Introduction
Welcome: My Kelp Business Plan
Description: Shed some light on seaweeds! In this WebQuest, you will research and explore the business of seaweeds. Not only will you discover the similarities and differences in the main groups of seaweeds such as the Green, Brown (Kelp), and Red Macroalgae - called Seaweeds, but you will find out for yourself that Kelp is BIG Business! You are going to create a Business Plan for starting a company to make money with Seaweed! Explore the biology of Kelp and other seaweeds and the fascinating products that are made with them! Some are food and some become raw materials for products you might use every day! There is a lot below the surface of the ocean to discover... so start your Quest with your Kelp Business!
Grade Level: 9-12
Curriculum: Science, Math, English Language Arts
Keywords: Seaweed, algae, kelp, brown algae, green algae, red algae, ocean, kelp harvest, macroalgae, products from algae, algin
Author: Ms. Yadira Rivera
Introduction
Do you want to be your own boss? Ever wonder what it would take to start your own business?
Many people today start a business of their own. They organize their thoughts and make a plan for their business with a business plan. The business plan consists of a narrative and several financial worksheets. The narrative is the body of the business plan. It contains many answers to questions about the business and is divided into several sections.
In this WebQuest, you are going to write a business plan for a Kelp business. After completing this business plan you just might see yourself making a lot of profit with seaweed! It is not just wrapped around sushi! Chances are you eat seaweed products or use some other product with seaweed ingredients every day!
So why not make money on something you use every day? This is the sort of inquiry that gets curious minds on the right track to write a business plan and become successful business people.
Let's get to down to business... The BIG business of Kelp and Seaweed!
Task
Task
The task of this WebQuest is for you to discover the underwater world of seaweeds. First, you will visit websites that lead you towards a discovery of the different types of seaweeds. You'll learn how they grow and reproduce. Your goal is to learn about Kelp, the Brown Algae which is used by humans for food and which is used as an ingredient in many household products. With this WebQuest, you will
- learn how Kelp grows and what it can be used for,
- gain personal insight about how kelp is cultivated and harvested like a land crop for profit,
- decide on a Kelp product to sell in a business you will create,
- write a business plan (using a Word template) around making money with kelp, and
- write a persuasive message in your business plan which gives you practice planning a business and marketing plan with your technical knowledge of the biology of algae.
Process
Preparation
- You will work with an assigned partner to complete this WebQuest. One Kelp Business Plan will be completed by each group.
- Open the three documents listed below which will serve as your "write-up" for this project.
- My Kelp Business Plan Template
- Is there Kelp in your cupboard?
- Algae Venn Diagram
Process
- Use this business plan as your template for writing your own Kelp Business Plan. You and your partner are going into the Kelp business to harvest Kelp as a food product or to extract a nutrient out of Kelp to be used in a product sold to consumers. After your research, you decide the mission of your business and how you will use Kelp to make money.
- You must save the report on the computers used for this WebQuest.
- Complete the document “Is there Kelp in your Cupboard?” and the “Algae Venn Diagram” to be placed in the appendices of your business plan.
- If you use diagrams, pictures, or data from another location then you are REQUIRED to cite the source of the information or show the author’s copyright information.
- Print up your report and turn it in by the due date.
- Use the WebQuest links to complete your secondary research of your Kelp Business Plan.
Products and Services Section of your Kelp Business Plan
Is there Kelp in your cupboard?
These Products in your House contain Kelp or other Seaweeds!
3 Main Types of Marine Algae and Help with the Venn Diagram
This will help you with completing the Venn Diagram comparing these types three types of algae.
Giant Bladder Kelp
Commercial uses of Kelp; Where they grow; Life Cycle of Kelp.
Sea Plants Handbook
Technical information on species of Seaweeds and Harvests.
Kelp Forests
How Kelp Grows and the biological animals that affect Kelp growth.
Explore the Kelp Forest
Click on "Explore the kelp forest" for information on kelp structure.
Kelp Forest Pictures
Pictures of Kelp.
Market Research Section of your Kelp Business Plan
Economics, Customers, and Competition
Economic Uses of Algae
Discover the uses of algae and Kelp.
Industrial Production of Seaweed Products
Good info on who, how, and what!
Kelp Harvesting
Commercial Kelp Harvests in California.
Giant Kelp Use and Harvest
Harvest info and density of Kelp.
Effects of Kelp Harvesting on Fish
Click on "Effects of Kelp Harvesting on Fish" in left menu at this website.
Orange County Kelp Restoration Project
How to help Kelp grow and establish itself in new areas.
Regulations for Harvesting Seaweeds
Do you need a license to harvest seaweed from the ocean?
Evaluation
Evaluation Rubric
| Beginning (4 points) | Developing (6 points) | Very Good (8 points) | Exemplary (10 points) | Score (%) | |
| Kelp Business Plan | Business Plan is less than 60% completed with more than 6 spelling or grammatical errors. | Business Plan is 60-79% completed and no more than 6 spelling or grammatical errors. | Business Plan is 80-99% completed with research demonstrating thoughtful entries with no more than 4 spelling or grammatical errors. | Business Plan is fully completed with research demonstrating thoughtful convincing entries with no more than 2 spelling or grammatical errors. | 40% |
| Algae Venn Diagram | Venn Diagram of Algae types is less than 60% complete or demonstrates a beginning knowledge of similarities and differences of these algal groups. | Venn Diagram of Algae types is 60-79% complete or demonstrates developing knowledge of similarities and differences of these algal groups. | Venn Diagram of Algae types is 80-90% complete or demonstrates knowledge of similarities and differences of these algal groups. | Venn Diagram of Algae types is complete and demonstrates mastery of similarities and differences of these algal groups. | 20% |
| Kelp in the Cupboard | Kelp in the Cupboard worksheet is less than 60% complete or demonstrates a beginning effort and knowledge of kelp products in the household. | Kelp in the Cupboard worksheet is 60-79% complete or demonstrates developing effort and knowledge of kelp products in the household. | Kelp in the Cupboard worksheet is 80-99% complete or demonstrates very good effort and knowledge of kelp products in the household. | Kelp in the Cupboard worksheet is complete and demonstrates exemplary effort and knowledge of kelp products in the household. | 20% |
| Work effort in completing the research and in writing the Kelp Business Plan as a Team | Team members work together but with an unequal sharing of the responsibilities of completing the Business Plan together or show beginning effort by not staying on task without guidance the majority of the time. | Team members work together but with an unequal sharing of the responsibilities of completing the Business Plan together or show developing effort by not staying on task without guidance. | Team members work together equally and share the responsibility of completing the Business Plan together with very good effort. | Team members work together equally and share the responsibility of completing the Business Plan together with exemplary effort. | 20% |
| Total Score: ____/100% |
Conclusion
You now can identify the three main types of algae, their uses, and their importance to the marine ecosystem. You have also gained practical knowledge of a business plan's product market research and development. These are necessary steps in the technical and creative steps in bringing a product to market.
You can identify the biological and physical effects on the cultivation and harvesting of Kelp, a valuable and important product in everyone's household!
Fill out a learning log for this lesson and answer in complete sentences:
1. What did I do in class today? Give a brief description of your class activities.
2. What did I learn? There's always something!
3. What did I find most interesting? "Nothing" is not an acceptable answer.
4. What questions do I have about what I learned? This is important - THINK!
5. What was the point of today's lesson? Why would your teacher plan this activity?
6. What connections can I make to previous learning? Is there any connection to something you've learned in other classes, this class, perhaps something you thought about?
Credits
References
Badovinac, M. (2006). Learning Log Questions. Retrieved from
http://questgarden.com/52/16/0/070606152240/conclusion.htm
Permissions
We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions.
Teacher Page
Florida/ NGSS Standards Addressed:
MAFS.K12.MP.1.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
LAFS.112.W.3.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
SC.912.CS-CC.1.5: Communicate and publish key ideas and details to a variety of audiences using digital tools and media-rich resources.
ELL/ESE Strategies:
- Utilize the Language Experience Approach which incorporates the experiences, the oral language, and interests of the student to develop writing and reading skills. This involves relating the student's experiences to the WebQuest. Relate their language experiences so that they know what is being said and their actual experiences to holes and sinkholes so they have something to connect the information to.
- Speak clearly and simplify the vocabulary. This could be done by going over the words that the student does not know and using Tier 1 words instead to simplify the meaning so that they may understand what they're reading. This will help them to understand what they'll have to write.
- Allow ELL students to utilize a translating dictionary.
- Have ESE students complete WebQuest in a group.