Animal Zoo

How to teach integers to sixth grade students?

Courseware Identification

Target Level of Audience: 6th Grade Elementary School Students
Subject: Numbers and Operations
Learning Unit: Integers
Terminology of the Subject: Negative integer, positive integer, ordering, comparison integers. showing integers on the numerical axis.
Tools Used: Unity, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator
‍Instructional Objectives:
Understand the concept of integers and their relevance in real-life situations.
Identify positive and negative integers within various contexts.
Perform basic operations involving integers:
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Apply integer operations to solve practical problems within the zoo setting.

Project Overview

The project aims to teach integers to sixth-grade students in Türkiye. These students encounter integers for the first time in the math curriculum. Consequently, there exist some misconceptions and challenging issues related to motivation and learning. This e-learning module is proposed as a scenario-based approach for subject matter experts (SME), particularly math teachers. There are several reasons to implement this scenario-based e-learning solution. Some of these reasons include: Effectively controlling and directing the learning motivation of the beginner-level audience. Improving learning performance by fostering active engagement during multimedia learning within a dynamic e-learning environment.
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When I began working on a scenario-based e-learning environment, I introduced the 'animal zoo' scenario to the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Several reasons guided the selection of the animal zoo as the learning environment:
Real-World Context: Zoos offer a rich, real-world context for learning. They provide diverse scenarios where integers naturally come into play. Animal counts, temperatures, elevations in enclosures, or distances between habitats are excellent examples where positive and negative integers can be illustrated.
‍Engagement through Interest: Animals captivate students' interest. Incorporating them into the learning process can spark curiosity and motivation, making the concept of integers more relatable and enjoyable.
‍Visual and Experiential Learning: Zoos provide a visual and experiential learning environment. Students can see, observe, and experience real-life situations where integers are applied. For instance, observing temperature variations in different habitats or counting animals in groups can visually represent positive and negative numbers.
‍Multi-disciplinary Approach: Zoos enable a multi-disciplinary approach. Learning about integers through animals can connect mathematics with biology, geography (habitats and distances), and environmental science, fostering a holistic understanding.
‍Interactive and Memorable Scenarios: Using animals and the zoo setting allows for the creation of interactive scenarios and challenges. Students can engage in tasks like calculating food budgets, determining distances between exhibits, or understanding temperature fluctuations, making learning more memorable and practical.
‍Emotional Connection and Storytelling: Animals evoke emotions and stories. Integrating them into scenarios can create emotional connections, aiding memory retention and understanding of integer concepts through storytelling.

In the proposed scenario, the learner assumes the role of a new zoo manager responsible for overseeing the animal enclosure. Upon accepting this role, the learner commences their duties as the manager of the animal enclosure. Throughout the e-learning experience, the learner is tasked with solving various issues within the zoo. Upon successful resolution, certain animals will experience increased happiness and improved living conditions.

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Concept Map

Upon finalizing the scenario for implementation, I began constructing a concept map. The topic of integers encompasses various functions, thus, in the concept map, I established distinct categories related to integers.
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Animal Zoo Scenario: The central theme and context for teaching integers.
‍Integers: Core concept branching from the scenario.
‍Understanding Integers: Branching from the core concept, focusing on comprehending integers.
‍Positive Integers and Negative Integers: Subcategories of integers, exploring their individual characteristics.
‍Operations with Integers: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of integers.
‍Real-life Applications in Zoo Scenarios: Applying integer concepts within the zoo context, including temperature measurement, animal counts, distances between habitats. This concept map illustrates the interconnectedness of concepts related to teaching integers using the animal zoo scenario. It showcases how understanding integers, their operations, and their real-life applications in a zoo setting are all interlinked and build upon each other within the context of the course.

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Concept Map Content

Storyboard

After completing the concept map, I proceeded to develop the e-learning storyboard. I created a sample activity within the storyboard and presented it to the subject matter experts for their review and input. Here is the example of an activity storyboard.
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Visual Mockups

The internet serves as a primary resource for creating visual mockups in the e-learning process. Photoshop is utilized to edit, manipulate, and finalize these assets.
When selecting animals for visual mockups in an e-learning course set in a zoo environment, several considerations can enhance engagement and learning:
‍Diversity and Representation: Choose a diverse array of animals from different habitats and regions worldwide. This diversity allows learners to encounter various temperature ranges, behaviors, and habitats, showcasing different integer-related scenarios.
‍Appeal and Familiarity: Select visually appealing and recognizable animals. Animals like lions, elephants, penguins, or snakes often captivate learners' interest and are easily recognizable, aiding in creating engaging visuals.
‍Integrity and Authenticity: Ensure accuracy in depicting animals' appearances and habitats. Use realistic visuals to maintain authenticity and credibility, allowing learners to associate the integer concepts with real-world scenarios they might encounter in a zoo setting.
‍Educational Value: Choose animals that can contribute to the learning objectives. For instance, selecting animals with varying temperature preferences (e.g., polar bears for colder climates and reptiles for warmer habitats) helps in demonstrating positive and negative temperature integers.
‍Storytelling Potential: Consider animals that offer storytelling potential. Animals with interesting behaviors or unique features can be used to craft engaging scenarios and challenges, facilitating a more immersive learning experience. For instance, in a visual mockup:
‍Polar Bears: Represent habitats with colder temperatures, showcasing negative integers.
‍Giraffes: Displaying habitats with moderately warm temperatures, representing positive integers.
‍Snakes or Reptiles: Highlighting habitats with specific temperature preferences, allowing learners to observe both positive and negative integers in a narrower temperature range.
‍Penguins: Showcasing habitats with colder temperatures, enabling comparisons with other habitats and emphasizing negative integers.Visual mockups featuring these animals in their respective habitats can create a visually stimulating and educational experience, enabling learners to explore temperature variations and apply integer concepts within a zoo setting effectively.

Interactive Prototype and Full Development

Following the decisions made, the Unity tool is employed to craft a prototype for the e-learning platform. Screen designs and activities are developed in alignment with the storyboard. Customization of the e-learning involves the integration of visuals, animations, tailored feedback for each screen, and the implementation of gamification elements.

1. Screen Feedback Customization:Immediate Feedback: Provide immediate feedback on learners' actions or answers. For instance, after measuring a habitat's temperature, the interface could display a message indicating if the measurement falls within the expected temperature range for that habitat.
‍Positive Reinforcement: Use positive reinforcement for correct answers or actions. This could be in the form of encouraging messages, visuals (like a thumbs-up or a happy animal character), or sound effects.
‍Constructive Feedback: For incorrect answers or actions, offer constructive feedback. Explain the mistake, provide hints, or guide learners toward the correct solution. Use visuals or animations to illustrate the correct approach.
‍Progress Tracking: Implement progress indicators or bars to show learners how much they've completed or how close they are to achieving specific goals within the unit.
‍2. Animation Customization:
Interactive Elements: Built-in
Transitions and Effects: Use smooth transitions between scenes or activities to maintain a seamless learning experience. Animations like fading, sliding, or zooming in/out can enhance engagement without being distracting.
‍Visual Explanations: Use animated visuals to explain abstract concepts. For instance, animate the movement of positive and negative integers on a number line or illustrate temperature changes visually using animated thermometers.
‍Storytelling Animations: Introduce storytelling elements through animated sequences involving zoo animals, creating scenarios where learners engage with characters facing temperature-related challenges.
‍3. Gamification Elements:Points and Rewards: Implement a point system for correct answers or completed activities. Offer rewards like badges, stars, or unlocking new zoo areas as learners progress.
‍Challenges and Levels: Design challenges at varying difficulty levels. As learners complete tasks or master concepts, unlock new levels or challenges within the zoo, keeping motivation high.
‍Leaderboards or Peer Comparison: Introduce leaderboards or peer comparison features to encourage friendly competition among learners, fostering engagement and motivation.
‍Achievements and Progress Bars: Create achievements for specific milestones achieved within the course. Display progress bars or visual indicators to showcase learner advancement.
‍4. Visual Customization:Visually Engaging Interfaces: Design visually appealing interfaces that resemble a virtual zoo, with vibrant colors, interactive elements, and animal-themed visuals to maintain engagement.
‍Consistent Theme and Branding: Maintain a consistent visual theme throughout the learning unit, aligning with the zoo setting. Use zoo-related graphics, fonts, and colors to reinforce the theme.
‍Clear and Intuitive Navigation: Ensure intuitive navigation using visually distinct buttons, icons, or menus, guiding learners through the course seamlessly.
‍Responsive Design: Optimize visuals for various devices and screen sizes to ensure a consistent learning experience across different platforms.
By customizing screen feedback, animation, gamification elements, and visuals effectively, the learning unit can offer an immersive, engaging, and effective educational experience within the animal zoo context.

Conclusion