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Our Wonderful and Mysterious World of Animals (Ages 13-15)

In this ongoing class students will pick an animal to do a "deep dive" on, learning as much about that animal as possible.
MacKenzie Piacenti
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(414)
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
No specific graded homework, but students are welcome and encouraged to keep being curious about their world and animals that interest them. Students should bring to class or message me an animal they are interested in as the topics are student led.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 9
This is a fun biology/zoology class that will focus on one animal or group of animals (ex: Gray Wolf, Thorny Devil, or Sea Turtles) that are chosen by the students and is then explored the next week, learning as much as possible about that animal. Over the course of this ongoing class we will discuss a variety of life, from insects to mammals, to get a better understanding of our planet Earth, and how we all have adapted to life here. 

Students will learn:
-About the specific animals they are interested in.
-Adaptions: which are a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment. This can be all sorts of things, like feeding adaptions, camouflage, super senses, or physical adaptions! 
-Feeding adaptions can be that an animal eats in a specific food, or in a specific way. 
-Camouflage is when an animal looks a certain way to hide from either predators or prey. 
-Some animals even have super senses that are part of their adaption utility belt! Certain snakes can sense heat, some sharks can sense electricity, and owls are famous for their hearing! These are all examples of how animals use super senses to adapt to their environment. 
-Some animals have physical adaptations that help them survive. This is like how a cheetah can run super-fast, or how some fish have hooked fins to help them climb trees!

Weekly topics will learner directed, but there will not be any materials required week to week. 
A sample 4 week breakdown:
1. Week of June 7th - Foxes 
2. Week of June 14 - River otters 
3. Week of June 21 - Peacock spiders 
4. Week of June 28 - Ravens
Learning Goals
Students will improve their understanding of biology through the lens of animals that interest them.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
There will be discussion of prey/predator relationships, there may be some animals requested like spiders that students have phobias of. I will ensure that I message out what the next week's topic will be in case a student needs to skip a class.
Supply List
There may be some fact sheets given along with games and some other certificates that relate to the animal we are discussing. There will be at least one per class given.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
4.8
414reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hi! My name is MacKenzie Piacenti, but I generally go by Kenzie. I teach a variety of science classes, mainly Biology and animal facts. I also teach Sociology, English Literature, and college advice classes. I graduated Susquehanna University in 2023 with a dual degree in English Literature and Sociology, University Honors, and Summa Cum Laude. I am also a soon-to-be PhD student (in August!), studying Sociology at Howard University. My teaching experience includes being a Teaching Assistant at Susquehanna University for three courses, having taught at Peak Academy for Community Learning for three years, and I have previously been staff at an environmental science camp in Pennsylvania, USA called Conservation Camp. I follow the camp of teaching that follows Harvard psychologist Howard Gardener's theory of multiple intelligences, essentially stating that everyone has a unique learning style and a unique intelligence, and if you engage the students in what interests them they will be more receptive to your teaching. I always try to have my classes be student lead so they can learn while being engaged! Finally, I am the proud parent of a very curious cat, if you take my classes there is a chance you will see one of them!

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$12

weekly
1x per week
55 min

Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-15
3-12 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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