a footprint tunnel
Who has been visiting my garden
Step 8 And finally…
We really hope you have enjoyed this first session of our Go Wild programme and are looking forward to session 2. We would love to hear and see what you and your pupils have got up to today so don’t forget to share this with us and inspire other educator colleagues.
Join our Conservation Education & Engagement Facebook Community Group
Use #GoWildwithCZ
Before you go…
Just a reminder before you go that if any of your pupils have questions or if you would like to delve a little deeper into the subject…
We have created a Go Wild Virtual Workshop to complement this programme. The session delves a little deeper into the world of our native species and the conservation work that is going on at Chester Zoo. We have designed this interactive session to fit in at any stage of the programme.
We also have our 25 minute Ask Chester Zoo workshops that are perfect to give your pupils the opportunity to ask any questions to us that may arise during the course of your Go Wild project.