Feed the Dingo!

The students were introduced to the game ‘Feed the Dingo’, a desert ecosystem game.

First, the students played the game individually. Then, they gathered to talk about what they noticed. A few students explained that they had introduced the Dingo on the 1^st day of the game (the game runs for 12 days (game days).

• Lawrence “I put all the little animals in the first day and then put the Dingo in.”
• Grace “My ants always died and some animals that eat ants were all not happy.”
• Alejandra “One ant could just eat for 2 days.”
• Ethan “You can just put plants and then they won’t die.”
• Ella “It’s like feeding the animals and making food chains. Eagle eats the snake; snake eats the frog and another things eat them. The food chain, I read this in a book, there was an island with plants. Too many plants and then they put some deer and the deer eats too many plants and then too many are gone and they put some wolves and they ate some of the deer.”
• Grace “I put some ants and why are they all gone the next day.”
• Gihyeon “Maybe they eat trees and ants eat the trees and there.”

The students were introduced to the word ‘ENOUGH’.

• What does this mean in the game?
• What is enough?
• How will it be enough?

Next, the students went off to play the game a second time. This time, they buddied up to work in small groups.

As the game progressed, the students had opportunities to pause and reflect on the game. What can we learn from the game?

• What did we do well and what can we improve/get better at?
• What connections do we see?
• What always happens and what could probably happen in the game?
• How is this connected to my world and the ecosystems I know?

Our journey begins…