Dolphins: Lesson 3 Science, Yr 7

Attitudes Towards Dolphins in Captivity

The learning sequence for this activity begins with designing an experiment to test adults’ attitudes towards dolphin captivity and swimming with captive dolphins programs. Once planned, students collectively design a short, online, quantitative questionnaire that is emailed to parents/guardians for completion. Results, some of which are presented in graph form, are analysed with patterns and anomalies identified. Students communicate the results and their analysis to interviewees in the form of a short report.

Time Allocation

Three lessons.

Voiceless Resources

Key Inquiry Questions

  • What are the attitudes of students’ parents/guardians towards captive dolphins and ‘swim with captive dolphins’ programs for tourists? Do these attitudes change after watching two different videos?
  • How is a quantitative survey constructed using Google Forms to ensure clarity, consistency, response exclusivity, anonymity and useful results?
  • Why is it important to recognise that the solution of some questions and problems requires consideration of social, cultural, economic or moral aspects rather than or as well as scientific investigation?

Suggested Learning Activities

1. QUESTIONING AND PREDICTING

  • Teacher leads students in considering people’s attitudes towards the costs and benefits of ‘swim with captive dolphins’ programs.
  • To prepare for this science inquiry, as a class, read through the Voiceless Fact Sheet: Dolphins in Captivity.
  • The teacher supports students to develop an appropriate research question for their empirical research. A potential research question is: ‘Do the parents/guardians of (insert name of class here) think it is reasonable to keep dolphins captive and allow tourists to swim with them?’ Students can predict possible outcomes.

2. PLANNING AND CONDUCTING

  • Once the research question is confirmed, guide the class in the design of a short quantitative questionnaire that asks the parents/guardians their views on swimming with captive dolphins.
  • Use Google Forms to write the class’ questionnaire. Although the survey will be emailed from the teacher’s computer, all students should practice drafting the survey on Google Forms individually. The class can use Padlet to brainstorm questions that might inform their research.
  • Ask students to source a short clip from YouTube of people swimming and/or engaging with captive dolphins. Students will then embed this link into their questionnaire.
  • Interviewees will answer a set of initial questions, which are to be answered before respondents watch the chosen clip, in order to ascertain current attitudes towards captive dolphins and tourist swimming programs. Some questions might include: Do they feel dolphins should be kept in captivity? Are they in support of tourists’ swimming with captive dolphins? Have they swum with captive dolphins? Did they enjoy it? Have their views on captive dolphin swim programs changed over time? Include questions on the age and gender of interviewees.
  • Interviewees are then asked to watch Wild vs Captive Dolphins: 10 things you didn’t know about dolphins.
  • After viewing the second video, students should re-examine interviewee’s attitudes towards dolphin captivity and swimming programs by asking them again if they feel dolphins should be kept in captivity and if they are in support of tourists swimming with captive dolphins.
  • The completed questionnaire is then emailed to all students’ parents/guardians from the teacher’s computer.

3. PROCESS AND ANALYSIS

Once responses have been received back from interviewees, teachers share the results with students. After a class discussion, students are to write a 100-200 word analysis of the results including clear reference to the initial research question.

4. EVALUATING

In evaluating the research process, students should consider the reliability of data collected and the limitations of conclusions that can be drawn from the data. Discussions about problems encountered and how can this be improved in future are useful.

5. COMMUNICATING

Google Forms provides the option for collated data to be emailed to interviewees. The students should also email their 100-200 word analysis to the person they interviewed.

6. ASSESSMENT

This activity allows for feedback on student performance by the individual student, their parent/guardian and the teacher.

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Australian Curriculum alignment

Learning Area: Science
Year Level: Year 7
General Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Literacy
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology Capability
Strand:

Science Inquiry Skills – Questioning and Predicting / Planning and Conducting / Processing and Analysing Data and Information / Evaluating / Communicating
Content Descriptions:  

Identify questions and problems that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (ACSIS124).

Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed (ACSIS125).

Construct and use a range of representations, including graphs, keys and models to represent and analyse
patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS129).

Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions based on
evidence (ACSIS130).

Reflect on scientific investigations including evaluating the quality of the data collected, and identifying improvements (ACSIS131).

Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to evaluate claims based on evidence (ACSIS132).

Communicate ideas, findings and evidence based solutions to problems using scientific language, and representations, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS133)
Elaborartions:

(ACSIS124)

  • Recognising that the solution of some questions and problems requires consideration of social, cultural, economic or moral aspects rather than or as well as scientific investigation

(ACSIS125)

  • Working collaboratively to decide how to approach an investigation

(ACSIS129)

  • Using spreadsheets to aid the presentation and simple analysis of data

(ACSIS130)

  • Referring to relevant evidence when presenting conclusions drawn from an investigation

(ACSIS131)

  • Discussing investigation methods with others to share ideas about the quality of the inquiry process

(ACSIS132)

  • Using the evidence provided by scientific investigations to evaluate the claims or conclusions of their peers

(ACSIS133)

  • Presenting the outcomes of research using effective forms of representation of data or ideas and scientific language that is appropriate for the target audience
Cross-Curricular Priority:

Sustainability

Systems 
OI.2 – All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival.

World Views 
OI.5 – World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability.

Acknowledgments

This Australian Curriculum alignment statement is based on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) materials, which are licensed under CC BY 4.0. The material has been modified from the Australian Curriculum website (accessed April 2018).

All activities have been created by educators for educators and are linked to the Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). We advise teachers to consult the ACARA website for the most up-to-date curriculum outcomes.

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