The Alexander Humbodlt School

Lissette Maldonado

PS 115

Project Critical

It’s an excruciating hot summer day. Sweat drenches you from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Just when you think you’re going to die from heat exhaustion, your next door neighbor stops by and says “Hey, let’s go to the beach! As you’re nearing the ocean you can feel the cool water covering every inch of your body. You imagine yourself swimming with the sea creatures. You feel as if you’re one with the ocean. Yet as you dive into the water something doesn’t seem quite right. What is that clinging to legs? As you look up you cannot believe your eyes. There is a line of plastic bags dancing in the water. This is followed by tons of garbage: baby diapers, nets, bottles, jugs, and tires. Instead of swimming in the ocean you felt as if you were swimming in a garbage truck. Sounds creepy? This is the reality for many of the world’s oceans. Pollution is killing marine life and human life may be next. Can you help shed some light on this imminent disaster?

In this Webquest, your small group will become an investigation team, in search of pollution’s impact on the ocean and pollution solutions. Each member of your group will take a special investigation role. Your investigation will help you convince your community to fight against pollution.

Cities all over the world do not realize the impact pollution is having on our oceans. By simply cutting the plastic six-pack rings found on drinks, it will save sea life from getting caught in them. If trash is not put in the right place, it can find its way to the ocean, where it is harmful to all sea life. Many in our community do not realize this, someone needs to tell them. That someone is you!! You’ll be informing people by means of a PowerPoint presentation to help them see their role in this problem and how they can become part of the solution!

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You will be placed in groups of three people. The job of your group is to investigate these three areas of concern: humans, coral reefs and animals. First, all of you must understand the importance of oceans and how the oceans are polluted. Then each of you will be assigned one of the three areas of concern. You will learn about your area, the impact of pollution on the area, and what can be done to help.

When you have finished investigating, your group will get together again and design a PowerPoint slideshow presentation to be presented on open school night. This presentation should include information on ocean pollution and how your community can help free the oceans. This means, each of you must share your findings with your group members so that each area will be covered in the PowerPoint presentations.

You will plan your presentation together. Be creative! Make sure to include: title; general information about pollution; information on humans, coral reefs, and animals; possible solutions for the problems; pictures (Duh!!); and your names. Ask your teacher if you need help with any aspect of your PowerPoint presentations

When meeting with your group each of you will have an assigned task and role. These are outlined below, be sure to click on the links for some specific illustrations and links for resource materials.

Human Investigator

Your job is to inspect the effects that polluted oceans have on humans.  All humans, including the citizens of your community, could be poisoned by the ocean.  Use the following web sites to answer the questions.  Once you have found the impact of pollution on the lives of humans, you should also form a list of solutions to offer to your group to include in your presentation.

Don't forget to keep notes and answer the questions for each of the web sites!

Where does the bacteria, that can make humans sick, come from?
Name a few diseases a human could get from contaminated waters.
County of Ventura

How does organic waste affect the water?
How can this pollution be stopped? (Hint: Clean Water Act)
Raw Sewage

What signs of illness do these people see from swimming in polluted waters?
What causes most of the pollution in these California waters?
Polluted Coastal Water

Reef Investigator

As Reef Investigator, you are responsible for searching for the effect of pollution on coral reefs.  Coral reefs are located all throughout the world's oceans.  As you will find out, coral reefs are very important to our lives and the life of the ocean.  Once you have found the impact of pollution on coral reefs, you should also form a list of solutions to offer to your group to include in your presentation.

Don't forget to keep notes and answer the questions for each of the web sites!

What are some characteristics of coral reefs?
Coral Reefs

In what regions of the world are coral reefs located?
Reef Relief

Humans and Coral Reefs:
List reasons why coral reefs are important to us.
List ways people destroy coral reefs.
Is this a fair relationship?!

Click here to see pictures of healthy coral!

Animal Investigator

As the Animal Investigator, you are responsible for searching for the effect of pollution on sea animals lives.  From tiniest fish to the largest whales to the seals that play along the shore, their lives depend on the ocean.  Once you have found the impact of pollution on these animals lives, you should also form a list of solutions to offer to your group to include in your presentation.

Don't forget to keep notes and answer the questions for each of the web sites!
To begin your search, examine some examples of ocean pollution and its effect on animals:
Dangerous Debris

How do plastics get into the ocean?
How do they impact animals?
Make sure you check out "It's a great big world out there" and the animals that it includes.
What are the dirty dozen?
And what can you do to help keep plastics out of the ocean?
Plastics in Our Ocean

Why are litter and fishing gear harmful to the ocean's animals?
Disastrous Dumping

How do the chemicals affect the sharks and what they eat?  What is a solution to this problem?
Sharks: Their Deadly Diet

What are some other solutions to to help animals in the ocean?

What is Ocean Pollution?

Web resources are listed in each assigned role as well as here:

Your group should check out these sites for some more background information:

Check out this site for information on oceans!
Virtual Wildlife: Oceans

Check out this site for information on pollution!
Ocean Pollution

www.yahoo.com

www.google.com

Students:  Review the Task and then look at the chart below to see what your teacher wants in your newsletter.

	Needs Improvement 1	Satisfactory 2	Good 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Individual Work
Notes	Missing notes or answers to three or more of the links.	Missing notes or answers to one or two of the links.	Includes some notes for each link and answers to guide questions.	Includes complete notes for each link and answers to guide questions.
Presentations
Content	Missing information from three or more required content areas. (pollution, humans, coral reefs, animals, & suggestions)	Missing information from two required content areas.	Missing information from one required content area.	All required content is included.
Format	Missing two or more of the following: title, audience, student names.	Missing title, audience, or student names.	Includes basic title, audience, and student names.	Includes creative title, audience, and student names.
Graphics	Missing two or more of the graphics.	Missing one or more of the graphics.	Includes graphics for each content area.	Includes graphics for each content area, and other forms of creativity.

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Congratulations!  Now you realize how important healthy oceans are for EVERYONE!  Pollution can be deadly for humans, coral reefs, and animals.  It must be stopped EVERYWHERE!  Feel free to take the responsibility to spread the word outside your own community!  You can make a difference!

Social Studies Standard

Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

English Language Arts Standards

Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.