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Jane Goodall - Champion of Chimpanzees

Students will learn about ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall and her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Jane Goodall is considered a leading expert on chimpanzees. She spent many years in Gombe Stream National Park (then known as the Gombe Stream Game Reserve) in Tanzania and made several notable observations that corrected misunderstandings about chimps. She found that contrary to prior thought, chimps are omnivores, not vegetarians. They are also capable of making and using tools and they exhibit complex and highly developed social behaviors. Have students learn about her research. When did her interest begin? When did she conduct her research? How did she gain the chimpanzees' trust? What tools did she observe the chimps making and using?

  • Step 2

    Have students create a drawing related to Jane Goodall and chimpanzees. It could be a portrait of Goodall and a chimp, it could depict chimpanzees demonstrating their use of tools or interacting with other chimps, or it could feature a timeline of Jane Goodall's work in Tanzania.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their drawings and talk about some of the interesting insights they learned about chimpanzee behavior and about reasons they believe it is important to study and learn from animal behavior.

Standards

SCI: Ask questions about features of phenomena observed and conclusions drawn from investigations or models.

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.

Adaptations

Jane Goodall is an ethologist - a scientist who studies animal behavior within their natural habitats. Have students learn about this field and how the knowledge gained is vital for biodiversity conservation and the preservation of ecosystems.

Jane Goodall once said that she had to work 10 times harder than the average man just to get the same level of recognition. Have students learn about some other female scientists whose work has been invaluable but who struggled with sexism, such as Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin - whose contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely unrecognized in her lifetime.