Online Biome Exploration Researching, Creating, and Presenting a Biome PowerPoint

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1 12 Researching, Creating, and Presenting a Biome PowerPoint OBJECTIVE Students will research, create and present a PowerPoint presentation on a particular biome, focusing on climate, floral and faunal adaptations, ecological interactions, interesting facts, and human impact. LEVEL Middle Grades: Life Science T E A C H E R P A G E S NATIONAL STANDARDS UCP.2, C.4, C.5, E.1, F.3, F.4, F.5, F.6 TEKS 6.8(C), 6.12(C) 7.2(E), 7.12(C), 7.14(C) 8.2(E), 8.6(A), 8.14(B) IPC 2(C), 2(D) CONNECTIONS TO AP AP Biology: AP Environmental Science: I Scientific Analysis, II; II Interdependence of Earth s Systems: Fundamental Principles and Concepts, D. The Biosphere TIME FRAME 5 class periods of 50 minutes each MATERIALS (For a class of 27 working in groups of 3) 9 computers with Internet access Microsoft PowerPoint software on computers TEACHER NOTES is designed to be a group research project on the components of a biome. It will incorporate technology through internet usage and PowerPoint construction. Students will also present their PowerPoint presentation to their peers. A night or two before the project is to be started in class, divide the students into groups of 3. Have groups randomly select a biome (as described below). As a home work assignment that night, instruct the students to check out a book or find a magazine article on their assigned biome. It is important for students to find some non-internet sources of information so that students who are not using the computer can have research material. You may also wish to pull the relevant books from your school library to have available in your classroom. 386 Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science

2 12 To randomize the assignment of biomes, print the included list of biomes and cut the paper into strips. Fold the strips into tiny squares and put the squares into a container of some type and have each group select a strip of paper. The group will then be responsible for that biome. Here is a list of biomes that have information readily available. tundra coniferous forest (a.k.a. boreal forest, a.k.a. taiga) deciduous forest grassland Antarctica desert tropical rainforest temperate rainforest freshwater wetland: (student must choose bog, marsh or swamp) estuaries (a.k.a. coastal wetland, a.k.a. saltwater wetland, a.k.a. tidal pools) abyssal zone coral reef (a.k.a. neritic zone) stream/river pond/lake There is a wealth of information online, accessible through the search engine Google found at Students search from Google and sift through this wealth of information to find specific information for their biome. A note on Internet searching: Many teachers and students may have felt frustration when presented with finding specific information on the Internet. Google has a very useful set of help files found at As a teacher it is worth visiting and reviewing. You may wish to present this information to your students or have students review this page on their own. Especially worth noting is the Basics of Search link. All the basics of searching are presented here. The links for Interpreting Results and the Advanced Search Tips links are also worth reading. Taking 15 minutes to read through these three pages will save hours of frustration for both you and your students. T E A C H E R P A G E S Once you are ready to begin creating the PowerPoint presentation, it is assumed that all students have a basic understanding of creating a PowerPoint presentation. This lesson is designed to serve as an application of PowerPoint rather than as a starting point for creating a PowerPoint. PowerPoint presentations are a tool for presenting basic information and act as a visual tool to enhance a verbal presentation. Each slide in a PowerPoint should not be a paragraph of text but rather a bulleted list of phrases that summarize the information that is being orally presented. You will need to emphasize this point over and over to students as they are creating their Power Points. Students will tend to be extremely verbose and overly detailed on each slide. As well, students will want to spend all their time finding pictures as opposed to concentrating on text and content. It is plausible to require that students find the entire content first and then insert the required pictures at a later time. Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science 387

3 12 The following PowerPoint tips can be presented to students either orally or through a PowerPoint of your own. PowerPoint Tips Organize Your Information Keep information short and to the point. Don t put too much information on one slide: no more than 6 bullets per slide and no more than 6 words per bullet is a good rule of thumb Remember to use metric measurements. Keep Things Visually Pleasing Make sure text is very visible and contrasts against the background Do not over use animated effects as this can be annoying T E A C H E R P A G E S General Reminders Use your time wisely. Concentrate on research first, beautification (and pictures) later. Make sure all your power point slides are saved together in one file. Once students begin researching, it is a good idea to get an inexpensive egg timer or some other device with an alarm to keep track of 15 minute time intervals. Each student should have 15 minutes to conduct research on the internet. The other two students in the group should be conducting their research with the library books and magazines available. Keeping the computer time limited to 15 minutes helps the student on the Internet stay focused. It is recommended that you take 3 class periods for research and PowerPoint construction and another 1-2 periods for student presentations. You may find it necessary to adjust this time frame given your individual computer accessibility and/or student load. To ensure student attentiveness during the presentations you may wish to have students take notes in preparation for a quiz or other graded event. You might find it helpful to standardize these notes by having each student create a table like the one below for recording notes as each group presents. Biome General Climate General Info Faunal Adaptations Floral Adaptations Human Impact Interesting Facts Desert Grassland It is also suggested that a question and answer session follow each presentation. The way the groups answer and respond to the other students questions should be included in the oral presentation grade. There are two rubrics provided for assessing student performance: a rubric for biome content and a rubric for the oral presentation. Both of these rubrics are included on the student answer page. Familiarize yourself with both of these before starting the project. It is suggested that you score the groups rubrics as you watch the presentation. 388 Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science

4 12 Researching, Creating, and Presenting a Biome PowerPoint PURPOSE In this activity you will research, create and present a PowerPoint presentation on a particular biome, focusing on climate, floral and faunal adaptations, ecological interactions, interesting facts, and human impact. MATERIALS computer with Internet access Microsoft PowerPoint software on computers PROCEDURE 1. Read through the information in the BIOME PROJECT: CONTENT section to determine what is required for your oral presentation. 2. Read through the information in the BIOME PROJECT: DIVISION OF LABOR to determine who is responsible for each part of the presentation. 3. On the BIOME PROJECT: DIVISION OF LABOR page, write the name of your selected biome and also the name of each person assigned to each section. Turn this page in to your teacher. 4. Read carefully through the content and presentation rubrics on your student answer page. 5. Once it is time to research, each person should rotate being on the computer every 15 minutes. Your teacher will remind you when 15 minutes have passed. The other two members should be using the other provided resources for collecting biome information. 6. As each person completes their part of the research, write that person s initials on the content rubric in the space provided. 7. You will have three class periods to research. Work quickly and do not waste time. 8. You will be orally presenting your PowerPoint to the rest of the class. You are responsible for presenting the part of the project that you researched. Your teacher will review with you some tips for making effective PowerPoint presentations. Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science 389

5 12 BIOME PROJECT: CONTENT Each number below corresponds to an individual slide and must be included in your PowerPoint presentation (except for #4 and #5, which include 4 slides each). Also, next to each slide description is the number of points that particular slide is worth. When a slide requires a picture, your group can find one on the Internet (usually takes longer) or scan one from a book/magazine. 1. TITLE PAGE: (2 pts.) Slide must include the title of your PowerPoint presentation and the names of all your group members. 2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF BIOME: (6 pts. for description, 3 pts. for map) Slide must include a general description of biome type including locations worldwide. (Must include the use of a global map in some way.) 3. CLIMATE DATA FOR YOUR BIOME: (6 pts. for graph, 3 pts. for data) Slide must contain climate data in a graphical format. If you do not include this data in a an easy-tointerpret graphical format, you will not receive any credit in this section. Make sure that your data points are easy to read/understand. a. If terrestrial, your biome must include the air temperature ranges during the year in degrees Celsius. Ask your teacher how to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius if needed. Monthly rain totals must also be included. b. If aquatic, your biome must include water temperature ranges during the year in degrees Celsius. The depth range (in meters) must also be included. 4. FLORAL/FUNGAL ADAPTATIONS: (20 pts., 5 pts. for each slide) a. First slide must contain a list of the typical flora found in your biome. b. The next 3 slides must include a description of 3 of the flora (one per slide) in your particular biome with special emphasis on how these plants are adapted for survival in your biome. [Go for diversity that is, try to find plants that have unique methods of survival.] c. Each slide must include a picture of the plant and the adaptation on the picture. You can substitute one fungal adaptation for a floral if you prefer. 5. FAUNAL ADAPTATIONS: (20 pts., 5 pts. for each slide) a. First slide must contain a list of the typical fauna found in your biome. b. The next 3 slides must include a description of 3 of the fauna (one per slide) in your particular biome with special emphasis on how these animals are adapted for survival in your biome. Describe at least three animals and their particular adaptations. Each slide must include a picture of the animal and the adaptation on the picture. [Go for diversity that is, try to find animals that have different methods of survival. Don t choose all mammals or all reptiles.] c. For aquatic biomes, you may substitute a protist or moneran for one of the animals. 6. FOOD WEB FOR YOUR BIOME: (15 pts.) Slide must include a food web with at least 8 animals and 4 plants, using arrows to show the direction of energy flow within the food web in your biome. You can create this diagram with a simple graphics program such as MS Paint. 390 Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science

6 12 a. If you are researching the abyss biome, there are no plants, but you must include the microorganisms that are the producers in your biome. b. If you are researching the coral reef biome, you need to include the zooxanthellae algae that have the symbiotic relationship with the coral polyps. 7. HUMAN IMPACT: (15 pts.) Slide(s) must describe the impact of humans on your biome. For example: How do we use the land? Have we affected the biome detrimentally in any way? What has been done or may be done to correct problems caused by humans? Has the size of the biome changed over time? Do we receive any benefits from this biome? a. Include at least one photo documenting the impact of humans on your biome. b. This can be presented on one or two slides. 8. INTERESTING FACTS: (8 pts) Slide(s) must describe a minimum of at least four other facts that you find interesting about your biome. You must include 2 photos illustrating these interesting facts. 9. CONCLUSION/REFERENCES: (2 pts.) Slide must end your presentation and thank your audience. See the section about references on the Division of Labor page for notes about referencing. Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science 391

7 12 BIOME PROJECT: DIVISION OF LABOR Team members should write their name beside the section of the report that they agree to research. This paper should be turned in to your teacher before beginning research. BIOME: TEAM MEMBER REPORT SECTIONS description of the biome, including an introductory paragraph interesting facts reference list concluding paragraph description of faunal survival strategies human impact reference list description of conditions to which organisms must be adapted description of floral survival strategies reference list NOTE: The reference list must be combined from all team members and listed in alphabetical order by author. For references to websites, use the rules found at the Cyberbee, Electronic Referencing site: Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science

8 12 Name Period Researching, Creating, and Presenting a Biome PowerPoint RUBRICS BIOME PROJECT POWERPOINT CONTENT RUBRIC Slide Point distribution Number of points Write the person s initials that completed this part of the slide show in the blank. 1. TITLE SLIDE a. includes the title a. 1 point a. 2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF BIOME b. names of all your members a. general description including locations worldwide b. 1 point b. a. 6 points a. b. use of a global map b. 3 points b. 3. CLIMATE DATA FOR YOUR BIOME 4. FLORAL/FUNGAL ADAPTATIONS a. data present a. 6 points a. b. table or graph b. 3 points b. a. list of the typical flora a. 4 points a. b. floral adaptation #1 b. 4 points b. (1) description (1) 2 points (1) (2) picture (2) 2 points (2) c. floral adaptation # 2 c. 4 points c. (1) description (1) 2 points (1) (2) picture (2) 2 points (2) d. floral adaptation # 3 d. 4 points d. (1) description (1) 2 points (1) (2) picture (2) 2 points (2) Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science 393

9 12 5. FAUNAL ADAPTATIONS a. list of the typical fauna a. 4 points a. b. faunal adaptation #1 b. 4 points b. (1) description (1) 2 points (1) (2) picture (2) 2 points (2) c. faunal adaptation # 2 c. 4 points (1) description (1) 2 points (2) picture (2) 2 points d. 4 points d. faunal adaptation # 3 (1) 2 points d. (1) description (2) 2 points (2) picture c. (1) (2) (1) (2) 6. FOOD WEB FOR a. Include at least 8 animals YOUR BIOME and 4 plants b. arrows showing energy flow 7. HUMAN IMPACT a. description of human impact on biome a. 12 points a. b. 3 points b. a. 10 points a. b. picture of human impact b. 5 points b. 8. INTERESTING FACTS a. interesting fact #1 b. interesting fact #2 c. interesting fact #3 d. interesting fact #4 a. 2 points b. 2 points c. 2 points d. 2 points a. b. c. d. 9. CONCLUSION a. slide is present a. 2 points a. Total Points 394 Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science

10 12 BIOME ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC Great Good Average Poor Omitted Preparedness: ability to speak without reading, knowledge and understanding of information, fielding of questions, organization Content: accuracy, clarity Thoroughness: all required info included, amount of research, length of speech Overall Presentation: volume, use of language, stance, eye contact Use of PPT in Presentation: effective use of power point Total Points Laying the Foundation in Middle Grades Life and Earth Science 395