Animal Evolution-Group Project

Goal: to understand what shapes an ecosystem and how an organism evolves to fit in to its environment

Background Information: Use your notes, book, and this web page.

Materials:

• Access to textbooks, reference books, Internet
• some form of computer saving device (disk)
• Printer
• Poster Board (24" X 36")
• Markers and colored pencils
• An all participating group with a good imagination

Procedure:

1. Form groups of 3-5 students (confirm with teacher)
2. Your mission is to design and artistically depict an organism's evolution in its ecosystem using the materials listed above.
3. Begin with choosing a species that the whole group is interested.
4. Define, supply information, show images, and label 9 of the 10
   on how the organism pertains to the following list of terms/concepts:

Ecosystem

• The species -- scientific name and common name
• The ecosystem -- it belongs to (Example: what biome does it live in and what is its habitat like -- tell me about it)
• The niche or role the organism plays in its ecosystem (conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses
  those conditions)
• The organism's feeding relationship (create a food web -- you can also include the tropic levels -- autotrophy or heterotroph

Evolution

• The organism's traits -- according to Natural Selection and an organism's survival for existence, explain how hour species is capable to survive and reproduce.
• Explain your organism evolutionary descent -- show a cladogram using fossil, genetic, and/or embryo relationships from your research to explain.
• Provide an image of a homologous structure or a vestigial structure and explain its significance.
• Using the Hardy-Weinberg principle explain why and how your organism will continue to evolve.
• Illustrate how your organism pertains to Isolation Mechanism in its speciation.
• Coevolution or convergent evolution -- chose one and describe how your organism pertains to the concept.

Rubric for Animal Evolution

/70 pts

Whenever you start a research or classroom project it is important to plan how you want to accomplish your mission. There are many ways to achieve your goal of an A+ project, but there are also a lot of obstacles in your path.

One of the obstacles is not being sure if you can trust the information in a web site or not understanding if the information is relevant to your project.

Knowing how to find and evaluate information is a valuable skill and is an essential part of the research process. The skill is called Information Literacy.

At Westminster High School we recommend the Big 6 and COWS information literacy models for student research. If you make a habit of following these methods, you will successfully navigate reference books and non-text material, and not be fooled by false information or overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge available on the Internet.

The first model is called the Big 6 Information Literacy Model©
and you should become well acquainted with its steps as you will be using them to do research all of your life, whether it is to decide what car to buy, planning career moves, or writing a paper.

Let's look at the 6 steps. (Select the back button to return to this page.)

1. Task Definition A good way to get started! If you need to learn what questions to ask Click Here. (Mr. Winings has provided you with most of the information you need for your research. All you need to do is to refine it. This step will help you refine your research.)

2. Information Seeking Strategies Determine the range of possible sources (brainstorm) and evaluate them.

4. Use of Information Engage the source (read it, listen to it, view it, touch it!) and take out the relevant information.

5. Synthesis Organize and present your information.

6. Evaluation Judge your product (how effective were you)!

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When you get to step #2 and #3 of the Big 6, you need to use the second Information Literacy Model we have. This is the COWS Information Literacy Model.

Cows Information Literacy Model

When doing research remember the word "COWS" as it will help you in being successful and organized in your search.  Look for your resources in this order!

C = When doing research, always start with current reference books, textbooks and non-fiction library books. Learn some basic information about your subject and start a list of "keywords" you can use to gain more information on your topic.

To find the reference/print material in the library you will use the Library's OPAC. A list of books available for this paper can also be found by typing "WININGS/Evolution," and selecting the
"Category" icon. 

Before you use OPAC you should make a list of all the keywords you could use in researching your subject.

Remember: When doing research you need to look at the second page of cataloging and review the "notes" section of the page to find out information about the book.  Also use the "subject" section of the page and look at the subject headings listed for the book.  Using these subject headings is an excellent way to narrow or broaden your s ubject search.  It can also provide you with additional keywords to use in searching for your topic.  Use your bookbag  while doing research using OPAC.  It helps keep your research on track, provides you bibliographic information for your project, and will save you time in locating information in the library. If you have forgotten how to use the library's OPAC check out the How to Use OPAC from the Library Information page of this site. Be sure to check out the Reference Section of the library first for specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and almanacs to start your project.

Some of the Reference Books you could use are:

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O =
Use these resources every day! Our online resources are the Gale Group, Encyclopædia Britannica, Online World Geography Online,and Web Feet. These are password protected databases that you can access 24/7 from school or home. Get the URLs, usernames, and passwords from your librarian or teacher. They work like a search engine but contain information that is not available for free on the World wide Web. College students use similar databases for their research projects. The Gale Group resources has five different databases: Student Resource Center-Gold (Use this Resource First!!), Student Resource Center-Health Module, Student Edition, Opposing Viewpoints, and Virtual Library.  The SRC-Gold, and Virtual Library, and Encyclopædia Britannica will be best databases to use for this project. One of the virtual library booksyou can use is at another school. All of the schools share these assets. Your teacher has the usernames and passwords for these
databases (the URL is the same). If you need help in getting the most out of these resources, check the "Search Tips" for each.  REMEMBER! USE YOUR KEYWORDS IN SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION!

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W = (Pre-selected web sites) 
A webliography is similar to a bibliography only it's on the web. This is the Webliography selected by your teacher or Mrs. Bowen to assist you with your project.

About: Biology : Botany: http://biology.about.com/cs/botany/

The Age of Reptiles Mural at the Yale Peabody Museum: http://www.peabody.yale.edu/mural/

Australian Institute of Marine Science: http://www.aims.gov.au/index-ie2.html (Use "Quick Links" or "Search" to find your information.)

Big Cats: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/

Biological Diversity: Animals 1:
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookDiversity
_7.html

Biology Online: http://www.biology-online.org/

Biology Web Site References for Students and Teachers:
http://www.kensbiorefs.com/index.html

BioMedia: Zoology Museum: http://orion1.paisley.ac.uk/courses/Tatner/biomedia/home/museum.htm

BIOSIS : Guide to the Animal Kingdom for Students and Educators:
http://www.biosis.org/free_resources/classifn/classifn.html
http://www.biosis.org/zrdocs/zoolinfo/ZOOLINFO.HTM

Canada's Aquatic Environments: Aquatic Plants: http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/plants/index.htm

The catalog (Smithsonian Catalog of Botanical Illustrations): http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botart/catalog.htm (Has excellent black and white drawings of plants.)

Cats! Wild to Mild: http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/ (Excellent web site if you are researching any type of feline.)

The Circle of Life: Daily Living: http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/living/

Classification of Living Things: http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal

The Descent of Man: http://www.abc.net.au/science/descent/

DiscoveryChannel.com: Blue Planet : Seas of Life: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/blueplanet/blueplanet.html

Dolphins: The oracles of the Sea :Intelligence and Language:
http://library.thinkquest.org/17963/behaviour-int_lan.html

Duke Primate Center: http://www.duke.edu/web/primate/

Ecosystems: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/ecosystems.html

Enchanted Learning: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
(It may look a little juvenal, but it has excellent information on evolution, plants, animals, biomes, and more.)

The Evergreen Project: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/

The Evolution Wing:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evolution.html (Follow the
prompts at the bottom of the web page. ***Outstanding source from UC, Berkeley.)

The Field Museum Exhibits: Online Exhibits: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/online_exhib.htm

Fossil Horses in Cyberspace: Learn About Paleontology and Evolution by Exploring the Rich Fossil Record of Horses: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/vertpaleo/fhc/fhc.htm

Galapagos: http://www.rit.edu/~rhrsbi/GalapagosPages/
NewGalapagos.html
(Scroll down to the links page. Fantastic links)

Human Evolution: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/evolution/

Human Prehistory:An Exhibition: http://users.hol.gr/%7Edilos/prehis.htm

The Life of Birds: http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/

Lucid Images Wildlife Photography:http://www.wildlifephoto.net/ (Great site for pictures for your project.)

MBGnet: freshwater ecosystems : Rivers and Streams: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/rivers/

Miller Museum Online Exhibit: Dawn of Animal Life: http://geol.queensu.ca/museum/exhibits/dawnex.html

Monkey in the Mirror:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/monkeymirror/html/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lemur/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/mask/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/orngutans/

NASA: Earth Observatory : Mission : Biomes: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/

National Geographic Outpost: In Search of Human Origins: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/outpost/

National Center for Science Education: Links: Evolution:
http://www.natcenscied.org/link.asp?category=1

National Museum of Natural History: Anthropology: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/

Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/ (Use your keywords to locate information on this site.)

NBII: National Biological Information Infrastructure :Botany: http://www.nbii.gov/disciplines/botany/

Ocean-Related Links: http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/oceanl.htm

On-Line Biology Book:
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html

On the Prairie: http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/

PBS: Secrets of the Ocean Realm: http://www.pbs.org/oceanrealm

Primate Info Net: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/

Rainforest Heroes: http://kids.ran.org/kidscorner/rainforests/index.php

REN: Reef Education Network: http://www.reef.edu.au/

Science Learning Network:http://www.sln.org

Scientific American: http://www.sciam.com/ (Use keywords in search box to locate information.)

Smithsonian: Ocean Planet: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html (Inter the exhibit and click on "Ocean Science" for best results.)

Smithsonian Institution: North American Mammals:
http://web6.si.edu/mna/ (You will need Macromedia Flash · Quicktime
· Adobe Acrobat Reader downloads to get the full benefit of this site.)

The Tree of Life Web Project: http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html

UCMP Hall of Mammals: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/mammal.html

UCMP Glossary: Botany: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss8botany.html

U.S. Department of Agriculture: NRCS : Natural Resources Conservation Service : PLANTS Database:
http://plants.usda.gov/

The Wonder of Wetlands: http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/water/wonder/

The World's Biomes: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/

Zoom Birds: All About Birds: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/

If you still cannot find anything about your topic go to: Web Feet Online and use your keywords to locate your information.

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and if all else fails --

S =
Once you have learned about your subject by visiting all of the books, online programs, and web sites recommended by Mrs. Bowen and your teacher and you still need more information it is time to search the web. BEWARE! Search engines are not all created equal and you need to learn what types of information each will provide and how that information is presented. Take a few minutes and check out the following links. You will also need to know about the "invisible web" and how to access its information.

To learn more about Search Tools, follow the links by clicking on "Introduction to Search Tools."

and

What can search engines do for you and how can they help you with your research. Read up on each of the major search engines and how they find information for you. Click on "Major Search Engines."

and

To learn more about Specialized Search Engines, follow the links by clicking on "How to Find a Specialized Search Engine for Your Topic."

REMINDER! Before you use any web site you will need to evaluate it's quality if it is to be included as a source in a research paper. There are several tools that you can use to evaluate these sites:
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
Web Site Evaluation

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Organizers
There is an excellent Assignment Organizer© (1999) and Research Paper Organizer© (1999) for the Big 6©. These Organizers can be printed out or downloaded to a disk to be completed (you can type the information you need in the blanks).  Using these organizers will keep your research steps in order and on track. Remember to use your Bookbag to keep track of your print material -- You can use it to create your "Works Cited" (Bibliography)! If you get stuck on how to get started searching for information remember "COWS." This will help you get your information quickly and have good, quality research material. To help you in coming up with the questions you need to answer to prepare a great project check out "What Kinds of Questions did you Ask Today? "and "Asking Essential Questions." A Writing Process Organizer can be printed out and used to develop a successful writing project!

Style Guides
To find out how to cite a source go to the MLA Guide and/or the Help with Citing Sources (Internet) guide. The Landmark Citation Machine is also an excellent resource for all types of citations. You can also use the Toolbox of the Gale online database and find a citing online reference works section.

Copyright Information
Always check your information against copyright laws to make sure you are not violating any rules and are not accused of plagiarism. Copyright Information 

The Big 6 Rubric
This is a rubric (guideline) to help you understand the effort you need to put into the process of doing research. If you do not understand a task ask your teacher or Mrs. Bowen, the librarian. Both will be able to help you. Click Here for the Big 6 Rubric.

Editing Checklist
This is a guideline to use to edit your paper for errors. Print it out to use it as you proofread your paper. Click Here for checklist.

Research Project Final Evaluation Form
This is a form that either students or teachers can use to evaluate their research projects. Click Here for the Evaluation Form. Print it out and use it as you evaluate your project.

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Good Luck On Your Research!