Reptile House

Introduction

The Oakland Zoo needs help completing its new, state of the art reptile house, and you have been chosen to design the enclosures and choose which animals will be included in the collection!  The unique hexagonal shaped building will house terrestrial snakes and lizards from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.  Each perimeter wall will contain reptiles from a single continent, and all animals must be in the appropriate-sized enclosures that reflect their nautral habitats.  In addition, every continent must have at least one venomous reptile represented in the collection.  Good luck and remember, the success of the exhibit depends on you!

Task

The new Oakland Zoo Reptile House is shaped like a hexagon with each wall having a length of 20 feet and a height of 12 feet.  Assume the cages are recessed, so the depth of the cages does not impact the floor space available for visitors to the zoo.  Work in groups of 4 to complete the following tasks.

Task 1:  For each continent (Asia, Africa, North America, South American, Europe, and Australia,) choose 7 terrestrial snakes and/or lizards native to the environment.  Create a spreadsheet recording the following information for each reptile.

  • size
  • diet
  • habitat (dry or humid environment)
  • average temperature
  • lifespan
  • venomous?
  •  Calculate the size of enclosure needed for an individual animal. To determine the proper size, first note the average length of the reptile. A good rule of thumb is to allocate one square foot of floor space per foot of the reptile's length.  For example, a cage that is 3ft(height) x 2ft(length) x 2ft(depth) has 2ft x 2ft =  4 square feet of floor space and could accomodate a snake up to 4 feet long.

Task 2:  Choose the number and size of cages for each wall (and therefore continent) of reptiles. Try to include as many reptiles as possible and make sure at least one venomous reptile per continent is represented.  After designing the layout and specimens to be included in the reptile house, create a presentation to share your plans.  Be creative and informative!

Process

Task 1:  Many websites are available to research information on reptiles and their habitats.  The following sites may prove useful:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/facts/

http://worldwildlife.org/pages/wildfinder

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/

http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/content/reptiles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Reptile/by/rank/all

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AnimalIndex/reptiles.cfm

Use https://drive.google.com to create your spreadsheets.

When your spreadsheet is complete, share it with me before going on to the next task.

 

Task 2:  Information regarding enclosures can be found at the following website:  

www.cagesbydesign.com

Assume you will use Hybrid reptile cages.

For designing 3-D layouts of reptile cages, go to www.sketchup.com.  Click on "download SketchUp" and choose to create a project for educational use.  Sign in as a student.  Go to http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos and watch, Getting started with SketchUp - Part 1.  After watching the tutorial, follow the instructions for building models.

Go to www.canva.com and create a free account. Go to http://support.canva.com/hc/en-us/articles/200911644-How-Do-I-Design-a-…- and watch the 12 steps on creating presentation graphics using Canva.  Create a presentation on your reptile cage design and the reptiles which will be included in your collection.

Evaluation

Task 1:

Reptile spreadsheet 
  Poor
1 pts		 Fair
2 pts		 Good
3 pts		 Excellent
4 pts		  
Organization  Headings are not bold, italicized, underlined, or centered.  Some headings are bold, italicized, underlined, and centered.  Most headings are bold, italicized, underlined, and centered. Spreadsheet is moderately organized.  All headings are in bold, italicized, and centered.Spreadsheet is organized, cells have proper borders, easy to read. 
Chart completion  Spreadsheet is missing the majority of the data on reptiles.  Spreadsheet has some of the information on reptiles.  Spreadsheet has most of the pertitnent information on reptiles and their habitats.  Spreadsheet has all necessary information on snakes, their habitats, and enclosure calculations. 
Time Managament  Not completed or submitted within 5 days of due date.  Completed, but misses deadline by 3-5 days.  Completed, but misses deadline by 2 days.  Completed on time. 
Group collaboration  Did not work well together, argued during discussions, and uneven distribution of tasks.  Worked somewhat well together in class, but did not communicate well to each other, and uneven distribution of tasks.  Worked well together, no arguing or negative communication, but uneven distribution of tasks.  Worked well together as a group, no arguing or negative communication, and allowed each person to contribute and have a part in each stage of the project. 

Task 2:

Reptile Presentations
  Poor
1 pts		 Fair
2 pts		 Good
3 pts		 Excellent
4 pts
Content  Many key points are missing OR slides do not contain relevant information.Topic is addressed but not discussed or elaborated on.
Few if any of the points were touched on. 		 Missing some key points or relevant information relating to the subject.Topic is slightly discussed but more material is needed. Half of the points are touched on.  All subjects are presented with correct information. Topic is somewhat discussed but more information is required.Most of the points are touched on.  All subjects are presented with correct information.Topic is discussed clearly and in an organized manner. All points are touched on. 
Presentation/Graphics The slides are not easy to read. The amount of text is too great for the space provided. There is little use of graphics or effect.No evidence of Creativity.  Slides are easy to read. Amount of text is too great for the amount of space provided. Less than half the slides have graphics or effects.Creativity is demonstrated occasionally.  Slides are attractive. Text is easy to read. More than half of the slides use graphics and effects to enhance presentation.Creativity is demonstrated in some of the presentation.  Slides are attractive. Text is easy to read. Graphics and effects are used throughout to enhance presentation.Creativity is demonstrated throughout the presentation. 
Grammar and Mechanics  There are many grammar or mechanical errors on the presentation.  There are less than 4 grammatical errors on the presentation.  There are less than 2 grammatical errors on the presentation.  Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the presentation. There are no grammatical errors. 
Animations/ Timings  Animations and Timings are not evidenced.  Animations and Timings are present but the flow is not adequate.  Animations and Timings are done and the flow is adequate.  Animations and Timings are appropriate and have good flow. 
Conclusion

Congratulations!  You have succcessfully designed a reptile house and shared your plans with the Oakland Zoo. Due to your extensive research, the animals in the collection are all thriving in their new enclosures, with appropriate habitats, temperatures, and diets. Thanks to your efforts, countless of visitors to the zoo will learn more about the natural terrestrial reptile inhabitants of all the continents (excluding Antarctica) and be able to see venomous representations of each.  

Good work and thanks for all your help.

Credits
Teacher Page

This webquest was created by Dominique Croteau to merge science, math and technology into a fun learning exercise. My goal is to encourage project-based, active, collaborative educational experiences that students enjoy.