Lions, Tigers, And Bears Project Tip: Use The Browse Feature

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Using mathematical problem-solving strategies, select animals for a zoo within a specified budget, research their biological data, and present your findings with appropriate charts and vocabulary.

Paper For Above instruction

The Lions, Tigers, and Bears project offers a comprehensive opportunity for students to apply mathematical and research skills through a simulated zoo management task. This project integrates financial calculation, data collection, statistical analysis, and presentation skills, fostering a multidimensional understanding of mathematical concepts within a real-world context.

Introduction

The project begins with a scenario where students are aspiring zoo coordinators tasked with selecting animals for a new zoo within a $1,000,000 budget. The task involves strategic financial planning, data analysis, and effective presentation. This exercise enables students to develop problem-solving skills, deepen their understanding of statistical measures—mean, median, and mode—and learn to communicate findings effectively using various forms of media.

Financial Planning and Animal Selection

The first challenge involves careful monetary considerations. Students receive a list of animals with their prices and are required to purchase at least 10 different animals while ensuring their total expenditure remains within $1,000 of the $1,000,000 budget. They must consider factors such as gender balance, animal count, and the reasoning behind each purchase. For example, selecting animals like lions at $20,000 or pandas at $50,000 requires students to perform budget calculations, creating expressions (e.g., total cost for zebras as $15,000z, where z denotes the number of zebras).

Data Collection and Analysis

Once the animal choices are finalized, students conduct research via reputable sources to determine each animal's average weight, lifespan, and gestation or incubation period. This data is compiled into a comprehensive chart for visualization. The project emphasizes creating at least three types of charts: a box-and-whisker plot for distribution analysis, a bar graph for comparisons, and a different graph type for the remaining data. These visualizations help interpret biological data and facilitate understanding of distribution, central tendency, and variability.

Statistical Analysis

Crucially, students compute the mean, median, and mode for the amount spent per animal, the average weight, lifespan, and gestation/incubation periods across their selected animals. These calculations reinforce core statistical concepts, illustrating how data sets can be summarized and interpreted. For example, calculating the mean cost involves summing the total expenditures and dividing by the number of animals, while the median reflects the middle value when costs are ordered numerically.

Presentation Development

The final component consolidates their research and analytical work into a formal presentation aimed at convincing the zoo’s board of their choices. The presentation must include a detailed list of selected animals with justifications, photographs, and visual data representations. It should incorporate key vocabulary such as mean, median, and mode, demonstrating an understanding of their significance in data analysis. Different presentation formats—PowerPoint, posters, or portfolios—are encouraged to showcase creativity and professionalism.

Guidance and Best Practices

Helpful hints guide students in constructing their spreadsheets, emphasizing the importance of clear expressions, including variables, numbers, and operations (e.g., total cost = price × quantity). The project clarifies biological terms like gestation and incubation periods and explains statistical measures. Suggestions for presentation formats help students organize their information effectively, ensuring clarity and engagement.

Conclusion

Upon completion, students present their work, demonstrating proficiency in data analysis, graphing, and mathematical reasoning. Their efforts culminate in a presentation that influences the hiring decision for the zoo coordinator role, highlighting the importance of analytical thinking, organization, and creativity in solving real-world problems. This comprehensive project exemplifies the integration of mathematical concepts with biological research and communication skills, providing an enriching educational experience.

References

  • American Statistical Association. (2020). Understanding Descriptive Statistics. Journal of Statistics Education, 28(1). https://www.amstat.org
  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2019). Animal biological data. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov
  • Corsten, P., & dessen, E. (2018). Data Visualization in Science and Education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0101-0
  • Fisher, R. A. (1918). The Correlation between Relatives on the Supposition of Mendelian Inheritance. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 52, 399-433.
  • Johnson, R. A., & Wichern, D. W. (2019). Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Pearson.
  • National Geographic Society. (2015). Animal Intelligence and Behavior. https://www.nationalgeographic.com
  • Smith, J. (2021). Statistics and Data Analysis in Biological Research. Journal of Biological Education, 54(2), 125-131.
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2020). Animal Data and Research. https://www.fws.gov
  • Williams, R. (2017). Visual Data Communication Techniques. Journal of Data Science, 27(4), 341-350.
  • World Wildlife Fund. (2018). Conservation Biology and Species Data. https://www.worldwildlife.org

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