Web Quest:
The Feasibility of Raising
Unusual Pets
by Karen Goldstein
ELA Teacher
I.S. 162
Introduction
Many
people bond with animals. Cats, dogs, birds and fish used to be the most
popular pets
Now
people want the uncommon animals as a pet. You will research certain animals,
learn their characteristics and determine if they can be pets. We will develop
a policy for allowing
or
restricting certain animals as pets.
Task
You
will learn how to create public policy using the TIPS model.
Steps:
1.
Define
the problem
2.
Collect
the evidence
3.
Find
the causes or facts that contribute to the problem
4.
Find
any existing policy
5.
Develop
solutions.
Identify
the Problem
What
are the characteristics of your animal?
Could
your animal be a danger to their owner?
Could
your animal be a danger to others?
Could
your animal harm the environment?
Would
raising this animal as pets cause its extinction (affect procreation)?
If
you were that animal would you want to be kept in a restricted environment?
Explain
your answer.
What is the Current Policy on Unusual Pets
First
you will choose one of the following pets and gather evidence.
·
Snakes
·
Chimpanzees
·
Ferrets
·
Lizards
·
Red
Fox
·
Raccoons
Gather the Evidence
The
class will use web sites to gather information.
The Players
Who
are the people against keeping unusual animals as pets?
Who
are the people in favor of keeping unusual animals as pets?
You
will work in-groups of 4. Each group will have a specific job.
Group
1 will create an Opinion Power survey about pets in general and the
specific animals
we are researching. The survey will be given to three classes. This group will
analyze the results and present them to the class by means of a graph.
In
addition, this group will research the job of an animal behaviorist.
Google.com – animal behaviorist – chimpanzees
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/zoology/featarticle/animalbehave.mhtml
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group 2 will research chimpanzees
http://www.geocities.com/willc7/index.html
(also
go to primate starting points)
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group 3 will research snakes
www.google.com Snakes as pets
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group 4 will research ferrets
www.google.com Ferrets as pets
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group 5 will research lizards
www.google.com lizards as pets
http://www.nearctica.com’family/pets/lizard.htm
http://www.canntlink.com/petlizards.htm
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group 6 will research raccoons
www.geocities.com/hegable/petraccoons.html
(click on Tiki in text)
www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/9378/pets.html-7k
http://www.kcnet.com/~jhughes/maskd/
http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=raccoon&list
http://www.studyweb.com/links/1653.html
Encarta
Encyclopedia
Group
7 will research the red fox
the
urban fox home page
SwiftFox: Vulpes Velox
Grey
Fox Ulrocyon Cinereoargenteus
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/redfox.htm
http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/wildlife/factshts/redfox.htm
http://www.geocites.com/RamForest/4707/fox.html
http://www.lindsaysbackyard.comredfox.htm
All Students will begin researching public policy
Information@aspca.org State
Department of Agriculture
ASPCA.com Town
Supervisors
Bronx
Zoo New
York State Representative
Cooperative Extension
New York City Department of Health
New
York State Department of Conservation
Based on your research what do
you think is the problem with housing unusual pets?
Using
one of the following methods of presentation you will present your findings to
the class. Your selection will depend on whether or not you think your animal
would be a good pet.
A pet care manual for that animal
A
display board or oak tag chart displaying your findings
A
poster advertisement promoting your animal as a pet
A
claris works slide show
A
power point presentation
Extra Credit: A song or jingle about your animal
Evaluation
Excellent
Grade A
·
All questions are completely answered
·
The information is presented in proper sequence and well organized
·
The report is maturely written
·
The visual aids are informative and highly attractive
Advanced Grade B
·
All of the questions are answered however some are not complete enough
·
The information is choppy without connection between questions
·
Most of the information is copied verbatim without student’s input
· The visual aids
are informative but not attractive
Average
Grade C
·
The questions are not completely answered
·
The report is slightly unorganized
·
The information is copied word for word with no student input
·
The visual aids re attractive but missing important information
Novice Grade D
·
The answers are incomplete
·
The report is unorganized
·
There is inappropriate language
·
The visual aids are uninformative and unattractive
Conclusion
Through
researching and analyzing the data on the various animals, students should feel
confident in recommending which animals can safely be housed as pets. If the
animal could be a danger to the owner or others there should be a policy that
prevents the sale of those animals or makes it illegal to capture one and house
it.
English Language Arts Standards
Reading: E1c, E1d, E1e
Writing:
E2a
Speaking,
Listening and Viewing: E3a, E3b, E3c
Conventions,
Grammar, and Usage of the English Language: E4a, E4b
Science Standards
S2:
Using concepts to make observations
S4:
Making predictions; unifying concepts
S5:
problem solving
S6: Analyzing data
S7:
Represents data and argues from evidence
S8:
presentation of information
Rubric
|
Quality |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Meaning and Development |
·
All questions are completely answered ·
The answers are well organized |
·
All of the questions are answered ·
Only some present complete information ·
Others are too brief |
·
All questions are answered ·
Too little information is presented |
·
Only some of the questions are answered ·
The information is incomplete |
|
Organization |
·
Well organized ·
The information flows from one question to another ·
There is a connection between questions ·
A good sequence of information |
·
Well organized in food sequence ·
The presenter shows no connection between questions |
·
Slightly unorganized ·
Some sequence |
·
Unorganized ·
No planning or order of presentation of the information |
|
Language |
·
Maturely written in the student’s own language ·
The language is age appropriate |
·
Most of the information is copied from the text ·
There is some of the student’s own language |
·
The information is copied word for word with little input from the students |
·
Inappropriate language for the audience ·
The writing is not age appropriate |
|
Method
of Presentation (Visual
Aids) |
·
Interesting ·
Informative ·
Highly attractive |
·
Informative ·
Unattractive |
·
Attractive ·
Uninformative |
·
Uninformative ·
Unattractive |