A Project
CRITICAL WebQuest
Human
Impact on Biodiversity
Endangered
Species in the Hudson River Valley
Ivandy N. Castro
9th Grade Living Environment
Mott High School
icastroastor@schools.nyc.org
INTRODUCTION
The Hudson River Valley is one of the great regions of the
world and a special place within New York State. It is a region full of beauty,
historical and economic value, and high biological diversity. However, human
impact is threatening the Hudson River Valley and its biodiversity.
Right now, approximately 150 species, including those that
are threatened, endangered, or of special concern, that depend upon the Hudson
River Valley, need your help. It is time to go deep and learn about this
wonderful ecosystem, appreciate it, and take action to protect it.
TASKS
Your
task is to create either a Google Slides, a digital poster, or a Pamphlet to:
●
Teach
your school community what you have learned about endangered species, and the
characteristics that make a species endangered.
●
Explain
to your school community why the Hudson River is named one of America’s Most
Endangered Rivers of 2019, and
●
Develop
specific practical solutions to help protect the endangered species that depend
on the Hudson River Valley to survive.
PROCESS/RESOURCES
In
order to complete the tasks listed above, you will use websites to gather
information about endangered species, especially those found in the Hudson
Valley, characteristics that make a species endangered; information about the
Hudson River Valley, and why it is considered one of America’s most endangered
rivers, as well as about specific practical solutions that might help preserve
the endangered species.
The
class will be split into teams of 4 students. Each group will have students of
different levels, and background knowledge. To facilitate collaboration between
members, each team will use a shared Google doc to add and edit information.
Group discussion will be held through Google Meeting.
Each
member of the team will have a specific role.
Group
Leader – You will make sure that the group is on-task and working
collaboratively, and you will also make sure that the tasks are being completed
according to the schedule.
Writer
– You will summarize and select the most important information to be included
in the Google Slides, Digital Poster, and Pamphlet.
Editor
- You will make sure that all the spelling is correct, sentences are complete
and make sense, and make sure the information is accurate.
Graphic
designer - You will coordinate the decisions regarding aesthetics of the Google
Slides, Digital Poster, and Pamphlet, and make sure that they are not busy.
The
content of the Google Slides and Pamphlet should be informative, interesting,
easy to understand, and make sure that the slides, digital poster and pamphlet
are not busy. The Google Slides will have between 10 to 12 slides.
Once
complete, each team will present their final product to the rest of the class and
to the teacher through video conferencing.
A
multidisciplinary team, composed of teachers and students will vote and select
the best Digital Poster, and Pamphlet, which will be sent to New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
You
will use the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst format to present your information
DEFINE THE PROBLEM (This step is
already done for you)
The
Hudson River Estuary ecosystem is home to a number of species that have their
best or only remaining populations in the region. Approximately 150 species
depend upon the Hudson River Valley are listed by the NYSDEC as threatened,
endangered, or of special concern in New York State, primarily due to habitat
loss.
GATHER THE EVIDENCE:
Day 1
You will do research on endangered species, especially those
found in the Hudson River Valley.
Select
two of the following links to do your research:
Endangered and Threatened Species in New York
Endangered species in
New York
Endangered species facts for kids
IDENTIFY THE
CAUSES: Day 2 and Day 3
Day 2: You will do research on the
characteristics that make a species endangered, and what criteria scientists
used to classify a species as endangered.
Select
two of the following links to do your research::
What Makes a Species
Endangered?
Endangered Species
Categories and Criteria
What does ‘endangered
species’ mean?
Listing a Species as a
Threatened or Endangered Species
Day 3: You will do research on the Hudson
River Valley, and why it is considered one of America’s most endangered rivers.
Select
two of the following links to do your research:
Hudson River Facts for
Kids: Interesting Facts You Probably Never Knew
Threats to
Biodiversity in the Watershed
Hudson Named One of
America's Most Endangered Rivers
EVALUATE AN EXISTING
POLICY: Day 4
You will do research on laws and regulations to protect
threatened species, and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
Select two of the following links to do your research:
Endangered Species
Act: A History of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service - Endangered Species: Laws & Policies - Regulations and
Policies
Endangered species in
New York: Public Policy in New York
DEVELOP SOLUTIONS: Day 5
Select
two of the following links to do your research:
What You Can Do to Protect the Hudson River
Estuary
How Homeowners Can
Protect Endangered Species in the Hudson Valley
How Tourists Can
Protect Endangered Species in the Hudson Valley
SELECT THE BEST
SOLUTION: Day 6
Now that you know how important the Hudson Valley River is for
the protection of threatened, endangered, or of special concern species, and
you learned the many ways people can commit to be part of the solution, it is
time to discuss with your group, and select the best solution.
EVALUATION
|
GOOGLE SLIDES |
||||
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Organization |
Information is organized in a clear logical way. The
audience is able to follow the presentation easily. |
Most
information is organized in a clear logical way. The audience is able to
follow most of the presentation. |
Some
information is in logical order. The audience is still able to follow some of
the presentation. |
There is
no clear plan for the organization of information. The audience finds it
difficult to follow the presentation. |
|
Content |
All information is accurate. Information is paraphrased.
Students demonstrate a strong understanding of the content |
Most information is accurate. Information is paraphrased.
Students demonstrate an understanding of content |
Some information is accurate. Information may be
paraphrased. Students demonstrate some understanding of content. |
Information is not accurate. Information is not
paraphrased. Students struggle to understand the content |
|
Text Features |
All required text features are included and relate to the
content. The features improve the information presented and are visually
appealing |
Most required text features are included and relate to the
content. The features improve the information presented and are visually
appealing |
Some required text features are included and relate to the
content. The features related to the information presented are visual. |
Little (if any) required features are included and relate
to the content. The features may be related to the information presented. |
|
Slides/Visual Components |
Presentation is visually appealing. All graphics and text
are readable and colorful. Animations and transitions are timely and
effective Students efforts are easily shown |
Presentation is very visual. Most graphics and text are
readable. Student effort is recognized throughout most of the work. |
Presentation is somewhat visual. Some graphics and text
are readable. Student effort is recognized throughout most of the work. |
Presentation is not very visual. Most graphics and text
are not readable. Student effort is lacking throughout the work. |
|
Spelling & Grammar |
Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors |
Presentation has a few (2-3) errors, but doesn't distract
from the presentation. |
Presentation has frequent (4) errors in grammar and
spelling and begins to distract from presentation |
Presentation has many errors (5 or more) in spelling and
grammar that are distracting from the presentation |
|
PAMPHLET
and DIGITAL POSTER |
||||
|
Attractiveness & Organization |
The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized
information. |
The brochure has some formatting and organized
information. |
The brochure has limited formatting and organization of
information. |
The brochure has no formatting and organization of
material. |
|
Content: Accuracy/ Quantity |
Use of facts and quantity of information is very good. |
Use of facts and quantity of information is good but not
consistent. |
Use of facts and quantity of information is present but
limited. |
Use of facts and quantity of information is limited. |
|
Writing - Organization |
Brochure has very good organization. |
Brochure has good organization. |
Brochure has limited organization |
Brochure has no organization |
|
Writing - Grammar |
There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure. |
There are very few grammatical mistakes in the brochure. |
There are some grammatical mistakes in the brochure. |
There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure. |
|
Graphics/ Pictures |
Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of
text and graphics. |
Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that
they distract from the text |
Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and
the brochure seems "text heavy". |
Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to
be randomly chosen |
|
Sources |
Careful and accurate records are kept to document the
source of all of the facts and graphics in the brochure. |
Careful and accurate records are kept to document the
source of most of the facts and graphics in the brochure. |
Careful and accurate records are kept to document the
source of some of the facts and graphics in the brochure. |
Sources are not documented accurately or are not kept on
many facts and graphics. |
CONCLUSION
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Thank you for your commitment and
dedication. We have learned a lot from each other. Your level of organization
and cooperation skills have reached new highs. Now that you learned a lot about
threatened, endangered, and special concern species, and the importance of the
Hudson River Valley, you will be able to speak to others about it wisely and
get people to help protect this unique ecosystem and its biodiversity.
Some questions to consider:
1.
If you were to do the same activity again, would you do something
differently? Explain.
2.
What did you like? What didn’t you like?
STANDARDS
Common Core State
Standards
Standard 4: Students will
understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining
to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical
development of ideas in science.
Key Idea 7: Human decisions and
activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.
7.1c: Human beings are part
of the Earth’s ecosystems. Human activities can, deliberately or inadvertently,
alter the equilibrium in ecosystems. Humans modify ecosystems as a result of
population growth, consumption, and technology. Human destruction of habitats
through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is
threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems may be
irreversibly affected.
7.2a: Human activities that
degrade ecosystems result in a loss of diversity of the living and nonliving
environment. For example, the influence of humans on other organisms occurs
through land use and pollution. Land use decreases the space and resources
available to other species, and pollution changes the chemical composition of
air, soil, and water.
Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS)
Disciplinary
Core Ideas
LS4.D: Biodiversity
and Humans
Biodiversity is increased by the formation of new species
(speciation) and decreased by the loss of species (extinction).
Science and
Engineering Practices
Engaging in Argument
from Evidence
HS-LS3-2: Engaging in argument
from evidence in 9-12 builds on K-8 experiences and progresses to using
appropriate and sufficient evidence and scientific reasoning to defend and
critique claims and explanations about the natural and designed world(s).
Arguments may also come from current scientific or historical episodes in
science. Make and defend a claim based on evidence about the natural world that
reflects scientific knowledge, and student-generated evidence.
Crosscutting
Concepts
Cause and Effect
HS-LS2-7: Empirical evidence
is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims
about specific causes and effects.
Scale,
Proportion, and Quantity
HS-LS2: The significance of a phenomenon is dependent
on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs.
HS-LS2-2: Using the concept of
orders of magnitude allows one to understand how a model at one scale relates
to a model at another scale.
Stability and Change
HS-LS2-6: Much of science deals
with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.
Common
Core Standards Alignment and Instructional Focus Connections
Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1:
Write
arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Reading
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support
analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of
explanations or descriptions.
Integration
of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same
topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Speaking and Listening
(Discussion)
Comprehension and
Collaboration:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1:
Initiate and
participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts,
and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A: Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched
material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a
thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C:
Propel conversations
by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to
broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the
discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points
of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their
own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence
and reasoning presented.