Gorillas and the Environment (Year 7 – 8)
Join us for an insight into the landscape degradation of gorilla habitat caused by mining and how Zoos Victoria are supporting the work of our partner, Gorilla Doctors.
Program description
Meet a guest expert to discuss how we use science to look after the gorillas in our care.
Learn about the impacts of coltan mining in the rainforests of Africa and how this is affecting gorillas in the wild. We will also explore how our partner, Gorilla Doctors, uses science in the field to help wild gorillas and how students can take action to support their work.
Students will learn:
- How we use science to care for gorillas at Werribee Zoo
- How the Gorilla Doctors use science to care for gorillas in the wild
- How coltan mining is causing landscape degradation in gorilla habitat
- How we, here in Australia, can support communities and gorillas in Africa
Program sequence
Connect
Use the activities in the Teaching Guide (below) to spark students’ curiosity before the webinar.
Connect and Understand
Learn about the impacts of coltan mining in the rainforests of Africa and how this is affecting gorillas in the wild. We will also explore how our partner, Gorilla Doctors, uses science in the field to help wild gorillas and how students can take action to support their work.
Understand
Use activities in the Teaching Guide to deepen students’ learning at school.
Act
Use the Teaching Guide to enable students to master their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts.
Program resources
Coming soon
Learning outcomes
Victorian Curriculum 7-8
Human causes of landscape degradation, the effects on landscape quality and the implications for places (VCGGK119)
- Students will learn about how coltan mining causes the clearing of gorilla habitat and the impact on gorillas in the wild
Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations (VCSSU090)
- Students will learn how Zoos Victoria uses science to look after the gorillas in our care, and how our partner, Gorilla Doctors, uses science to care for gorillas in the wild
Plan your webinar
Important notes:
- Session will open 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
- Participant mic and video will be turned off
- Each webinar may have participants from multiple schools
- Students can communicate with Zoo Teachers by typing in the Q&A
- If you need to know which of your students are attending, please do a roll call before or after the webinar