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ICLE Standards:
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Life Science: Develop an understanding of
populations and ecosystems; explain behavior and interdependence of organisms in their natural environment.
Science as Communication: Engage in
conversation, including discussion and debate, with others about real-world topics related to science; select, develop and write about a
scientific topic, using one or two main ideas with relevant supporting details.
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Performance Task:
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For this task you are to form a town planning board
with four of your classmates to identify and study a local environmental
issue. You are to identify the positive and negative effects on the
ecosystem of your environmental issue (for example, the impact of building
a dam). You should divide your task so each member of your planning board
uses a different resource for researching the project. After your team has
completed the research, meet and discuss your findings. You will need to
decide how you will vote as a member of the board. Will you recommend going
ahead with the plan or not? After you have made an individual decision as to how you will vote, you
must write a persuasive paper providing facts and examples supporting your
decision. You should include evaluations of alternative positions in your
paper. You are to provide each member of your planning board team with your
paper. After all members of your
team have read all other members' papers, you will take a vote and
determine your recommendation to the town board. Each team will then give a
10 to 15 minute presentation to the whole class on their team's
recommendation. Your arguments should justify your recommendation.
Note to the teacher: You may need to help the students find resources for
researching this problem. Try to encourage the students to use primary
sources from the library, to use technology as a tool of research and to
use personal interviews, if possible.
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Knowledge / Skills:
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Understand ecology as the study of the
interactions and relationships of organisms with their living and nonliving
environments (i.e., the ecosystem, communities, and populations). (s13)
Gather information from a variety of sources,
including electronic sources, and summarize, analyze, and evaluate its use
for a report. (ela3)
Present information in well-organized fashion
that will be clear to the target audience.
(ela11)
Participate, sometimes leading, in group
meetings by contributing, taking turns speaking, and working toward a
common goal. (ela20)
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