This learning object present students with information in Bahasa Indonesia about an important real-world issue, the endangerment of species. In Perjalanan berbahaya (Dangerous journey), students explore the life cycle of the Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coricae) and discover some of the reasons why this and other turtles have become endangered.

The Leatherback turtle is found worldwide but two of its most important breeding grounds in the Pacific are in Indonesia and Malaysia. In the 1980s there were approximately 91000 Leatherback turtles. This number has declined to less than 3000 of these turtles worldwide. It is also estimated that each female now only lays eggs once as they lose their life before having the opportunity to breed again.

This problem is one that must be faced by a number of the world’s nations working together if it is to be solved.

There are four sections to this learning object:

• Lokasi berkembangbiak (Breeding sites): Students ‘visit’ three Leatherback turtle breeding sites – in Northern Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. At each site a local person presents some facts and their informed opinion about the Leatherback turtle.

• Perputaran hidup penyu (Turtle life cycle): Students find out about the different stages of the Leatherback turtle life cycle and the factors that have placed the species in danger. The information is presented through maps, diagrams, graphs and as a news broadcast.

• Kuis penyu (Turtle quiz): Students complete a multiple choice quiz to assess the knowledge they have picked up in the first two sections and assess their readiness to try life as a turtle in the final section.

• Penyu yang selamat (Turtle Survivor Game): Once they have the knowledge required to play the game, students take on the role of the turtle from its earliest days (as it hatches from the egg). The student must make decisions about the way the turtle undertakes its daily experiences at each stage of its life. If the turtle makes unwise or unlucky decisions, it might lose its life or might suffer small or large setbacks. Feedback provided assists students in refining their turtle's behaviour and making wiser choices.
   

All spoken text is accompanied by native-speaker sound and English rollover help is provided for more difficult words.

Perjalanan berbahaya is suitable for students in Years 5-8 with some prior experience in Bahasa Indonesia.

Another learning object in this series, Penyelamatan binatang, also looks at the issue of endangered species, through a case study of the orangutan. Students take the role of a freelance journalist who has put forward a proposal to write an article about this issue by looking at it from different points of view. NB: It may be possible to use both these learning objects at the same time, or to use them in consecutive years to revisit endangered species. Both learning objects offer opportunities for a transdisciplinary approach.

See how this learning object fits into the series [Word 192KB or PDF 67KB]