Environmental Studies
End of Unit project: Ecology
You are an ecologist and you are researching some pollution problems present around the world within specific
biomes on land and in water. You have good depth of knowledge on the nutrient cycles, the features on both
terrestrial and aquatic biomes (trophic levels, plants, biotic and abiotic features), as well as the human impact
that is associated with these. Your team is to decide on a particular biome: either aquatic or terrestrial and
research a current problem present within that particular biome (endangered species, global warming,
eutrophication, fuel emissions, deforestation, acid rain, or other issues) and describe the following:
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How this problem is affecting the biota in the ecosystem (plants and animals) (25 pts)
How is this problem related to the nutrient cycles: nitrogen, carbon, or water (pick one and research its
impact thoroughly) (25 pts)
How are humans contributing to this issue? (50pts)
What is a solution that might resolve this issue present within your particular biome? (50 pts)
o Research what laws, technology, natural resource practices can be used to resolve this issue
o What can we as humans do to help prevent this from occurring?
How is this problem affecting the trophic levels present within your ecosystem? (25 pts)
Trifold poster (25pts)
Groups of 3-4
Point Distribution
This end-of-unit project is worth 200 points. Projects are worth 30% of your grade.
Project Execution
You will work in teams of 3-4 students and sign up for a particular aquatic or terrestrial biome by the end of
October 8th as well as your group.. Each team will be required to make a powerpoint presentation as well as
either a tri-fold display OR poster brochure
Poster/trifold Requirements
Poster or trifold must carry the 4 of the 5 of the following information, as if you are trying to convince people to
take attention to your issue:
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Affect on biota
Human impact
Description of biome
Problems on trophic levels
Solutions: laws, your own design for a solution
Poster must also be colored and contain pictures/drawings/paintings in order to receive full credit! Make it
pretty!
Rubric for Grading Presentation (Each value on the scale is multiplied X5= out of 25 total) 25 points maximum
5
4
3
2
1
o All students in group are orally presenting equally and have clear content knowledge of the material.
Students are not just reading off the slides and have the material generally memorized
o Presenters are able to make eye-contact with audience and present to group without staring at the board.
o All students in group use academic vocabulary when presenting information and have a strong
understanding of how to implement academic vocabulary
o Student presentation exhibits mastery of the content and has a clear outline of the order of material being
presented. Presentation in rich in information
o Information is broken down well enough for audience to comprehend
o Presentation information is strongly supported by citing from sources used for research
o Presentation spans no longer than 20 minutes and can answer all questions posed by students
o Students anticipate questions that may be asked and are well prepared to answer them
o Almost all students have an equal opportunity to orally present the information present on the
powerpoint. Students are not reading off the white board and generally have most of the material
memorized
o A strong understanding of content and material present within the presentation
o Material is broken down thoroughly enough for audience to understand
o Presenters make relatively frequent eye-contact with the audience and occasionally stare at the board.
o Students presenting have a generally standard understanding on academic vocabulary and frequently
use it in presentation
o Outline of material being presented is clear but lacks in smooth transitions from topic to topic
o Presentation lasts around 20 minutes, no less than 15 or more than 25 minutes in length.
o Some sources are cited in presentation
o Students are prepared to answer some minor anticipated questions
o Half the students in the group are presenting orally and usually has one person almost dominating oral
narrative
o Somewhat clear knowledge of content, but lacking in some clarity
o Presenters frequently stare at the board/ppt and sometimes, but rarely make eye-contact with
audience
o Students sporadically use academic vocabulary when presenting material, with a minimal to basic
understanding of how to use it in context
o Outline of the presentation of material is somewhat choppy and sporadic, transitions are not smooth
and lack a clear conclusion
o Little to no sources are cited in presentation
o Students do not anticipate questions and only prepare for 1-2 simple answers
o Presentation lasts 12-15 minutes
o Only 1 student appears to be presenting, other teammates sporadically add to presentation, but with
only a few sentences, or short oral narratives
o Confusing presentation of knowledge, displaying teams’ vague knowledge of the material
o Presenters are glued to white board and rarely make eye contact with audience; material is not
memorized and students are reading off the slides
o Outline of presentation has no clear flow and is very disorganized. Does not carry information well to
audience
o Almost no use of academic vocabulary
o No sources are cited in presentation
o Students are not prepared for questions and frequently struggle to answer other student questions
o Presentation lasts less than 10 minutes
o Only 1 student is presenting information orally while other teammates are not participating.
o Presenter is glued to the whiteboard and does not have information memorized and often struggles to
keep track of what comes next. Very monotonous presentation
o Knowledge of content is very basic to minimal. Only clear understanding of basic concepts
o No academic vocabulary is used or is misused
o No sources used
o Presentation follows no clear outline, is very bare in information
o Presentation lasts between 5-10 minutes
Student Checklist
Complete these items by the required dates
o Pick students in groups names: _______________________________________________
o Pick biome for presentation (or pick a location (national park etc.) in So.Cal or around the world
that is facing environmental issues—describe what the issue is and what type of biome it is).
o To be completed by October 17
o Have 3 resources for human impact problem on your biome: Titles/websites (NOT Wikipedia!)
o ____________________________________________________
o ____________________________________________________
o _____________________________________________________
o Turn in a paragraph that describes how a nutrient cycle might be affecting your
particular biome/location
 This includes what impact it has on trophic levels, biota, abiota (nutrient cycles)
o Due October 22
o 2 resources on laws and solutions that help alleviate the human impact on your biome
o Due October 28
o Write a paragraph that explains some laws (pick 2-3) that might help protect your
biome/environment
 Look at EPA (environmental protection agency) on google to find any laws that
may relate to your biome/habitat!
 Look at http://www.calepa.ca.gov/LawsRegs/ to help you find specific laws:
pesticides, water resources, air quality, toxic substances, recycling, etc.
 Try to summarize in your own words: again, always look at the titles and headlines
and search for key words when reading!
 It can be dense and heavy, but try your best, I will always be available to help
o Plan to bring your materials to work October 31
o This includes trifold, paints, pictures, research, etc. I will provide library time for
computers if needed!
o Presentations
o November 5th and 7th