G'day Mates! Congratulations, you have recently been hired as new interns on my television show, The Crocodile Hunter. Everyone has some knowledge about animals and you will need to use your knowledge and expand it by traveling to Australia! First you will explore information on the defining characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates. Afterwards, you will learn about animals in the four ecological regions of Australia: the arid inland, the Great Barrier Reef, the mangroves, and the rain forest. With this expert knowledge you and your group will come up with an exhilarating episode for my next show, featuring Australian animals. My directors will be choosing the best episode so be sure to make it creative as well as informative!
As interns on The Crocodile Hunter, you each will study an ecological region in Australia and gather information from the various web sites provided about the animals that inhabit that particular area. Your assignment is to choose three animals, from your ecological region that you feel will be an interesting asset to your television episode. As a group, you should come together to discuss the animals and narrow the selection down to one animal from each region. Then, incorporate this information into producing a Power Point proposal describing your episode. This is where your creative talents can shine through - feel free to combine a mixture of images, sounds, and text that will dazzle the audience. Your final project will consist of giving an oral presentation that will persuade the directors to air your television show.
While designing a television episode on Australian Animals, you will be working in groups of four to complete the given assignment. Each member of the group will have an ecological region in which he or she will research the animals that inhabit that area. You will use the provided links to navigate web sites that provide information on animals in the particular ecological regions. If you discover that you do not understand some of the words used in the web sites be sure to use the Student Dictionary or an available classroom dictionary to help you. Each ecological region page includes web sites that provide information on animals that are commonly found in that part of Australia. Remember, you will be graded on both individual and group work. Each expert has an important role in creating the final project so work hard and good luck to you!PART 1:
Your teacher will divide you into groups of four. Once you have gathered in your groups, you will pick one of the following ecological regions out of a hat in which you will become an expert:
You must use the provided links on your assigned ecological region page to learn information about the animals that inhabit the region. Record your findings (use the provided Individual Animal Log Chart) for twelve animals that you find particularly interesting. Be sure to neatly and clearly provide the required information for each animal that you find from your region.
As a group, view the Power Point presentation Vertebrates and Invertebrates of Australia to help you learn some background information on the animals of Australia. You will need to know the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, so watch carefully!
PART 2:
Begin navigating and researching the sites listed on your expert region page, while completing your Individual Animal Log Chart. Make sure you complete the log with twelve animals from your expert area.
PART 3:
Now that you have finished your individual work, you must choose three of the twelve animals you researched to share with your group. Pick animals that you are interested in or have distinct features. Your group will be choosing the final four to include in the television episode.
Meet as a group and discuss the three animals that each member has chosen. Pick one animal from each region to feature in the television episode. Out of the four animals chosen, you must include:
The animals can be a combination of several of the features above (for example, you could choose a poisonous vertebrate that is native to Australia and that would cover a few of the requirements listed above).PART 4:
Create a Power Point proposal with your group featuring the four animals that you have selected to include in the television episode. Use the Power Point tutorial to help you make a creative proposal.
As a group, prepare a persuasive oral presentation that will be used to explain your Power Point to the "directors." You will speak about the animal that was chosen from your region. This is where your expert knowledge is important!
PART 5:
Each group will show the Power Point proposals and give their oral presentations to the class and the "directors." After all the proposals have been presented, the "directors" will choose the one that they believe should be used as an episode for the television show.
Below are links to each of the grading rubrics which will be evaluating your work. Be sure to take a look so you know you are on the right track!Your work throughout this WebQuest will be graded both on a group and individual level. The individual work will equal 20% of your grade while the group work will total 80%. The individual animal log each group member completes will be worth 20% of your final grade(total of 20 points). The Power Point proposal will be worth 40% of your final grade (total of 40 points) and the oral presentation will also be worth 40% (total of 40 points). Below are the evaluation charts that your teacher will use to assess your work.
Good on'ya!! Congratulations mates on all your hard work. I can tell from your proposals that you all have learned "heaps" about the different animals that inhabit Australia. From the information in your presentations I've come to love more than just crocodiles! Keep on exploring the land down under and maybe someday you too will have your own television show.
Now that you've learned a little about the animals in Australia, here are some links so you can explore more about Australia, its people, and its wildlife.