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Introduction
| Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits
Introduction
Endangered
species are all over the world, and many scientists are working to save many
of these species before it’s too late.
Texas is a leader of the nation in preserving
wildlife and plants, and you have been asked to educate other states on the
different Texas species on the endangered lists. Your endeavor is to pick a Texas endangered species and write a brochure
about it. The brochure will be sent to
Nature Centers and Wildlife Reservations all over the
country to be used by other educators and students. There will also be a visual made to
illustrate the knowledge presented in the brochure.
Task
After the research
is completed on the chosen endangered species, you will produce:
- Brochure using Microsoft Publisher
- A poster or diorama of the
endangered species in it’s habitat
Process
You will be
assigned to groups of 3. Every member will
be responsible for contributing equally to the project.
1. Pick an endangered
species from one of the lists at the Texas Threatened and
Endangered Species website and get teacher approval. Only one species per group.
2. Students will work as a
group to complete the research that will be used in the brochure and
poster. Use the off-line and on-line
resources listed below.
3. As you find resources,
use the reference sheets to record and document information (including
citations). You must include at least
3 off-line resources, and 3 on-line resources. When you think you have all the information
you need to complete the brochure, please have the teacher check your
reference sheets.
4. After you have obtained
teacher approval, use your reference sheets to start building the
brochure. The brochure must include:
Brief introduction on the cover of the brochure (attention
grabber,
one interesting fact about the
species, and its classification)
Inside the brochure include information on the following:
§ Characteristics of the species (appearance, habitat, diet,
population numbers,
geographic locations).
§Ecological importance (how does the plant or animal affect
other plants and
animals in the habitat).
§Economical importance (how does the plant or animal affect
humans financially).
§Pictures where appropriate (4-6 total).
On the back of the brochure include your works cited (use your
reference sheets and Noodle Tools Quickcite to
correctly cite your sources
using MLA style).
5. In your science class,
you will work on the poster or the diorama.
Poster specifications:
§Title
§
Texas/County map with geographic location of the species
§Pictures
of the species and its natural habitat
§A drawing
of a food chain that includes the species
§Three
interesting facts about the species
§Include a works
cited on the back of the poster for any
information or pictures
used
Diorama specification:
§The
opening of the box must be at least 12 inches by 12
inches. No bigger than 24
inches by 24 inches
§Title
§An
accurate three dimensional depiction of the species in its
natural habitat, including
a food chain
§Include
three interesting facts and the works cited on the back
of the diorama
On-Line
Resources:
TLC Gale
Group - Student Resource Center
Facts on File –
Environmental Issues: Nature Under Threat
The People Factor
U.S. Fish and Wildlife – Texas Endangered Wildlife
What We Do
AgNews - Texas Endangered Species
Encarta - Endangered Species
FactMonster - How to Cite Sources
Classifying Animals
Southwest Texas University - Texas Endangered Aquatic Species
University of Michigan - The Animal Diversity Web
General Search Engines -
Google
Yahoo
for Kids
Evaluation
You will
receive several daily grades as we work through this project, but your major project
grade will come from the brochure, the poster or diorama, and how well you
worked in your group. The following
rubrics will be used to grade each portion.
Brochure
Rubric
Poster/Diorama
Rubric
Group Work
Rubric
Conclusion
Congratulations!!
You are now considered a wildlife conservationist expert! You will now be able to teach others about
the importance of knowing more about endangered species. Your brochure and poster/diorama will be
used by others across the country.
Thank you for doing your part in conserving nature.
Credits
& References
“We all benefit by being generous with our
work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest,
update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the
original author’s name is retained along with a link back to the
original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author’s
name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify
it, please let me know and provide the new URL.”
Last updated on June 20, 2003. Based on a template
from The WebQuest Page
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