ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PROJECT
Author: _____________________________
Criterion
B. Communication
0 (does not meet)
1-2 (Approaches)
3-4 (Meets)
5-6 (Exceeds)
Scientific Language
Does not meet standard
Scientific Information
Does not meet standard
Sources of Information
Does not meet standard
The student uses a limited range
of scientific language correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information with
limited effectiveness.
The student attempts to
acknowledge at least 3 sources of
information but this is inaccurate
The student uses some language
correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information with
some effectiveness.
The student acknowledges at least
3 sources of information with
occasional errors.
The student uses lots of scientific
language correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information
effectively.
The student acknowledges at least
3 sources of information
appropriately with in-text
citations.
Overall Grade
Gradebook Points
0
50
1
60
2
70
3
80
4
88
5
92
6
100
Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PROJECT
Author: _____________________________
Criterion
B. Communication
0 (does not meet)
1-2 (Approaches)
3-4 (Meets)
5-6 (Exceeds)
Scientific Language
Does not meet standard
Scientific Information
Does not meet standard
Sources of Information
Does not meet standard
The student uses a limited range
of scientific language correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information with
limited effectiveness.
The student attempts to
acknowledge at least 3 sources of
information but this is inaccurate
The student uses some language
correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information with
some effectiveness.
The student acknowledges at least
3 sources of information with
occasional errors.
The student uses lots of scientific
language correctly.
The student communicates
scientific information
effectively.
The student acknowledges at least
3 sources of information
appropriately with in-text
citations.
Overall Grade
Gradebook Points
0
50
1
60
2
70
3
80
4
88
5
92
6
100
Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________










Needs of My Organism
 My organism – Introduction and general description
 Abiotic factors - temperature, weather, space, etc.
 Biotic factors - other living things on which your organism depends
Level of Organization (text Lesson 1)
 Biome – what major biome is my organism generally found in and why?
 Ecosystem – what ecosystem(s) are home to my organism? Why does my organism need to live in this type of
ecosystem?
 Community – the populations of other organisms in my organism’s area.
 Population – how many of my organism live in an area at the same time? Does the population change over
time or seasonally? (such as migrating birds, insects, etc.)
 Species – what are the details of my organism’s species? Are there other closely related organisms in the area
that it interacts with? Is there a lot of variation within the species?
Energy Transfer (text Lesson 2)
 Role of my organism – producer, consumer (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore), or decomposer?
 Food web – Draw an ecosystem food web. Beginning with the sun, how does energy flow through your
ecosystem?
 Food chain – What is the main energy source for my organism? What is the primary food chain for my
organism?
Population Dynamics (text Lesson 3)
 Size of population – what factors increase or decrease the population or your organism (life span,
reproduction, etc.)?
Environmental Issues
 Problem(s) affecting your organism – define the problem and why it is important (the science behind the
problem)
 Possible solutions – what can be done to fix the problem or help your organism? Base your solutions on
studies and scientific sources, not simply your own ideas of what might help.
Needs of My Organism
 My organism – Introduction and general description
 Abiotic factors - temperature, weather, space, etc.
 Biotic factors - other living things on which your organism depends
Level of Organization (text Lesson 1)
 Biome – what major biome is my organism generally found in and why?
 Ecosystem – what ecosystem(s) are home to my organism? Why does my organism need to live in this type of
ecosystem?
 Community – the populations of other organisms in my organism’s area.
 Population – how many of my organism live in an area at the same time? Does the population change over
time or seasonally? (such as migrating birds, insects, etc.)
 Species – what are the details of my organism’s species? Are there other closely related organisms in the area
that it interacts with? Is there a lot of variation within the species?
Energy Transfer (text Lesson 2)
 Role of my organism – producer, consumer (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore), or decomposer?
 Food web – Draw an ecosystem food web. Beginning with the sun, how does energy flow through your
ecosystem?
 Food chain – What is the main energy source for my organism? What is the primary food chain for my
organism?
Population Dynamics (text Lesson 3)
 Size of population – what factors increase or decrease the population or your organism (life span,
reproduction, etc.)?
Environmental Issues
 Problem(s) affecting your organism – define the problem and why it is important (the science behind the
problem)
 Possible solutions – what can be done to fix the problem or help your organism? Base your solutions on
studies and scientific sources, not simply your own ideas of what might help.