Jane Goodall Educators Institute
Action Plan

Program Title: “Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees” Camp In

Name: Rachel DeMaris

Information: Science Station McLeod/Busse IMAX® Dome Theatre
427 First Street SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Phone: (319) 363-IMAX
Fax: (319) 366-4590
rdemaris@mcleodusa.net

Program Audience(s): Girl Scout Troops, Boy Scout Dens/Packs, and School Groups
Ages 7 – 11; Grades 2 – 5

Program Overview(s): Camp Ins are sleep over events that occur in the museum. Programming consists of three 30 minute hands-on workshops and a screening of the film. Workshops are activity based and are designed as an introduction to a topic, rather than an in-depth discussion. The workshops for the “Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees” Camp In will highlight significant topics related to primates, chimpanzees, and primate research.

Program Goals:

• To complement and extend the content presented in the film;
  
• To link the film and activities to relevant curriculum goals or standards;
  
• To provide content information on primates, specifically chimpanzees;
  
• To provide content information on primate research;
  
• To provide a high-quality hands-on experience that inspires students;
  
• To pique interest in primates and primate research;
  
• To promote science literacy;
  
• To foster inquiry skills.
  

1. The biology/anatomy/physiology of primates and chimpanzees:
   

• What is a primate? Discuss what characteristics an animal must have to be considered a primate. Show examples of primates and non-primates. Have students identify primates from a selection of animal images.
  
• The Opposable Thumbs Challenge and Relay: Talk about opposable thumbs and their importance to human beings. Do a “Thumb Search” to figure out how many different ways people use their thumbs in a day’s activities. Do the Opposable Thumbs Challenge and Relay.
  
• Primate Walk: Teach students how to walk like chimpanzees and other primates. Also, show video footage of primates in motion and have students imitate their movements. Discuss how these motions are different from human locomotion.
  
• Who’s Who?: Design a dichotomous key or “Memory” style game to help children learn to identify different types of primates or individual chimpanzees.
  

1. Chimpanzee Life:
   

• Chimp Habitat Game: What do chimpanzees need to survive? Discuss habitat requirements. Play the Chimp Habitat Game to see if you can collect all of your necessary resources to survive in your habitat as a chimpanzee.
  
• Chimpanzee Snack Time: Set up a buffet of chimpanzee food. Have kids sample items. For older students, discuss the typical proportions (percentage of fruit, percentage of insects, etc.) of a chimpanzee diet and have them select foods that fit those proportions.
  
• Social groups: How are chimpanzee social groups organized? Show videos of social interactions and have students attempt to interpret what is going on. Role play chimp social interactions and social behaviors.
  

1. Tool Use by Chimpanzees:
   

• Compare and contrast human tool use and chimpanzee tool use.
  
• Chimp tools: Discuss what types of tools chimps use and how they use them. Show clips of chimps making and using tools. Have students duplicate chimp tools and attempt to use them.
  
• Make a tool: Give students a simple task to complete and a set of materials from which they can create a tool to assist them. Have them design and test the tool. How effective is it in assisting with the task? How could it be improved?
  

1. Chimpanzee Behavior:
   

• Chimp Faces: Show images of chimpanzee expressions and explain what they communicate. Have students mimic the expressions. Play “Chimpanzee Charades” with expressions by having students make chimp faces while others guess their meanings.
  
• Chimp Talk: Play recordings of chimpanzee vocalizations and discuss their meanings. Have students copy the sounds. Have pairs of students develop chimp “conversations” and perform them for the group.
  
• Play chimpanzee communication games.
  

1. Observation Techniques used in Primate Research:
   

• Making Observations: Design a simple activity to teach observations skills to students. Use observation boxes, tables, pictures, etc., but do not involve observations of primates or humans.
  
• Making Human Observations: How do we learn about primate behavior? Researchers make observations of behavior both in the wild and through video tapes. Discuss both narrative styles and ethograms and their use in primate observations. Have students make observations of human beings in the museum and/or on videos using both narratives and ethograms.
  
• Making Primate Observations: Have students make observations of primate behaviors from relevant video clips. Use both narratives and ethograms.
  
• Observation Bingo: Develop a bingo board (with either images or words) that students can take out into the museum. Mark off behaviors on the bingo board as they are observed. Compare results. What behaviors were most and least common?
  

• Research and development of appropriate hands-on activities to teach about primates, chimps, and primate research;
  
• Finalize Camp In curriculum and write lesson plans;
  
• Evaluate curriculum to ensure that program goals are being met and make changes as necessary;
  
• Train Contract Educators to facilitate the programs.