Resource+4

media type="custom" key="6009611"

Features
 * Superhuman **

‘Superhuman’ is an interactive science activity for Years 3-7 available from the [|Learning Federation] (L22). Students choose a human then give the man or woman arms like a dolphin, koala or fruit bat, or the legs of emu, owl or kangaroo. Simple text describes the advantages of the different limbs, and thought-provoking questions are asked. Scientific terms are ‘clickable’ to get a text explanation but also the word is spoken, and students can click on a button to ‘Hear the word again’. Navigation is simple, via mouse (clicking) or keyboard (Tab + Enter). There are no sound effects but the animation is intriguing and is often cycled for re-viewing. There is no edit menu but all text can be highlighted and copied (Ctrl + C) for pasting into another application (Ctrl + V). The glossary and the completed project can be printed, including the student’s typed predictions about the ‘new human’. The last screen challenges the student to “Design your own superhuman”.

Evaluation

The simple text and navigation suit the literacy and computer literacy of these students, and minimal scaffolding is needed. Students might be disappointed if they are accustomed to sophisticated graphics or expect to create a ‘superhero’; also options are limited to modifying only arms or legs, not both. However, the activities are engaging and students can use the resource multiple times to create different ‘superhumans’; learning is enhanced by getting them to think about, predict, and explore the effects of different adaptations to survival needs. Composing predictions provides literacy practice. Replies are lost if the student goes back to re-read the questions, a potentially frustrating experience. Teachers could have prints of the questions ready but a better option is to teach students the keyboard shortcuts; then, with the questions pasted into a document, they could learn to ‘Compare side by side’ as they type answers into the resource screen. The challenge to ‘Design your own superhuman’ suggests further activities that could link art, literacy and scientific communication through reports and labelled diagrams; these products would provide assessment material. The glossary, the scientific information, and the student predictions can all be transferred to word-processing software (copy and paste) for elaboration and editing, then to a class wiki ( Tasmanian curriculum: ICT, 2010, p. 84). I would recommend this resource as a good option for integrating Science, ICT and English literacy lessons. In particular it would be an ideal final lesson in a unit on the human body since it shows the similar skeletal structures in humans and other creatures, then extends learning by introducing questions about adaptation to environment.