WebQuest

A WebQuest for Exploring Ecology

Designed by: Erika Koesling

koeslel@lfc.edu / erikakoesling@yahoo.com

Images From:

Rainforest: www.great-barrier-reef-cairns.com Desert: www.nitealeland.com Tundra: www.alaska.net

Congratulations on your new jobs working for the well-respected travel agency Enviro-Travel. You’ve all been hired to work as a team in order to create posters and brochures that inform people about a specific geographical location around the world. Each team will research a different biome and inform the public about the characteristics of each biome. After reading a poster or a brochure that your team has created the general public should be able to answer the following question: “What factors determine the type of biome in an area?” Good Luck!

Enviro-Travel is a company that takes their business seriously. In order for the posters and brochures to be available to the public in the fastest time the agency has divided you all into groups of three and has required your team to research one of the eight biomes: (Tropical Rainforest, Savanna, Desert, Temperate Grassland, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Chaparral, Coniferous Forest, or Tundra) and has set a deadline for which they should be completed. You will collect, analyze, and organize the information about a specific biome into a brochure and illustrate the biome ecosystem in a poster. Keep in mind that even though this company is serious about distribution of the brochures and business, they are also very serious about the content contained within the brochures they distribute. Each team will be assigned a different biome so the public can have access to information on all the major types of terrestrial ecosystems.

Important Note: As you work through the process of researching and designing/creating the brochure and poster you will be responsible for keeping a journal, logging what activities you did that day to contribute to the success of your team’s project.

Steps toward a successful project:

Meet with your team and discuss ways to effectively accomplish your task. This means you will be assigning each other roles and outlining how your team will work together to complete the task before the deadline. Each team member should make a list of the research and work that he or she will be responsible for.
Research your biome. (See Credits and References below for suggested websites). When you are researching, make sure that you save all of your work in the same place, whether it is in a folder, notebook or on a computer disk, and cite where you got your information.
Team Meeting: Exchange information and discuss findings. If you find that you need more information in some areas, research further.
Type out in a word document your part of the biome information in column format. Edit. Peer edit. Print enough copies for each member of your group, including yourself, to have a copy.
Team Meeting: Brainstorm ways to format your brochure. Look at brochures in the classroom for more ideas. Exchange copies of information and pictures.
Create your brochure. You may use a format that was suggested in your group or your own new idea. Be creative.
Team Meeting: If you did not break up jobs to complete the poster, brainstorm and agree on how you want your poster to be completed, then do so.
Complete poster. Once each group has completed the poster, Enviro-Travel wants to display and advertise them for vacationers and travelers to view. (In other words, posters will be displayed in the classroom along with the brochures where other classes will be invited to view them).

Brochure

Each group member will create a brochure. All brochures must include the following:

Name of biome
Labeled map illustrating biome location(s)
Landforms
Animal life
Plant life
Average climate and temperature of ecosystem
Average yearly precipitation
Ecological concerns
Conservation efforts
Soil Type
Your perspective of the ecological concerns, conservation efforts and suggestions for further conservation efforts
Your brochure must be edited and assembled in a neat, organized manner.

Poster

Your poster may be drawn and colored or made with cut and pasted pictures, but must include the following:

· Geographic locations à where your biome can be found (latitude and longitude)

· Physical characteristicsà landforms, terrain of the ecosystem

· Inhabitantsà autotrophs and heterotrophs that live there

· Climatogramà showing average climate and precipitation

· Interesting Facts

____________________________________________________________________________

Your performance will be evaluated in two ways: group work and individual work.

Your group work will be evaluated based on the outcome of the brochure and the poster. Refer to the rubrics A and B below for assessment guidelines.

Your individual work will be evaluated based on your journal entries and the self & peer evaluation sheets. Refer to the rubrics C and D below for assessment guidelines.

Rubric A: Brochure Assessment


	No Criteria Met	Some Criteria Met	Most Criteria Met	All Criteria Met	Score
Content of Brochure	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Most of the listed criteria are presented ?	All of the listed criteria are accurately presented to their highest potential.	15
Organization of Brochure	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.	5
Visual Images	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.	5

Rubric B: Poster Assessment


	No Criteria Met	Some Criteria Met	Most Criteria Met	All Criteria Met	Score
Geographic Location	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.
Physical Characteristics	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Inhabitants	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Climatogram	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Interesting Facts	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.

To wrap up what you’ve learned from working for Enviro-Travel and becoming experts on a particular biome, you will be sharing and comparing your knowledge with other students who have expertise on different biomes.

Here are the steps for the culminating activity:

1. You will be reassigned to a group that will include members from different biome assignments.

2. Meet with that group.

3. Share your biome information and brochures.

4. Create a chart or table illustrating ten similarities and ten differences among the characteristics of each biome.

5. Turn your chart in to the teacher.

Fill out the self and peer evaluation sheets individually and turn in to the teacher.

By completing this webquest and culminating activity you will have gained in depth knowledge about various biomes in our world and will be able to answer the following challenge questions:

· Why do different biomes exist?

· Why are biomes important?

Images:

· www.great-barrier-reef-cairns.com

· www.nitealeland.com

· www.alaska.net

· http://baltictreasure.com/myftp/earth-animated.gif

Suggested References:

· http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/

· www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/index.html

· www.worldbiomes.com/

· http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets

Last updated on December 7, 2004. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page