Category: Classwork

BIOME Ecotourism Advertisement

Target: I can create a multimedia presentation that displays information about a specific biome.

Biomes are the major regional groupings of plants and animals discernible at a global scale. The biome concept embraces the idea of community, of interaction among vegetation, animal populations, and soil. A biome (also called a biotic area) may be defined as a major region of distinctive plant and animal groups well adapted to the physical environment of its distribution area.

TASK: Some IS 30 teachers would like to take a trip this summer, and we would like to experience the best that nature has to offer. Your job is to prepare an audio/video travel presentation for your biome using KEYNOTE on the iPad, convincing them that YOUR biome is the best one to visit!  Your project should include the following (each number may be one separate slide):

1. Type and Name of your biome [selections for type will be made in class] and Where your biome is located – country, longitude, latitude etc.  You should be able to point out where your biome is located on a globe.
   Possible Choices: (you will be assigned one)
   1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Temperate Forest in Tennessee and North Carolina)
   2. The Sahara Desert (Desert in North Africa)
   – Lapland (Tundra in Northern Europe – Russia, Sweden, Finland, & Norway)*
   3. Yukon (Taiga region of Canada and Alaska)
   4. Serengeti (Grassland in Africa – Kenya and Tanzania)
   5. Amazon (Tropical Rainforest in Brazil)
2. What the climate in your biome is like (average temperature and precipitation for each of its seasons). Interesting facts about weather/climate in your biome could go here.
3. The sights or features of your biome a tourist would see. i.e. Tell us about the typical topography of your biome and about the most common plants and animals that characterize your biome; be specific!  Find two endangered species (one plant and one animal) that reside in your biome and discuss them. Why are they endangered? (Habitat destruction? Hunting? Other?)
4. Any characteristics of your biome that make it special or important.
5. Any cities/tourist attractions located in your biome.
6. Effects that humans have had specifically on your biome, and why they have had such impact.  How is climate change affecting your biome?  Link any relevant articles here.
7. You MUST include one slide that lists your sources. (Note: Google is not a source…you must list the specific website for all articles referenced and all pictures and data included!)

Use these websites to assist you:

• http://lmgtfy.com/?q=biomes (search: images)
• http://www.mbgnet.net/
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/
• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
• http://itouchmap.com/latlong.html (for Latitude and Longitude)
• http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/patterns-investigating-weather-and-climate (for US climate and weather info)
• http://worldweather.wmo.int/index.htm (international weather info)
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/ NEW LINK!

Notes:

Do not spend too much time on slide animations and transitions as they will not improve your grade. Sometimes these additions are actually distracting and can take away the focus from your content.

This will be worth one project grade for the 4th marking period AND classwork grades as well.

Biome Project Rubric

Possible Slide Order:
1. Title Slide (Biome, Student Name, Class)
2. Biome Location (Including lat, long, and map)
3. Climate
4. Ecotourism in your biome (natural features worth visiting, plants and animals found in biome, and endangered species) – THIS MAY INVOLVE SEVERAL SLIDES
5. Special Characteristics of your biome (What makes your biome especially interesting?)
6. Information about one city in/near your biome and tourism activities there
7. Human Effects on your biome (pollution, development, climate change, etc.)
8. Sources

How to Properly Cite a Website:
While there are various ways to cite a website in a research project, and I will accept a list of appropriate website, the following format is what I would desire for you to attempt. (If you are unable to find one of the required pieces of information, don’t worry, just leave it out.):

Author Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Website Title. Date Accessed. URL.

Example:

Stetson, N. “Desert.” Blue Planet Biomes. 6 January 2015. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm.

“Animals.” Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 5 January 2015. http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/animals.htm.
The author’s information was unavailable, so I left it out. You may also write “Author Unknown” where the name should be.

Sample Presentation and Sample Rubric

*If you choose to do Lapland, your slides must be different from the sample slides, or you will receive a “0” for plagiarism.