Herpetologist - Research and Development - Fun Activities

Research and Development - HERPETOLOGIST

FrogID - Let's help!

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

1. Have you heard of the Australian Museum - FrogID app? "Croaks, whistles, bleats and barks - every frog species makes a different sound! By recording a frog call with our new app, FrogID, you can discover which frogs live around you and help us count Australia's frogs!"

Home | Australian Museum FrogID Project

2. It is so simple. Download the app and start recording any frog calls in your area.

3. If you want to identify the most common calls, read and listen to the following article from

The Conversation 28 December 2020 Read

4. Herpetologists across Australia are disturbed by the number of dead frogs turning up on the Eastern Coast of Australia. Read the following article from The Conversation 29 July 2021 Read

5. Read and list the importance of Frogs.

6. Write a short poem about Frogs.

Australian Endangered Species: Sea Snakes: Make a Presentation & a Kahoot!

Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, you are to read the following articles, one from The Conversation 21 February 2013 and one from ABC News 20 April 2021. Share the reading [a pair for each article] and then tell the other pair in your group what you have learnt.

ABC News Read
Sea snake feared locally extinct rediscovered in 'twilight zone' on Ashmore Reef

2. Look at the following issues:

a. Commercial fishing in the region

b. a definition of the twilight zone

c. reasons for new spotting of Sea Snake

d. how will the scientists find out if there are more Sea Snakes on Ashmore Reef

3. Create a map showing the region of Ashmore Reef

4. One pair is to create a presentation on the Sea Snake; and, the other pair is to create a Kahoot [10 questions at least ] on all you have discovered about the Sea Snake.

Snakes - Scary or Helpful? Academic Controversy Strategy

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

1. Check over the rules and process for Academic Controversy Strategy here.

2. Look over the following resources and decide which ones will provide your students with both sides of the argument.

The Conversation - Articles on Snakes

Ockham's Razor 3 April 2022

Get the students to use the activity "Snakes & Ladders" resources - under the Toxinologist/Toxicologist.

3. Divide the class into groups of 4 students.

4. Follow the rules of the Academic Controversy Strategy using the topic: Snakes - Scary or Helpful? [the topic could be changed to Australian Snakes - Scary or Helpful? if this suits your curriculum].

Another activities based on Australian Snakes can be found at:
the Toxicologist/Toxinologist

Toxicologist