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Animals in World Art History: Bats! (Ages 7-12 Extended FLEX)

Learn about both the natural history and art history of bats!
Animalia Mania Zoology with Deniz M. (M.S., M.A.)
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(823)
Class

What's included

Homework
2-4 hours per week. There is both reading and multimedia viewing material assigned with each week's topic.
Assessment
Formal assessments will only be provided if the student or parent requests it in advance.

Class Experience

US Grade 2 - 5
Did you know bats have been flying around our planet for over 50 million years? About one out of every five mammal species is a bat -- there are over 1300 species worldwide! -- and they can be found on every continent that humans live. It should therefore be no surprise that bats have been represented in the art of cultures throughout the world for many centuries, and in a variety of ways. 

In this unit study, we will first learn about the natural history of bats, then take a tour through world art history and study examples of how bats have been depicted beyond just the modern associations with Halloween and horror -- as both natural and supernatural, decorative and symbolic, bad luck AND good luck! 

Students are also welcome to share any bat-themed artwork they make to the classroom board. :)

This class is part of the ANIMALS IN WORLD ART HISTORY series.

WEEK 1:  the natural history of bats (taxonomy, evolution, biogeography and biodiversity, morphology, life cycle, etc.)
WEEK 2: bats in natural history art (bat illustrations from scientific literature, 1700s-early 1900s)
WEEK 3: bats in art from the Americas and Europe
WEEK 4: bats in art from Africa, Asia, and Australasia

>>>This is an extended ***FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE*** unit study version of the live shortform class!!!<<<

*ASYNCHRONOUS CLASSROOM: 
-This class has NO pre-scheduled live meetings or pre-recorded video meetings. However, requesting an "office hours" live Zoom meetup is always an option. 
-Initial materials will be distributed via the classroom board with commentary and discussion questions posted, and it is up to each individual student to download/view the materials and then participate in classroom board communication with both the instructor and any other students enrolled in the same session. Additional materials and instruction will be provided based upon individual students' questions and interests!
-New material will generally be posted at the beginning and middle of each week (varies by class), with the classroom board open for daily discussion and Sundays serving as weekly checkpoints.
-I will also be available throughout the session via the classroom, direct message, and email to answer any questions you have -- I strive to respond to all contacts within 12 hours (and usually much sooner!).

While there may be supplementary notebooking pages/worksheets and optional quizzes provided as part of the weekly lesson materials in any given flex class, these will not be collected or graded unless the student/parent requests it. If you want/need a formally graded course, this can be arranged ahead of time -- otherwise, this will be run as a fun (but thorough!) unit study. 

*IMPORTANT NOTE ON AGE LEVELS: 
>Please note that I have two different age cohorts set up for this course, 7-12 and 13-18, in order to comply with Outschool's five-year age difference policy; however, this is essentially the same course that the older students will be doing. Therefore, students need to either be reading proficiently, or have a family member available to help with the reading and written communication in the classroom. 
>When designing these sorts of unit studies, I generally prefer to give *all* interested learners open access to the same general resources and knowledge base, without prejudging age as a limiting factor to understanding -- I know full well there are plenty of younger children out there who can comprehend general audience science, and who know more about their favorite animals than most adults do! ;) If there are bits in this unit study which are beyond one's scope of understanding or just not of interest, it can be entirely at the discretion of each individual student/family to take what they want from the lesson materials provided, and just leave the rest. (However, I will always be available and happy to help explain anything, and, if necessary, provide simplified/substitute materials for you!)

Other Details

Parental Guidance
I teach from a zoological perspective, and as such just like in my regular science classes natural animal behaviors and bodily functions may come up in the course of discussion. I also do not censor works of art. Online resources: This class directs learners to watch curated video content on YouTube and may also direct learners to additional information on science and art websites (e.g., a zoological database or art museum collection page). No online account signups are required.
Supply List
Lesson materials are provided for free via the classroom, either as downloadable printables/files or links to online resources (web pages, videos, articles, etc.).
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
4.9
823reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in History from Lindenwood University
Master's Degree in Science from American Public University
I'm a naturalist with a focus on zoology, and mainly teach animal science courses...but as part of my longstanding interests in both the animal kingdom AND art and culture, I began conducting independent research on how animals have been depicted in art around the world, and am now back in graduate school working on a second Masters thesis about it! :) In conjunction with my current research, I am now offering this series of short courses on different subjects in Animals in World Art History in addition to my regular zoology classes.

I also have nearly two decades experience as a home education advocate, including homeschooling my own children from preschool through high school. I am a big proponent of flexible learning, individualized education, and supporting fellow neurodiverse learners, so please don't hesitate to reach out to me with requests for accommodations or additional resources.  We all learn in our own way and time, but everyone should have the chance to learn about how cool animals are! 😎

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$7

weekly
4 weeks

Completed by 2 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 7-12

This class is no longer offered
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