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The interim
evaluation is an overview of the product based on the evaluator’s investigation
of its capabilities outside the classroom environment. It provides information
on the subject and scope of the product, its content and appearance, and the
potential benefits it could offer teachers in the classroom.
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| Context: |
Animals UK is most suited to upper key stage 2 children. It could be used, depending on provision in the school, on a series of laptops, a small group of PCs or a single PC. Pair work or small-group work around a machine would be most beneficial. An interactive whiteboard would be very useful for explanation, plenary work and, especially, the interactive sections on the CD. There is no sound component. [The publisher also suggests that the package can help non-specialist teachers develop confidence in identifying animals and plants.] |
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| Technical information: |
The software installed automatically from the CD in two minutes. The product proved totally reliable, with no speed of access problems. No other special software is needed. Comprehensive technical support is available on the CD and via the website, which you access through the toolbar. |
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| Design & navigation: |
Animals UK is aimed at KS2 and KS3 pupils. Some of the language is appropriate to the KS2 curriculum but much of it is more relevant to the KS3 science curriculum. The CD accordingly allows KS2 children access to the more advanced material and also provides a challenge to more able children who want further information. Animals UK would be most useful in enabling children to identify the creatures that surround them and those they have collected on field trips. The interactive material, data forms and key building materials are excellent teaching resources, especially with the use of an interactive whiteboard in class.Additional supporting material is available in the pack, on the CD and via the website. There are also activity sheets that can be photocopied for use on field trips. A log sheet in Excel format is provided as an ICT resource for use while out in the field. The Gatekeeper Guides are beautifully illustrated, laminated guides that can be used as posters or taken out into th |
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| Content: |
Each species of animal the software describes (143 in total) has its own data form, with at least one full colour illustration. The form includes basic details about the species’ appearance, habitat and characteristics. Further forms add more detailed drawings and information.Navigation is straightforward. Clear and colourful buttons, and back and forward arrows on the toolbar, provide easy access to different parts of the program. Each icon is further explained by rollover definitions – “tool tips”. The software is organised around a central hub for identifying common animals, with links to areas containing greater detail. Pupils can save their work by printing it – there is no other work record at the end of a session.An interactive, on-screen assistant provides support for pupils and can be switched on and off when necessary. The CD and accompanying pack include additional support material for teachers. An external website link provides further support and updates. |
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Curriculum coverage: |
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Learning outcomes: |
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| Classroom management & preparation: |
This product is aimed at furthering the education of pupils in the national curriculum science topic Life Processes and Living Things, levels 2 to 7, and in information technology. For the key stage 2 national curriculum, it directly supports Sc1 Scientific Inquiry – Investigation Skills; Sc2 Life Processes – Life Processes, Humans and Other Animals; Variation and Classification; and Living Things in Their Environment.The software could also be used to teach handling data – MA4 NC – themes. The writing of non-chronological reports would support investigatory work. ICT is embedded within the science exercises, with children using the software on PCs to investigate and sort wildlife.Animals UK could also be used in teaching the knowledge and understanding of environmental change part of the KS2 geography curriculum. |
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| Summary: |
Children use the software to identify animals they might find in their own environment as well as in contrasting habitats. The program enables them to identify the organisms they have collected and observed by means of a logical, challenging, step-by-step method.The product provides a wide, accessible range of resources to enhance the knowledge children acquire on field trips. It encourages children to make careful observations of animals and to use these to identify and sort different creatures. It should also lead them to understand why animals live where they do and the impact humans might have on those environments.Teachers can assess children’s learning by the printed work they produce and by informal observation of the processes they are using to identify animals. The interactive activities are differentiated to suit learners at various levels.
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