Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Documents AuthorsPeter de Lisle, Hilton College, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. Understand and apply the related key concepts of “Biome”, “Biodiversity” and “Adaptation”. Learn referencing skills in Word. Learn basic graphic design skills in PhotoShop. Practice creative writing. Objectives Bing Search, MS Word, Office Web App - Excel, Adobe PhotoShop. Software DescriptionLearners worked with the concepts of “Biome” and “Biodiversity”, and then explored resources relating to the various biomes. They applied this by collaboratively creating a matrix of Biome information. They then created a concept design for a computer game by creating a context (biome) in which the game could take place, and an adversary (a specially adapted creature) to inhabit the biome. An exhibition of these concepts was held, and it was judged by Biology Department staff. Finally they wrote a story of a mission in their game. They also went on a field trip to a locally situated forest biome, and attended a biodiversity conference held at our school. Learning Areas Biology, Geography, English, ICT Levels Grade 8 (Age 14 yrs)Biome, Biodiversity, Adaptation, Referencing Keywords Project Overview

Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Teacher Planning and Management This is the International Year of Biodiversity, and our school is in the process of getting its Green Flag environmental status. As we are situated on a large, beautiful estate, all these factors led us to believe that a Biodiversity project would be a good idea. Click the documents below to help you understand more fully the context of this exemplary learning project: Background & Planning: A picture of the origin and objectives of the learning project, including the manner in which the project was planned and managed. Classroom Images: Images of the classroom to give you a better feeling for how the project was implemented. Documents

Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Teaching Resources Student Project Overview: Learners used various thinking and research tools to get a general understanding of the key concepts “biome” and “biodiversity”. They made use of a number of different online materials to think about and discover more detailed information about the various world biomes. They used a collaborative spreadsheet tool to summarise the main points and come to an evaluative conclusion about the best biome to live in. They learned and made use of creativity tools to express their new understanding in a fun way by creating a biome as a context for a computer game, and by designing a suitably adapted creature to live in it. In conclusion they wrote a short story narrating an adventure in their biome. Documents

Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Assessment and Standards Click the documents below to see the assessment rubrics and standards cover in this learning project: Assessment Rubrics: Examples of assessment rubrics provided to students showing how the project was assessed. Mapping the Standards: Mapping this project’s learning objectives against curriculum standards. Documents

Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Teacher and School Information Hilton College is a well-resourced, boys-only, all-boarding secondary school. It is situated on a beautiful estate in the countryside outside Pietermaritzburg, Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa. The school property includes a large nature reserve area. I am the Head of ICT at the school. I teach Information Literacy (together with our Librarian), and English. I also work with teachers to develop their use of ICT. See for more info. Location Information Location Information

Biodiversity: Creatures & Contexts Teacher/School Info Assessment & Standards Teaching Resources Teacher Planning Project Overview Hilton College, near Pietermaritzburg 1 hour drive from Durban Hilton College Campus Hilton College Estate Teacher and School Information (contd)