Saving and Protecting
Biodiversity
A Webquest
R.
Levin Year 4
Pelham Prep Academy
Living Environment
“At the simplest level,
biodiversity is the sum total of all the planets, animals, fungi and
microorganisms in the world, or in a particular area; all of their individual
variation and all of the interactions between them. It is the set of living
organisms that make up the fabric of the planet Earth and allow it to function
as it does, by capturing energy from the sun and using it to drive all of the
life’s processes; by forming communities of organisms that have, through
the several billion years of life’s history on Earth, altered the nature
of the atmosphere, the soil and the water of our planet, and by making possible
the sustainability of our planet through their life activities now.”
---Peter
H. Raven 1994
INTRODUCTION
Until very recently, the importance of the
interactions of the diverse species of plants and animals on this planet has
gone unappreciated and had been virtually ignored and whole communities and
areas destroyed.
You are hired by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase
the public’s awareness of the need for the preservation of biodiversity
and the consequences of its destruction and loss.
You are to provide information
and research the causes behind the rapid decline and extinction of various
species.
The loss of a species can cause a variety of effects on the remaining
organisms in an ecosystem.
The nature of these effects depends upon the characteristics of the ecosystem
and upon the species’ role in its environment. Cascade effects occur when
the local extinction of one species
significantly changes the
population sizes of other species, potentially leading to other extinctions.
The future of many animals’ lives depends on your ability to persuade the
public to preserve and protect these animals’ habitats and environments.
Good luck! You can find more
information on biodiversity, what it is and why it should be protected at
websites listed below, in the resources section.
TASK
A.
You will be
working in teams of four. Your team is to prepare:
1.
A typed report ( at least 8 pages)
providing information on the public policy towards the preservation of biodiversity
and the products provided by diverse plant species using the Public Policy
Analyst (PPA) model
2.
A Power Point Presentation, (at least 12
slides), providing information about biodiversity, causes of biodiversity loss,
and policies to protect biodiversity.
3.
You will use the Internet (some websites are listed
below) and other sources to find your information. You must cite at least 5
different websites and 2 print media (newspaper or magazine articles).
4.
You must follow
the PPA steps to accomplish this
task.
5.
Your team will
report its findings in an oral
presentation format. Each presentation should be 15 minutes long.
B. In addition, each team member is to keep a journal during the writing process of
this project. There must be at least 10
journal entries.
Your entries should reflect your thoughts on the challenges
you faced
in researching this
project, what you learned, what worked well and
what you would do differently next time.
The report, (including the PPA
worksheets), presentation and Power Point will be counted as two test
grades (200 points). Under Evaluation, you will find the rubric that will show
you how your team was graded. The journal entries will count for 10 points each
(per individual).
PROCESS
1.
Break up into
groups of 4. Choose a team leader, recorder of information, research specialist
and timekeeper to keep the team on task.
2.
The following
T.I.P.S. links (1-6) will serve as your guide in completing the 6 steps- PPA process for your report.
3.
Click onto the
link, read and fill out each worksheet for each step.
Use the internet resources provided
below as needed.
TIPS
WORKSHEETS
*Define and
describe the problem as a group.
*Gather evidence for
this problem--- split up and research at least one internet site each.
*Identify causes for
this problem--- research at least one internet site
*Describe and
evaluate the existing policy for this problem
*As a team, develop
solutions/policies for the problem
*Select the best
policy for this problem
4.
After you have
competed your research and worksheets, you will write your research paper
following these guidelines:
*eight typed pages (not counting PPA
worksheets)
*double spacing
*font size 14
*number all pages (except cover page)
*Use the Public Policy Analyst to
incorporate your research and data
*cite your references
5.
Your cover page will contain the following information:
*Title of project
*Names of team members
*Teacher name
*Date submitted
*Class
*Creativity and originality counts—use graphics and clip art
6.
Each group member must be prepared to orally
present an area of his/her research to the EPA officials. Each member
should be prepared to answer questions dealing with biodiversity loss.
7.
Use the following guidelines to prepare the power point presentation:
*Open the Microsoft Power Point program and provide a title and subtitle for
the first slide
*Prepare 11 more slides to support your
oral presentation. Be sure to use pictures, clip art and graphics to present
your data.
Create a slide show using animation, sound and originality.
Timetable for submission:
1.
First deadline is
in two weeks—You must submit your rough draft of your written report.
2.
Second deadline is
in three weeks. The following items are to be handed in:
*Your written report
*Power Point Presentation
*Your calendar day for oral presentation
Resources 
You
can use the search engines, Google, AltaVista and Lycos as your own search
engines by asking for specific information Example: asthma ,teenagers, Bronx.
Causes
for Biodiversity loss:
www.panda.org/about-wwf/what-we-do/policy/macro-economics/root-causes.cfm
www.fern.org/pages/cbd/bioloss.html
/themes/ssc/news/invasives.html
GENERAL WEB SITES
Evaluation
The
following rubric will be used to grade all three products
|
Points |
5 |
4
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Facts |
10 sources |
7 sources
|
5 sources |
3 sources |
1 or 2 |
|
Organization |
Well organized and logical |
Well organized but
illogical sequencing or sentence structure |
Well organized but
illogical sequencing and sentence structure |
Poorly organized |
Completely disorganized |
|
Grammar/Spelling |
100% Correct |
2/3 errors |
3/4 errors |
5 or more errors in spelling/grammar |
>10
errors |
A=13-15 B=10-12 C=7-10 F=Below 7
Conclusion
After having researched the
causes and effects of biodiversity loss, you will now demonstrate an
understanding of the importance of diverse biological species of plant and
animal life in our ecosystem. You can now list some of the known causes of
biodiversity loss and can come up with a few of your own as well. You are also
able to present some of the public policies that are currently in place
regarding the preservation of biodiversity and can suggest new approaches in
policy-making in order to prevent further biodiversity erosion. You can use the
PPA format and Power Point Presentations to demonstrate how each one of us can
contribute to the preserving and protecting of biodiversity for this and future
generations to come.
Science Performance Standards
S5 Scientific
thinking
S5d
Proposes, recognizes, analyzes, considers and critiques alternative
explanations; distinguishes between fact and opinion
S5e Identifies problems; proposes and implements
solutions; evaluates the accuracy, design and outcomes of investigations
S5f Works
individually and in teams to collect and share information and data
S6d
Acquires information from multiple sources.
S7
Scientific Communication
S7a
Represents data and results in multiple ways
S7b Argues
from evidence
English Language Arts
E1c Read and comprehend informational materials
E2a Produce a report of information
E3c Prepare and deliver an individual presentation
E4b Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve
its clarity and effectiveness