Fixing the Ecosystems!

Introduction

There has been a terrible natural disaster, which has completely mixed up all of the world’s ecosystem’s characteristics!  The desert is freezing and there are tigers swimming in the ocean!  We need YOUR help to help straighten up our ecosystems and get them back to normal!

Today, you will work in a team of 4 researchers to sort out this mess!  Then, you will give a special news report on the evening news, outlining the characteristics of different types of ecosystems.

 

First, in case you need a quick refresher, here is a video that answers the question, "What might I find in each ecosytem?" [video:https://youtu.be/90XU0B_ya6g align:right]

Task

Your team's job is to research the world's ecosystems and put them back together. You will then report on the corrected ecosystems on the evening news.  To do this, you will first fill out a chart on 5 different ecosystems.  Then, you will create a news report using your iPad and the iMovie app.

Process

1. Use the following websites to find information to complete the chart given to you.

 a. Estuaries/Salt Marshes:http://mbgnet.net/salt/sandy/indexfr.htmhttp://www.saltmarshlife.com/index.htmlhttp://www.teara.govt.nz/en/estuaries/1http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/intro/salt.htmb. Oceans:http://mbgnet.net/salt/oceans/index.htmhttp://www.earthskids.com/ek_science-marine.htmhttp://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/365256/marine-ecosystemhttp://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/            c. Lakes/Ponds:http://mbgnet.net/fresh/lakes/index.htmhttp://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/habitat/lakes.htm http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/freshwater.htmlhttp://eo.ucar.edu/kids/wwe/lake3.htm d. Grasslands:http://mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htmhttp://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/grassland-profile/http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/grass.htm              e. Forests:http://mbgnet.net/sets/temp/index.htmhttp://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/dforest.htmlhttp://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/temperateforest.html


 
2. Use iMovie to create a news report that is at least 3       minutes long.  Make sure:
    i.  Each team member reports on at least one ecosystem.
    ii.  All categories on graph are mentioned in report.
    iii.  Your news report is saved as ECOSYSTEMS.
 

*Review both rubrics prior to completing these assignments to ensure you fulfill all requirements.

Evaluation

1.  Rubric for Ecosystems Chart.  To preview rubric, see attachment below. Click on ECOSYSTEM RUBRIC CHART. 2.  Rubric for iMovie.  To preview rubric, see attachment below.  Click on ECOSYSTEM RUBRIC iMovie. ECOSYSTEMSRUBRICCHART.docx ECOSYSTEMRUBRICiMOVIE.docx 

Conclusion

Thank you so much for helping sort out the ecosystems! I can’t wait to air your stories on the evening news to clear up the confusion in the world! It would have been a huge mess without you! 

Credits