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Collection of Reviewed Teaching Resources

Predator and prey_Video & Article

Subject taught
- Biology

Link
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01278-w

Type of Product
- Articles
- Videos

Language Skills Developed
- Interaction
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
- Writing

Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
Students will improve their listening and reading skills, they will also develope written and verbal communication, expand topic related vocabulary.

Description
Students will be able to explain how the survival of predators and pray depends on their respective abilities to successfully chase food and escape capture, thereby exerting strong selective pressure on their running ability and behavioural strategies. Students will be able to explain the experiment presented in the video.
Students will expand their active and topic related vocabulary (forage, sophisticated, stride, turning performance, infer, assumption, subsequent, prey-evasion, predator-pursuit, lateral, enhance, ect.), will practice their reading skills, will be able to share their reading experience with their classmates. The students will be able to share the information orally and in writing.
The resource should be used with 14 – 18 years old students whose level of competence in English (CEFR) is B1 and higher. It should be recommended for students who have a better command of English. The resource could be used as an additional material for academically stronger students in mixed ability classes. It can also be assigned for students as homework for a flipped classroom.
The resource also contains a short video (4:22 min.) which demonstrates an experiment revealing that the predators and prey regularly achieved their maximal turning performance but ran at speeds well below their athletic capabilities. The video is informative in terms how athletic these species need to be to survive.
The resource can be used during one lesson (45 min).
After having read the article individually, students work in pairs and share the information. They should be able to explain what experiment was carried out and what conclusions were made. The teacher writes key words on the board and students write sentences with the word given without looking at the article. Working in pairs students compare their sentences, comment them, help each other.
To better memorize the new vocabulary, students should write a summary of the article at home.

Comments
The teaching resource allows students to expand their active and topic related vocabulary, improve reading comprehension, speaking and writing skills. Working in pairs students learn to exchange the information, practice new vocabulary, encourage and support each other. The article can be too difficult for students with poor language skills. That is why it can be used not only in the classroom but also assigned for individual students as an additional material while learning about predator and prey. The resource can be used for self-directed, peer assisted and collaborative learning. References: Wilson, A. M. et al. Nature 554, 183–188 (2018).

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