This WebQuest is specifically designed for a 9th-10th grade level high school biology class. It mainly covers areas of life science, such as, ecology, zoology, conservation biology, and environmental biology. The students will learn about endangered species and how each of these topics are involved in developing how to stabilize their populations. Since the students will be developing their own ideas of how to save the Giant Panda population, they will need to have a strong background on populations, ecosystem, conservation biology and environmental biology. This WebQuest would work well after a unit on populations, since most of these concepts are integrated within a population unit.
OBJECTIVES: TSWBAT...
Define endangered species
Research in either ecology, zoology, conservation biology, or environmental biology.
Present their assigned topic using a powerpoint or poster.
Produce a written proposal of a recovery plan for the Giant Panda.
Produce an advertisement to promote awareness of the endangered Giant Panda.
Illinois Learning Standards:
Stage H: 12A 4. Apply scientific inquiries or technological designs to explore social and environmental responses of organisms, describing learned and inherited behaviors and responses across kingdoms and between/among phyla, explaining cyclic behaviors and responses in various species, or examining social behaviors of insects and vertebrates.
Stage H: 12B 1. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to explore the implications of change and stability in ecosystems, identifying evolutionary adaptations brought on by environmental changes, analyzing factors that influence the size and stability of populations (e.g., temperature, climate, soil conditions, predation, habitat), or contrasting energy use by organisms.
2. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to examine species' demise or success within ecosystems identifying problems for species conservation and extinction, projecting population changes when habitats are altered or destroyed (deforestation, desertification, wetlands destruction, introduction of exotic species),or researching economic and scientific value implications for changes to genetic diversity.
Stage I: 12B 1. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to explain population growth, density factors in ecosystem change and stability and biodiversity: researching population model studies to determine limiting factors and mathematical patterns of population growth in real-world situations, investigating biotic and abiotic factors of ecosystems, or identifying the roles and relationships of organisms in their community in terms of impact on populations and the ecosystem.
Ideal WebQuest Assignment Layout:
Day 1
Assign WebQuest to students, hand out the rubric, explain expectations and then assign the roles. I would assign the roles by numbering off students 1-4 (1 being ecologist, 2 being conservationist, etc.)
Day 2
Give students computer access to start researching their topic.
Day 3
Students should have enough information to meet with peers who have the same topic. They will compile their data and start making their powerpoint or poster for their presentation.
Day 4
Give time to students to finish making their powerpoint or poster and start practicing presentations.
Day 5
All groups will present their topic, should only take 5-10 minutes each.
Day 6
The students will get back into their groups to discuss how they will devise their recovery plan.
Day 7
They will finish making their recovery plan and start writing their proposal.
Day 8
Students will finish writing proposal together and move on to coming up with how to make an advertisement that promotes awareness about the Giant Panda.
Day 9
They will start making their advertisement.
Day 10
The next two days will be given to the students to make their advertisement. Depending on how much effort they are putting into it, they may not need another day.
Day 11
Decide whether or not they need this day to finish their advertisements.
Day 12
Groups will present them to the class. This part can be informal, they just need to explain what they did and either show it or pass it around the class. They will not be graded on this presentation, just the advertisement.
Resources Needed:
Students need access to a computer lab to do research.
Students may need access to powerpoint software.
Students may need a flashdrive to save anything they need for their presentation.
Posterboard, coloring utensils, scissors.
Printer (To print pictures, or other project materials)
Evaluation:
As you can see this assignment takes quite awhile for the students to finish with expected results. They are given enough time to have compile data to make elaborated presentations, papers, and advertisements. See the Evaluation page to see how points are distributed.
Rationale:
This assignment is effective because it engages students while implementing them to think critically and learn problem-solving skills. After they research their specific topics, it is their responsibility to come up with a recovery plan for the Giant Panda and also create an awareness tool. This assignment makes students open their minds to think like a scientist, actively work with peers, and just be creative. This webquest definitely engages all types of learners, because there is a individual research, a presentation (with use of a visual), a writing prompt, and a creative tool at the end.
This WebQuest is specifically designed for a 9th-10th grade level high school biology class. It mainly covers areas of life science, such as, ecology, zoology, conservation biology, and environmental biology. The students will learn about endangered species and how each of these topics are involved in developing how to stabilize their populations. Since the students will be developing their own ideas of how to save the Giant Panda population, they will need to have a strong background on populations, ecosystem, conservation biology and environmental biology. This WebQuest would work well after a unit on populations, since most of these concepts are integrated within a population unit.
OBJECTIVES: TSWBAT...
Illinois Learning Standards:
Stage H: 12A
4. Apply scientific inquiries or technological designs to explore social and environmental responses of organisms, describing learned and inherited behaviors and responses across kingdoms and between/among phyla, explaining cyclic behaviors and responses in various species, or examining social behaviors of insects and vertebrates.
Stage H: 12B
1. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to explore the implications of change and stability in ecosystems, identifying evolutionary adaptations brought on by environmental changes, analyzing factors that influence the size and stability of populations (e.g., temperature, climate, soil conditions, predation, habitat), or contrasting energy use by organisms.
2. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to examine species' demise or success within ecosystems identifying problems for species conservation and extinction, projecting population changes when habitats are altered or destroyed (deforestation, desertification, wetlands destruction, introduction of exotic species),or researching economic and scientific value implications for changes to genetic diversity.
Stage I: 12B
1. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to explain population growth, density factors in ecosystem change and stability and biodiversity: researching population model studies to determine limiting factors and mathematical patterns of population growth in real-world situations, investigating biotic and abiotic factors of ecosystems, or identifying the roles and relationships of organisms in their community in terms of impact on populations and the ecosystem.
Ideal WebQuest Assignment Layout:
Resources Needed:
Evaluation:
As you can see this assignment takes quite awhile for the students to finish with expected results. They are given enough time to have compile data to make elaborated presentations, papers, and advertisements. See the Evaluation page to see how points are distributed.
Rationale:
This assignment is effective because it engages students while implementing them to think critically and learn problem-solving skills. After they research their specific topics, it is their responsibility to come up with a recovery plan for the Giant Panda and also create an awareness tool. This assignment makes students open their minds to think like a scientist, actively work with peers, and just be creative. This webquest definitely engages all types of learners, because there is a individual research, a presentation (with use of a visual), a writing prompt, and a creative tool at the end.