ALEX Learning Activity

  

Zoo Summer Camp Mystery

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Carol McLaughlin
System:Hoover City
School:Greystone Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 1616
Title:
Zoo Summer Camp Mystery
Digital Tool/Resource:
K-2 Digital Breakout
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This activity is a digital breakout to enhance a unit with animal standards or for classes that have a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo. It can be used before or after the field trip or during the unit. It is an activity that will build collaborative and critical thinking. It can be used as a whole group activity for K-2 classrooms or for teachers/classrooms that are not familiar to digital breakouts. It can be an activity for small groups in K-5 rooms if students are familiar with digital breakouts. 

This Learning Activity was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo. 

  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 1
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • will find and collect information about a topic using a computing device.
  • will use key words about a topic in a search engine to find information about that topic.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • video
  • text
  • image
  • webpage
  • ebook
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • search engines help to locate information.
  • computers give access to many different forms of information.
  • devices can record pictures, drawings, videos, and text.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • choose and type or say key words and phrases into a search engine which results in specific information pertaining to a topic when given support and guidance from an adult.
  • find information about a specific topic or to answer a specific question using a digital resource such as a webpage, ebook, and/or video when given support and guidance from an adult.
  • record their learning into a digital device using video, text, and/or pictures/drawings when given support and guidance from an adult.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • a search engine will find specific resources and information using key words.
  • answers to questions can be found in many different digital resources such as a webpages, ebooks, and/or video.
  • they can show what they have learned using a digital resource such as video, text, and or pictures/drawings.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 2
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • will find and collect information about a specific topic using a digital tool.
  • will use key words in a search engine to find information out about a specific topic.
  • will use search techniques, such as using a + sign or quotations, to make the search more specific.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • video
  • text
  • image
  • webpage
  • ebook
  • search engine
  • key words
  • phrases
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • search engines use key words and phrases to find specific information.
  • devices give access to many different forms of information.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • choose and type key words and phrases into a search engine that results in specific information pertaining to a topic when given support and guidance from an adult.
  • use + symbol which combines to words/phrases and quotation marks which tell the search engine to look for an entire phrase.
  • find information about a specific topic or to answer a specific question using a digital resource such as a webpage, ebook, and/or video.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • a search engine will find specific resources and information for you based on key words.
  • answers to questions can be found in many different digital resources such as a webpages, ebooks, and/or video.
  • one can focus a search by using the + symbol and quotation marks around words or phrases one wishes to search for as a whole.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 3
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students will:
  • locate information from digital sources to answer research questions.
  • curate information to present or share with others.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • that information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • how to use resources to organize information.
  • how to use resources to present or share with others.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT (
  • ), and quotation marks.
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
Mathematics
MA2019 (2019)
Grade: 1
2. Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20 by using concrete objects, drawings, or equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Compute the sum of three whole numbers using a variety of representations such as concrete objects, drawings, or equations.
  • Explain and justify the answer using the representations.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Concrete objects
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • how to solve for addition by using strategies and understanding the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • efficiently apply strategies for solving multiple addend problems.
  • Use symbols to represent unknown quantities in equations.
  • Accurately compute sums.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • more than two quantities can be combined in a problem.
Diverse Learning Needs:
Essential Skills:
Learning Objectives:
M.1.2.1: Solve addition word problems with sums less than or equal to 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
M.1.2.2: Understand key words in addition word problems.
Examples: sum, all together, how many more, in all.
M.1.2.3: Define addition as combining groups of objects, adding to, or putting together.
M.1.2.4: Represent addition with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds, acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
M.1.2.5: Represent numbers with objects or drawings.
M.1.2.6: Use objects to combine groups.

Prior Knowledge Skills:
  • Understand key words in addition and subtraction word problems.
    Examples: all together, how many more, how many are left, in all.
  • Represent numbers with objects or drawings.
  • Separate sets with nine or fewer objects.
  • Combine objects to form sets up to nine.
  • Represent addition and subtraction with objects, pictures, fingers, or sounds within twenty.
  • Understand addition as putting together and subtraction as taking from.
  • Establish one-to-one correspondence between numbers and objects.
  • Rote count to 20.
  • Notice same/different and some/all.
  • Establish one-to-one correspondence between numbers and objects.
  • Point to matching or similar objects.

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
M. AAS.1.1 Represent addition as "add to/put together" and subtraction as "take from/take apart" with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, or verbal explanations (limited to 10).


English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: K
2. Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
2.
  • Actively engage
  • Teacher-led reading experiences
  • Collaborative discussions
  • Background knowledge
  • Peers
Knowledge:
2. Students know:
  • How to engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge.
Skills:
2. Students are able to:
  • Build background knowledge by actively engaging in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers.
Understanding:
2. Students understand that:
  • They need to build background knowledge to be successful as they learn to read and read to learn.
  • They need to actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and discussions with peers to build their background knowledge.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 1
42. Participate in shared research and writing projects to answer a question or describe a topic.

a. Recall information from experiences to contribute to shared research and writing projects.

b. Gather information from provided sources.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
42.
  • Participate
  • Shared research projects
  • Shared writing projects
  • Question
  • Describe
  • Topic
42a.
  • Recall information
  • Experiences
  • Contribute
  • Shared research projects
  • Shared writing projects
42b.
  • Information
  • Sources
Knowledge:
42. Students know:
  • Research and writing projects can answer a question or describe a topic.
42a.
  • Information recalled from personal experiences can be used in research and writing projects.
42b.
  • Information can be gathered from a variety of sources.
Skills:
42. Students are able to:
  • Participate in shared research and writing projects.
  • Answer questions about a topic in writing.
  • Describe a topic in writing.
42a.
  • Recall information from previous experiences.
  • Contribute this information to shared research and writing projects.
42b.
  • Use strategies to gather information from provided sources to write about a topic.
Understanding:
42. Students understand that:
  • Shared research and writing projects can help answer questions or describe a topic.
42a.
  • Information gathered from personal experiences can be contributed to research and writing projects.
42b.
  • Information gathered from other sources can be contributed to research and writing projects.
Learning Objectives:

The students will:

  • use information on the digital breakout to solve problems.
  • analyze patterns and apply observations.
  • work collaboratively in groups for a common goal: breaking out.
  • build inferencing skills by reading the mystery and clues and then using these clues to solve the digital breakout.
  • enhance communication skills by working together in pairs, groups, or a whole class to complete and solve the digital breakout.
  • use high-order thinking skills and perseverance to solve the mystery/problem posed in the digital breakout.
  • solve word problems that call for the addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20. Students may use objects, a drawing, or equations to represent the problem.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
Before/Engage, After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:

**This activity is a great addition to an animal unit of study or as a culmination activity after the unit or a field trip to the zoo. 

The goal of the breakout is to use the skills in the learning objectives to analyze and apply information on the digital breakout to discover codes to unlock locks.

Teacher Directions: 

1. If students have not participated in a digital breakout, try this one called SOAR,  as a class. It is a great introduction into solving digital breakouts.  

2. After completing SOAR, discuss what strategies students needed to complete the breakout: cooperation, communication, perseverance, and problem-solving.

3. Introduce the Zoo Summer Camp Mystery digital breakout.  Explain to the students that they will need to work together to solve the mystery and breakout of this digital game. 

4. The teacher will project the game on the board/screen.  If you have older students, you may want to complete this in the computer lab or with students in pairs sharing a device.  (This shortened URL can be used to allow students to log in independently, or you can log them in: https://goo.gl/jwfdej.)

5. The teacher will read the mystery/story at the top of the digital breakout.  The teacher will ask: Do you notice anything that might give us a clue to solve the mystery? (Students will probably tell you to click the pictures or the hyperlinked word)

6.  Work through the digital breakout together. When you get to the "Giraffe Feeding", K-1 students may want to access math counters to solve it. Students may also use drawings to solve the problem.

7. After completing the digital breakout, discuss how the group improved from the first digital breakout (SOAR). 

Assessment Strategies:

The breakout has a self-checking feature built in and students/groups will be provided a confirmation screen at the end notifying that the group broke out successfully.  

Classes can evaluate their work during the process of breaking out with these questions:  

  • What was the most difficult part of this breakout?
  • Which part of the breakout made you proud to solve?
  • What skills did you need to complete this breakout?
  • How could we improve our communication skills in the next breakout? 

Advanced Preparation:

Before playing Breakout with the class, you may want to take the time to work through the Breakout yourself to have an understanding of how to play the Breakout. This is a teacher answer sheet with codes and where to find them in the Digital breakout: https://goo.gl/Kiqi7U.

DO NOT share answers with students.  Please allow them to use clues they discover to figure out the lock codes. 

Variation Tips (optional):

This Digital Breakout can be done as a whole group, in small groups, or individually. Before assigning this Digital Breakout in small groups or individually, I would highly recommend doing another breakout from the Digital Breakout site like Catch the Bus or Soar as a whole class, so students can understand the structure of a Digital Breakout.

Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: