Information on Secondary Teaching at Twycross Zoo

Sessions:

· Three different types of session to suit your needs.

· 30 minutes talks on a single subject (see below)

· 45 minutes for advanced talks for older students on a single subject.

· Workshop days (classroom sessions and practical activities to carry out around the zoo) for more in-depth understanding of the subject.

Note our new GCSE workshop - Science in the workplace - for the Applied Science GCSE.

· 30 minute talk is £15 per group. (Group maximum 35). This does not include your entry to the zoo. (Key Stage 3)

· 45 minute talk is £20 per group (group maximum 35). This does not include your entry to the zoo. (Key Stage 4)

· Workshop days are £50 per group (group maximum 35). This does not include your entry to the zoo but does include worksheets for each pupil. (Future is Wild KS3. All other workshops KS4 only)

· Sessions relate to N.C. Key Stages 3 and 4

How to book:
All bookings must be made through the main office. Please have the following details at hand when booking a talk: Name of school/group, contact name and phone number, age of pupils, number of pupils and topic required.

Topic List
Secondary groups can pick from any of the topics on the primary teaching pages or any of the topics below which are tailored to the national curriculum at key stage
3 and 4.

Animal Classification: How do we make sense of over 1 million animal species? How do the different classes of animals give birth and look after their young? How can they be distinguished around the zoo? The main divisions of the animal world, illustrated with a selection of friendly animals.

As a workshop this would be followed by a practical session focusing on animals of different types and their key adaptations.

Living in a Hostile World - Adaptation and Habitats: How do animals make a living in their environment? Key adaptations to different habitat types, illustrated by zoo animals.
As a workshop this is followed by a practical session based on animals from different habitats, asking the students to identify visible adaptations.

Food Chains and Feeding: Herbivores, carnivores, insectivores, piscivores, omnivores. There are many different ways of finding, catching and eating food, illustrated by zoo animals and a collection of skulls.
As a workshop this would be followed by a study of animals around the zoo that feed in different ways.

Evolution and Selection: How did life evolve from slime to primate? This session looks at Darwin’s theory of evolution, natural selection, sexual selection and speciation.

As a workshop this would involve a practical session around the zoo, investigating adaptations and trying to work out the selection pressures that led to them.

Conservation: This very important topic focuses on the threats that animals face in the wild and the role of zoos in securing the long term survival of species. Many of the animals in the zoo are endangered in the wild and are part of the international captive breeding programme. The session is illustrated by zoo animals and by artefacts, many of which were confiscated by Customs and Excise.

This session can either be run as a single session or as the second session of a workshop day.

KS3 Workshop

The Future is Wild: This is based on the highly successful television series and accompanying book. It suggests how animals might evolve in the future, given predictable changes to the structure of continents and climate.

This is only run as a day workshop and gives the children the opportunity to evolve their own future animal. It comprises two teaching sessions separated by a practical around the zoo.

KS4 Workshops

A lecture and accompanying practical task on one of the previous topics is followed by a feedback session and lecture on Conservation.

SCIENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
This workshop covers the requirements of the Applied Science syllabus. In the first session we explain how the zoo uses the biological sciences to do its work. We cover the type of organisation, location, work of the zoo, qualifications of staff and health and safety and animal welfare legislation. The students do an activity around the zoo to assess how well the enclosure designs suit the differing needs of our animals. The second session answers any questions and covers the conservation needs of our animals and the conservation work of the zoo.

We can adapt these or other talks to your specific needs. Please contact us to discuss how we might be able to tailor our teaching to your syllabus or scheme of work. We are happy to discuss including other topics in our teaching programme.

And there’s more! Twycross Zoo can also offer you:

· FREE preliminary visits for teachers (just phone for an appointment)
· Talks tailored to your course/syllabus
· Entrance discounts for students accompanied by a teacher
· All facilities accessible by wheelchair
· Hands-on specimens for booked sessions
· A variety of support material for more information
click here