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Performance Task:
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Students design a model of a community wildlife
preserve. They identify native species that might inhabit such a preserve
and do research to find out what conditions are essential to maintain those
animals and plants. They discover how all the animals and plants in an
ecosystem interact and how human intervention may affect that ecosystem.
This task is a natural extension for rural students, but even a small park
or a vacant lot in the middle of a city can be designed to attract and
support native plants and animals, Students may use library and Internet
research and consult experts from area colleges or wildlife management
areas. If it is possible, students should present their designs to the
public, along with a rationale for why a wildlife preserve would benefit
their neighborhood; if not, they should present to the school community.
They might also visit a wildlife preserve or a small urban lot that has
been reclaimed and find out how that effort succeeded.
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Knowledge / Skills:
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Plan and apply real or hypothetical models and
constructions to facilitate investigation and learning and the solution to
practical problems. (xs2)
Understand the human impact on the environment
through pollution (air, water, and soil), and ways to improve it through
education, research, laws, and conservation. (s10)
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)
Know the survival requirements of the human
population and the history and implications of population growth. (s40)
Present information in well-organized fashion
that will be clear to the target audience.
(ela11)
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Rubric:
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For a
"4" your team must:
Demonstrate that you have detailed knowledge of those native plants and
animals that would survive well in your preserve, including habitat
requirements, foods, requirements for reproducing, any predators, and
potential problems and reasons for declines in populations. You should
understand and be able to explain methods for protecting endangered species
and promoting repopulation. Your design must be practical, economical, and
consider possible problems so that it has a high chance of success. Your
presentation must be well organized, with specific details that enable
others to see your solution clearly and understand how it will work.
For a "3" your team
must:
Demonstrate that you have basic knowledge of those native plants and
animals that would survive well in your preserve, including habitat
requirements, foods, requirements for reproducing, any predators, and
possible reasons for declines in populations. You should understand and be
able to explain methods for protecting endangered species and promoting
repopulation. Your design must be practical, economical, and consider
possible problems so that it has a good chance of success. Your
presentation must be well organized, with specific details that enable
others to see your solution clearly and understand how it will work.
For a "2" your team must:
Demonstrate that you have basic knowledge of those native plants and
animals that would survive well in your preserve, including habitat
requirements, foods, requirements for reproducing, any predators, and
possible reasons for declines in populations. You should also have a basic
understanding of methods for protecting endangered species and promoting
repopulation. Your design must be practical, economical, and consider at
least one possible problem that might be encountered, Your presentation
must be organized, with a few specific details that enable others to see
your solution clearly.
Any team not earning a minimum score of at least "2" must redo
their project, as '2" is the minimum acceptable grade.
Any of the following will earn you a "I":
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Inaccurate information
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Failure to demonstrate knowledge
of common native species of plants and animals and/or a lack of
understanding the basics of protecting and repopulating endangered species
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Solution unworkable
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Presentation sloppy, disorganized,
showing minimal effort
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