GROUP ECOLOGY PROJECT
An
overview of what you will be doing for the project and how it is to be
constructed:
Objective: To allow students to work in groups on a long term project
about a particular animal in an ecosystem that ties in prior and on going
science knowledge as well as overall cognitive, reading, writing, and social
skills.
1.
Preliminary Criteria (due __________________) - To be handed in prior to any
drafts or outlines for the project
- The
title of the project (animal)
- animal
(genus and species)
- optional
quote (something catchy about animal)
- Students
working on the project and class number (due __________________)
2.
Brainstorm Graphic Organizer (due__________________) - Visual map of all the
ideas you will
investigate or concepts you will might like to include in your project. This may include
some, any, or all of the following:
- Scientific name, kingdom, etc.
- Physical characteristics/physiology/morphology
- Ecosystem, habitat, niche
- Evolutionary history
- Social structure (if any)
- Habits, daily or yearly cycles
- Symbiotic factors. Competition, Predator/prey, parasites
- Life cycle, reproduction
- Climate, weather
- Diseases, mortality rates
- Genetic adaptations
3.
Outline (due__________________) – Detailed outline of all the information you
will be including
about your animal.
4.
First Draft (due__________________) – complete preliminary draft of just the
body of information you have completed
about your animal.
No title, no pictures, etc. Also a list of sources (books and pages!), web pages (exact!), other sources.
5.
Final Project (due__________________) – Complete project including title,
bibliography, glossary of science words, pictures, quotes, etc.
6.
Presentation (due_________________) – 3 or 4 minute group oral
presentation
Notes:
Written
Project Length: Minimum 5 pages
Line
Spacing: Double spaced
Font
Size: 12
Font
Type: Keep it “simple”, nothing
fancy!
Color:
Black!
Italics,
Bold, Underline: kept to a minimum
Pictures/illustrations/graphs/charts:
not considered part of the overall amount of pages required!
Quotes:
not considered part of the overall amount of pages required!
Margins:
Top .5
Bottom .5
Left Side .9
Right Side .9
Purpose: Students
will become familiar with the fundamental biotic and abiotic ecological factors
that affect all life. Students will discover through researching this projects,
the interdependence and interconnectedness of all organisms within the
frame-work of an ecosystem and habitat. They
will be able to define, describe, differentiate between, analyze, and explain
the different relationships, sometimes subtle, between and among organisms and
as well as the affects abiotic factors have on life.
Students will demonstrate understanding by creating and presenting a
group project detailing and delineating several aspects of a chosen large animal
within the frameworks of the curriculum standards. These standards include an
understanding of several biotic factors such as symbiosis, prey/predator
relations, competition, competitive exclusion, protection mechanism, and
parasitism as well as the non-living (abiotic) factors affecting organisms such
as the various physical and chemical factors within an ecosystem.
Students will have a complete grasp of other concepts such as resource
partitioning, competitive exclusion, mimicry, and other defense mechanisms.
They will also become confident in analyzing graphs, charts, models, an
other data through this project. Ultimately
students will be able to use this knowledge in future decision-making
capacities.