Habitat Tracker

The Student Workbook is comprised of four sections.  Each section has a specific purpose in the Habitat Tracker© program.  The workbook proposes a sequence, in regards to the collection, and then use, of habitat data.  By following this program, students will maximize their learning experience during their habitat tracking!

Workbook Components:

1.       The Habitat Observation Component
The Habitat Observation component teaches students how to begin making observations, and collecting data, about a habitat. This unit demonstrates how to set up habitat, plant, and wildlife information in Habitat Tracker©.  Students will also learn how to make journal entries into Habitat Tracker.  Every class, course, or club, regardless of timeframe, should begin with this section of the Habitat Tracker© program.  Once this initial information is established in Habitat Tracker©, it can be added to, and enhanced, in future courses, or over time, depending on the course or club syllabus.

The concepts presented in the Habitat Observation component include:

a.       Making observations and recording data.

b.       Data entry into a computerized database.

c.       Searching for and editing previously entered data.

d.       Learning how to identify plants and wildlife.

2.      The Habitat Maintenance Component
In the Habitat Maintenance component, students learn how to manage, improve, and extend previously entered information regarding their habitat.  This component would be included in a longer habitat tracking course.  It can be followed as an immediate successor to the Habitat Observation component, or can be completed at a later point in time, such as during a subsequent year, different semester, or a different course.  If this component is to be completed after some time delay, be sure to preserve the original student data files, so that their observation data is not lost in the interim.

The concepts presented in the Habitat Maintenance component include:

a.       Tracking actions taken while maintaining a habitat.

b.       Tracking long term observations of a habitat.

c.       Researching information relating to a habitat.

d.       Tracking Research materials and corresponding information.

e.       Creating associations between different types of data entered into the database.

f.       Labeling plants in a habitat.
 

3.      The Analysis component
The Analysis component is best utilized after quite a bit of data has been entered into Habitat Tracker©.  In order for the Exercises and Reports incorporated into this section to be effective, there must be a considerable amount of data already entered into the Habitat Tracker© database.  For this reason, we recommend including this section in longer courses of study only.

The concepts presented in the Analysis component include:

a.       Comparing the efficiency of managing data with a computerized database to the equivalent process with a paper based system.

b.       Understanding the different type of database reports.

c.       Realizing the difference between working with all of the data entered (the whole recordset) verses requesting and viewing only part of the data (a subset).

d.       Understanding the difference between Raw data and Summarized data.
 

4.      The Project component
The Project component was designed to reinforce the concepts presented throughout the Habitat Tracker© program.  Our hope is that the students will have fun completing these projects as they strengthen their Habitat Tracking skills.  We are sure the students will learn even more about the habitat they are tracking by completing some, or all, of the projects included in the Student Workbook.

The concepts presented in the Project component include:

a.       Reinforcement of the habitat information and facts learned.

b.       Practice in the identification of the plants and wildlife in a habitat.

c.       Learning about the food chain hierarchy.

d.       Learning how to track seed collection and seed starting activities.

e.       Learning how to utilize some of the data entered to produce output in a format different from the standard reports by generating markers, labels, trading cards, and bookmarks from their habitat, plant, and wildlife data.

 

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Last modified: August 02, 2008