Vitenparken

Description:

The teacher divides the students into learning pairs or groups of three. They will work through the main assignment in groups.

Students take on the role of the new game manager Katja in our newly developed learning tool, The Mystery in Østmarka (MiØ). MiØ is a digital short story developed specifically to increase knowledge about predator ecology, societal challenges related to predators, and how management and researchers work to increase understanding of the nature around us. Through increased knowledge, we want to dispel some of the many myths that have arisen around predators in Norway, and especially around wolves in their region. A digital short story can best be described as a comic book that students can interact with. Like in a comic book, children will be able to browse through the story of Katja who is trying to find out which predator has killed a deer. Along the way, they will encounter five tasks in the form of clues from the animal they are on the trail of; bite marks, footprints, trackway, fur, and finally a stool sample.
They must follow the tracks through an interactive landscape where they must work as a wildlife manager and seek advice from experts through video material found in the digital novel.
As a teacher, you assign the students in your class one of three versions of the story (description follows below). These three versions will provide slightly different clues and hints as to which animal may have killed the deer. This could be a wolf (story A), a lynx (B) or a dog (C). The teacher distributes which starting point the different student groups should work from.

Four of the five tasks involve some physical elements that the children can study and measure.
The school will be sent a class kit with;
3 pcs – 4m x 1m track mats
3 pieces - track plates with 3D tracks of dog/wolf and lynx
3 pcs – replica of stool
3 pcs – replica skulls (wolf, dog and lynx).

In addition, there is a clickable video in which a specialist explains the difference in the tracks left by the three animals, so that students can compare what they have found in the digital short story with the alternatives.

When MiØ is completed at the school, Vitenparken pick up the equipment, clean it, and distribute it to the next school.

Below is a description of the different tasks that will be completed at the school and how you as teachers and students can access the tasks.

Get started with the digital novella The Mystery in Østmarka.

There are three alternative stories in The Mystery of Østmarka, A, B and C, where the main character of the story, Katja, finds traces of three different predators; dog, wolf and lynx. To get started with MiØ, as a teacher, you must first assign the students in your class one of the three current versions of the story.

It is recommended that you assign one third of the class to each of the versions. That is, 1/3 to A, 1/3 to B and 1/3 to C. To do this, for example, select The Mystery in Østmarka – C and ask the students to enter the relevant web address:

Story A (Wolf)

Story B (Lynx )

Story C (Dog)

Here it is advantageous that the students do not know which animal they are tracking. That way, in the classroom, you can compare and discuss the tracks you have found (with you, dear teacher, as the class predator specialist. Tips for you follow below).

*It was previously necessary to log in via Feide to access the stories. With the new links, this is no longer necessary, and the story is open and available for use whenever it suits you.

 

The missions 

Mission 1 

Cadaver examination

The first thing Katja encounters is a dead deer. There are bite marks on the animal. To begin to map out which animal may have killed the deer, Katja looks at the bite marks and notes where on the animal the bite marks are located.
She calls Ida Glemminge at the Norwegian Nature Conservation Service.

The distance between the canines can give an indication, but is not in itself enough to determine which animal has bitten.

Physical elements students can interact with: Three replica skulls of a dog, wolf and lynx, respectively (provided by Vitenparken ). 

Mission 2 

The footprint

In the story, students will come across a footprint that they will try to place with one of the relevant predators.

The track is measured and examined. The length from heel to toe tip (do not measure with any claws). Is one toe standing in front of the other? What animal do the students think left this track?

A/C = Wolf/Dog; Symmetrical print, more elongated print and claws more often visible. The heel can be convex or concave depending on whether you see a forefoot or hindfoot. Convex heel on hindfoot, concave heel on forefoot. Forefoot usually larger than hindfoot. Wolf tracks usually larger than dog tracks, but there are dogs that have very large feet, e.g. polar dogs, molossers, etc.
Wolves sink about as far into the snow as adult humans.

B = Lynx; Asymmetry of the two front toes. The inner toe is slightly further back. The claws are only visible on very loose surfaces such as deep mud or snow. The imprint is rounder in shape than dog/wolf. Lynx sinks about half as deep in loose snow as adult humans.
Physical elements students can interact with: Two sets of footprint casts (provided by Vitenparken ). Feel free to also use a folding rule or tape measure to measure the tracks.

Mission 3 

On the trail of the beast

The student finds a whole series of clues in the digital short story. Here, the children will see how the animal moves in the terrain.

Dogs, wolves and lynxes all use forest roads to move through the forest. This is simply because these open paths are easier to move on than winding forest terrain. For a wild animal, it is always important to conserve energy.

Dogs (C) tend to move in a zigzag pattern. A little here and a little there to sniff and investigate. Stride length rarely more than a meter.

Wolves (A) usually move more purposefully straight ahead in the terrain. Less "lashing" in the terrain compared to dogs. The stride length of an adult wolf is usually 120-150cm. The stride length is measured from the heel of the imprint of one paw to the heel of the next imprint of the same paw.
In addition, the wolf often steps in the track left by its front paw with its hind paw. Dogs usually walk more obliquely and are less likely to step in the same track twice.

The lynx (B) also moves more purposefully than the wolf, but has a different gait and shorter stride length than the wolf. A stride length between 80-110cm is common.

Physical elements the students will interact with: Tracks in the form of mats rolled out on the floor (provided by Vitenparken ) and folding rules or measuring tapes. 

 

 

 

 

Mission 4 

Who owns the fur?

Katja has found a wad of fur stuck in a dense undergrowth. Can the students tell which animal it belongs to? It is light grey, almost white, at the bottom, and dark grey-brown towards the tip.
Isn't the wolf always gray? The lynx is a bit dark brown in the summer. Can we really say for sure which animal has shed its fur here?

The point here is to show that fur color is not a reliable way to determine which of the three animals has wandered by. The wolf's base color is most often gray, but there are individual variations from completely white to gray, gray-brown, and even black. Here in Scandinavia, the gray wolf is the most common, but in Finland and eastward other color variations are less uncommon.
Among dogs we find a huge amount of variation and a small wad of fur is of little help when trying to figure out if this is a dog.
The lynx is mostly brown to light brown in the summer and light brown to beige in the winter, but here too there are variations in brown color, elements of black and gray, and not least light or dark fur.

Although a ball of fur can rarely give us a definitive answer as to which animal it belongs to, the fur sample can be used to conduct a DNA test if the hair follicle is still on the fur.
In the story, Katja puts the fur in a sterile bag and takes it with her in her backpack.

Mission 5 

Who has the poop?

Katja has been following the tracks for quite some time and the students have begun to form an idea of ​​what animal Katja might be following. At a stump along the forest road, Katja discovers a blob of feces. Here the player must look up the characteristics to find the correct "sender".

Dog (C): 8-15cm long and 2.5-3cm thick sausage-shaped feces. Most often broken up into pieces as there is rarely any hair in the feces to hold the shit together. Smells like dog poop, without the smell of ammonia.

Wolf (A): 8-15cm long and 2.5-3cm thick sausage-shaped feces that are twisted at the end. Often contains hair from moose in the feces and may contain bone fragments. Smells very strong, almost like ammonia.

Lynx (B): up to 2.5cm thick sausage-shaped feces with a twisted end

Katja takes care of the stool sample for further analysis at Vitenparken .

Physical elements students will interact with: Three models of feces from the different animals can be examined and compared.

Current competency goals for digital short stories: 

• The student should be able to distinguish between observations and inferences, organize data, use cause-and-effect arguments, draw conclusions, assess sources of error and present findings. ( Science )
• The student should be able to explain how organisms can be divided into main groups, and give examples of the special characteristics of different organisms. ( Science )
• The student should be able to use and evaluate models that represent phenomena that cannot be observed directly, and explain why models are used in science. ( Science )
• The student will explore different aspects of diversity in Norway and reflect on people's needs to be themselves and to belong in society. ( Natural Sciences )
• The student will explore and describe different food webs and use this to discuss interactions in nature. ( Science )
• The student should be able to reflect on why conflicts arise, and discuss how individuals and societies can handle conflicts. ( Social Studies )
• The student should be able to give examples of what laws, rules and norms are and what kind of function they have in society, and reflect on the consequences of breaking them. ( Social Studies )
• The student will use philosophical ways of thinking in conversation and wonder. ( KRLE )
• The student will explore and describe their own and others' perspectives in ethical dilemmas related to everyday and societal challenges. ( KRLE )
• The student should be able to reflect on existential questions related to human lifestyles and living conditions and the future of the planet ( KRLE )
• The student should listen to and further develop input from others and distinguish between opinions and facts. ( Norwegian )
• The student must express and justify their own points of view and show respect for those of others. ( Norwegian )
• The student should be able to account for the right of way when traveling and staying in nature. Use the local environment and explore local cultures for outdoor activities ( Physical Education )
• The training should provide students with the knowledge and skills to meet challenges in line with democratic principles. They should understand the dilemmas inherent in recognizing both the rights of the majority and the rights of the minority. They should practice the ability to think critically, learn to handle differences of opinion and respect disagreement. Through work on the topic, students should learn why democracy cannot be taken for granted, and that it must be developed and maintained. ( Democracy and citizenship )
• Through work on the theme, students will develop competence that enables them to make responsible choices and act ethically and environmentally conscious. Students will gain an understanding that the actions and choices of the individual have significance. The theme includes issues related to the environment and climate, poverty and distribution of resources, conflicts, health, gender equality, demography and education. Students will learn about the connection between the different aspects of sustainable development. ( Sustainable development )