Create a Habitat!Create a Habitat!

An original project created by Mr. Carter ElmoreAn original project created by Mr. Carter Elmore

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An Internet WebQuest Designed for Students Studying Animal Habitats

IntroductionIntroduction

Have you ever had a pet that you have loved and cared for? If so, chances are that pet was never considered a wild animal. Wild animals need special habitats to survive and often they have trouble surviving when they are taken out of their natural habitats. There are hundreds of thousands of wild animals in this world and they all have special habitats.

How does this concern you, you ask? Soon you will find that you and your team are the most important factors in a young wild animal’s life and are responsible for its survival. Does this sound like a lot of responsibility? Can you help a wild animal survive?

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TaskTaskWake County Schools has received a generous grant from the National Wildlife Federation to study different animals and the ways they live in their habitats.

Your group needs to study a particular animal and find out as much information as possible on the animal’s habitat. Your group will use this gathered information to create a habitat, as similar as possible to the animal’s natural habitat, before the animal is brought to Wake County. Your group will then present your habitat in the form of a multimedia presentation. A world of information is literally at your fingertips, so find out as much information as possible on your animal’s habitat!

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ProcessProcess

Step 1: In groups of three to four, choose an animal from the following list to research.

-African lion

-Bald eagle

-Anaconda

-Mako shark

-Desert scorpion

-Polar bear

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Step 2: Research the animal using the links provided on the Resources page for your animal and create a web using Inspiration with the following categories:

1. The animal’s predators and prey2. What the animal eats3. The animal’s natural habitat4. The animal’s lifespan5. The animal’s physical and behavioral adaptations6. How humans may be harmful to the particular animal’s habitat.

Click here to see an example of an Inspiration web on an animal.

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Step 3: Use the information web to design a habitat that would best be suited for your animal with the art materials provided. You will be given traditional art materials such as construction paper, glue, markers, etc. to create a model habitat with your group.

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Step 4: You and your group will create a multimedia presentation with Microsoft Power Point to present your habitat with the same categories included in your Inspiration web. You and your group will take a picture of your habitat with a digital camera and will include this picture in your multimedia presentation.

You will also need to use voice recording to explain the main points on each slide as well as include your Inspiration web. Click here for a sample habitat multimedia presentation.

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Resources for Resources for African LionAfrican Lion

http://www.sazoo-aq.org/02meet/02sublinks/lion.html

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azlion.html

http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/aflion.htm

http://www.awf.org/wildlives/148

http://www.lionsafari.com/

http://sailfish.exis.net/~spook/liontxt.html

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Resources for Resources for Bald EagleBald Eagle

http://www2.biology.ualberta.ca/uamz.hp/eagle.html

http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/eagle.html

http://www.marcoisland.org/bioeagl.htm

http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/bldeagle.htm

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/baldeagle.html

http://baldeagles.org/eagleinfo.html

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Resources for Resources for AnacondaAnaconda

http://www.nashvillezoo.org/anaconda.htmhttp://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/bigsnake.htmhttp://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/anaconda.htm

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Resources for Resources for Mako SharkMako Shark

http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/sharkpics/ellis/mako.htm

http://www.sdnhm.org/kids/sharks/shore-to-sea/mako.html

http://www.whaletimes.org/makoshark.htm

http://www.whaletimes.org/makoshark.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/species/Mako.shtml

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Resources for Resources for Desert Desert ScorpionScorpion

http://www.desertusa.com/oct96/du_scorpion.html

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/animals/scorpion.html

http://www.ex.ac.uk/bugclub/scorp.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/scorpion/Scorpionprintout.shtml

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Resources for Resources for Polar BearPolar Bear

http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/polbear.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/bela/html/polar.htmhttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0004/polar.htmlhttp://archive.greenpeace.org/climate/arctic99/reports/bearfact.htmlhttp://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/polarbearab.html

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EvaluationEvaluationYour work will be based on several factors. You need to work as a team to successfully complete every aspect of this WebQuest activity. The categories you will be evaluated on are as follows:

-Task

-Research & Gathering Information

-Teamwork

-Originality of Multimedia Presentation

-Group Multimedia Presentation

Click here for a copy of the rubric.

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ConclusionConclusionCongratulations! The grant that was provided to Wake County Schools can now be used to recreate a habitat for the animal that your team researched! Your team has done well in researching information on your animal and your knowledge will now be used to create a habitat that will be best suited for your specific animal.

Remember to use the web your team created to understand what your animal’s habitat should have in order for your animal to live a long, healthy life. Now, go create!

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Standards

National Science Standards

• H.C.4 Interdependence of organisms• c. Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and

interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or thousands of years.

• d. Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension has profound effects on the interactions between organisms.

• e. Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected (National Science Standards, n.d., p. 26).

NCTE - National Council of Teachers of English

• 5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;

• 8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge (Standards for the English Language Arts, 1996, pp. 25-28).

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Standards, continuedStandards, continued

ISTE Standards – NETS-S

• 1a - Creativity and Innovation: Students apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes;

• 1b - Creativity and Innovation: Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression;

• 2a - Communication and Collaboration: Students interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media;

• 2b - Communication and Collaboration: Students communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats;

• 2c - Communication and Collaboration: Students develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures;

• 2d - Communication and Collaboration: Students contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems;

• 4d - Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions;

• 5a - Digital Citizenship: Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology;

• 5b - Digital Citizenship: Students exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity;

• 5c - Digital Citizenship: Students demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning;• 5d - Digital Citizenship: Students exhibit leadership for digital citizenship;• 6a - Technology Operations and Concepts: Students understand and use technology systems;• 6d - Technology Operations and Concepts: Students transfer current knowledge to learning of

new technologies (The ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Students (NETS•S), 2007, p. 1).