Ecological Magazine
The ecological magazine will be a cooperative learning activity that will provide students
with a finished product that they will be proud of. Various activities are involved in producing a
magazine: creative writing, cartooning, interviewing, expository writing, researching, editing,
making decisions, preparing ads, and cooperation.
The class will be divided into 8 groups of four and each member is responsible for
participating in their groups.
Directions
The North American continent that we live in contains all eight of Earth’s different
biomes. The biomes that you can find are tundra, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, grasslands,
tropical rainforest, deserts, salt water and fresh water. We will be creating a magazine that
explores the different environments of our continent.
The theme of the magazine is North American Ecology
The class will brainstorm the name and title of the Magazine and collectively vote on the
title. The parts of the magazine will be: Headline and lead article, travel section, classified ads,
weather report, endangered species report, graphic design, pollution and conservation, and food
and local cuisine.
After the articles have been written, they should be proofread. Students can proofread
their own writings and then exchange them with another group.
Add art to the articles
Discuss and determine the lay out of the different sections of the newspaper.
Paste up the articles on large sheets of paper.
The project is worth 400 points. Each section will be worth 50 points and
will be graded on neatness, completion, and timeliness. See attached rubric for
complete grading criteria.
The deadline for the project Friday May 3rd. NO EXTENSIONS!
Groups and Responsibilities

Headline and Lead article. The members of this group will write an article focusing on the
city of Los Angeles water consumption. The article should discuss the history and current
issues facing the city of Los Angeles.

Travel section. Each member of this group will be responsible for researching and writing an
article describing one of the North American biomes.

Classified ads. Each member of this group will be responsible for creating advertisements
that are appropriate for each of the biomes in North America.

Weather report. Each member of this group will be responsible for researching, monitoring,
and writing an article reporting on the weather of three different cities in the different North
American biomes. They will also prepare a graph representing the average temperature and
rainfall for the different biomes.

Endangered species report. Each member of this group will be responsible for researching
and writing an article describing one animal from North America on the endangered species
list.

Graphic design. Each member of this group will be assigned to two of the other groups.
This group will be responsible for creating and designing appropriate cartoons and artwork
for the articles and different sections of the magazine.

Pollution and conservation. Each member of this group will be responsible for writing an
article on one type of pollution problem that exists in North America. The articles will also
include steps that are being taken to combat the problem.

Food and Local Cuisine. Each member of this group will be responsible for researching one
dish from each of the six different land biomes in North America. This section should
include a description of the meal as well as, the recipe.