Task-based Learning- My Research Project by Mrs. Allen

We will be researching an animal of your choice.  You can choose to use an encyclopedia, digital format with a safe search, learning websites such as BrainPop (log in: enosburg_learns and password: enosburg), books, magazIne articles, or other. You MUST cite your references, meaning you must keep track of the places where you find your information. "If you are using a quote from a book, you must write down the page number and put the information in quotes" (Allen, 14). You will find more information on this (# 4) on the process page.

Your objectives and the Common Core standards addressed:CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.a
Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.b
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.c
Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.d
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2.e
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

1. Getting Started- Research:
First, get to know about your animal. Read as much information about the animal as you can find. Try both the Internet and the library; try a good search engine (Safe Search), an encyclopedia, and individual books on animals. As you read/research, take notes on key information ----->

range (where does the animal live)

type of biome it lives in (its habitat)

adult size

appearance (size and distinguishing features)

diet

predators

lifespan, and any other interesting information.

2. The Structure of the Animal Report:
Start your report with an introductory paragraph that states the main ideas that you will be writing about.

Then write at least four to five paragraphs that clearly describe your animal and how it lives. Each paragraph should cover one topic (for example, you should have one paragraph that covers the animal's anatomy).

End the report with a closing paragraph that summarizes what you wrote and learned.

Finally, cite your references (see the section below on formats for your bibliography).

Check that your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct. Make sure to use complete sentences and write neatly! Define any technical terms that you use. Proofread your report for errors before you hand it in -- do not hand in a rough draft.

3. Examine and note the following:

• The Animal's Name: What does its name mean? Sometimes this will tell you something important or interesting about the animal. For example, platypus means "flat-footed." For some animals, there are special names for a baby, a male, a female, or a group. Also, list your animal's scientific name; this should consist of a capitalized genus name and a lower-case species name. For example, the platypus is Ornithorhynchus anatinus.
• Anatomy/Appearance: What does your animal look like? How big is it? What shape is its body? What does an average one weigh? Does it have horns, antlers, fur, crests or claws? Describe the teeth, head, neck, tail, etc. How many legs does it have? Are its legs long or short? How many eyes and how many body parts does it have? Does it molt as it grows? Draw a picture if you can.
• Locomotion: Can your animal move? If so, how does your animal move (does it walk, fly, jump, burrow, etc.)? Is it slow-moving or fast-moving? Why is this important to its survival? For example, most fast-moving animals are fast so that they can catch dinner (like the cheetah) or avoid becoming dinner (like the deer).
• Diet: What does your animal eat and how does it get its food? Is it an herbivore (plant eater), carnivore (meat eater), omnivore (eating meat and plants), or something else? Is there something unusual in the way your animal eats? (For example, the flamingo sieves its food from mud while its head is upside down under the water.) Where is your animal in the food web (is it a top predator, like the grizzly bear, is it at the base of the food web, like krill, or is it somewhere in the middle)?
• Habitat and Range: What type of biome does this animal prefer (does it live in the desert, swamp, tundra, deep sea, coral reef, tropical rainforest, pond, or other habitat)? Where in the world does it live? List the continent(s), country/countries, and/or smaller areas that it lives in.
• Adaptations: What are the obvious adaptations of your animal to its environment? For example, the giraffe's neck is an adaptation for obtaining leaves that are high off the ground. It also has tough lips to avoid thorns on its main food source.
• Life Cycle/Reproduction: Give information on the animal's life cycle and reproduction. For example, in the case of insects, list and describe each stage in the process of their metamorphosis. For a species of shark, describe whether it bears live young or lays eggs.
• Behavior: Describe interesting features of your animal's behavior. For example: Is there evidence of herding or is it a solitary animal? Does it burrow underground? Does it hibernate, estivate, or migrate in cold weather? Is it nocturnal (most active at night)?
• Defense/Offense: How does it defend itself (and/or attack other animals)? Does it use teeth, fangs, claws, armor, horns, antlers, pincers, poison, a stinger, muscles, a strong smell, and/or something else?
• Enemies: What animals eat or otherwise kill your animal? For example, for caterpillars, birds eat caterpillars, but wasps also lay their eggs in the caterpillars (and this eventually kills the wasp's unwilling host).
• Species Survival Status: Is this animal species in danger of extinction? If so, why? Has it lost habitat, lost a food source, or has it been overhunted?
• Something Special: Is there anything special about this animal? This can often be the best part of the report, taking you off on interesting topics. For example, are there legends about the animal?
• Classification: How is this animal classified and what animals is it closely related to? In the Linnean system of classification, organisms are classified into a Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and species. For example, elk are classified as follows: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia (mammals), Order Artiodactyla, Suborder Ruminantia (ruminants), Family Cervidae (the deer family), Genus Cervus, species C. elaphus (species names are often italicized and written in lower-case; the C. here refers to the genus Cervus).

4. Citing Your References: (use the folloowing website to access a bibliogrphy generator by copying/pasting into browser:   http://education.bluevalleyk12.org/KidBib/  When you write your bibliography, list all of your references. Formats for each type of publication follows (there are different formats for different media):

• Web Site: Author(s) if appropriate. Title of Site or web page. URL of site, date of publication (the earliest copyright year listed).
• Book: Author(s). Title of book. Edition. Location of publisher: Name of Publisher, year of publication.
• Encyclopedia: Title of encyclopedia, volume of encyclopedia used. Location of publisher: Name of Publisher, year of publication, pages where the article is located.
• Magazine or Journal: Author(s). "Title of article." Name of magazine, Volume.issue (date): pages where the article is located.

Author(s) are listed last name first, first name or initials (as cited in the publication).

For example: ZoomWhales.com would be cited as follows:

Col, Jeananda. ZoomWhales.com. http://www.ZoomWhales.com 1999.

For more on EnchantedLearning's bibliography and author, click here.

Another format for Internet sources is as follows:

Last name, First name of author. Title of Page. Name of the publisher (EnchantedLearning.com in our case). Date the page was created (at Enchanted Learning, this is the earliest date on the copyright notice located at the bottom of each page), Date of revision (at Enchanted Learning, we do not keep track of page revisions).

Some teachers also request that you include the date of access; this is the date (or dates) that you went to the web page (or pages).

5. Editing, Revision, Publication: Check that your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct. Make sure to use complete sentences and write neatly! Define any technical terms that you use. Proofread your report for errors- edit and revise.  Before you hand it in, be sure you do t hese things -- do not hand in a rough draft. Publish your work and celebrate!

When you have completed all of these steps, you are ready to publish your piece. Think about your options: Interview, Prezi, VoiceThread, ZooBurst storybook, Creative Book Builder (iPad), a Blog, Podcast, etc... Your possibilities are endless.

Bibliography:

Col, Jeananda. Enchanted Learning. http://www.EnchantedLearning.com 1996

As a first-year enrichment teacher, I continue to find activities and opportunities that will be rigorous, cover the Common Core Standards, AND engage my students with meaningful and relevant learning.  While this project is meant to broaden the students' knowledge on their research topic, it is also meant to familiarize them with the 21st century tools.