Introduction
Imagine you are a fish in a pond. What would you need to survive? You would need oxygen, food (which could include smaller fish to eat, flies, algae, certain plant life, snails, and frogs), a place to lay your eggs (pond plants), and the right temperature and depth of water. All of these interactions are important for survival.
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with the living and non-living things in their environment. Scientists study Ecology at various levels. 5 levels of Ecological Organization are organism, population, community, and biosphere. You will be given a handout at the beginning of class titled, "Ecological Organization Guided Notes". You will be given 20 minutes to complete the questions in this handout as you go through the tabs on the left. After you complete the handout, we will have a brief classroom discussion about each level of organization. You will then break off into the groups I have assigned you and begin working on your illustrations of the 5 levels of Ecological Organization. One member from your group will come to the teacher's desk and pick up 1 poster board, and 1 package of map colors. I will provide an example to go by for your assignment.
Click here to watch a brief video on the 5 Levels of Ecological Organization!
Process
1. Students will begin by starting on the "Introduction" tab and working their way down. The students will be given a "Ecological Organization Guided Notes" handout at the binning of class they will need throughout the webquest.
2. There are 5 levels of Ecological Organization that students will need to go through, and they will be listed in order under the "Tasks" tab. Once the students have finished reviewing the levels of organization in Ecology and answering questions, the students will go to their assigned groups to create their group project illustrating the 5 levels of Ecology. The project will involve creating an illustration, representing each level of organization, with a poster board and map colors. The students will be evaluated on their work based on the rubric under the "Evaluation" tab. The students will have access to this rubric the entire time while working on their projects.
Resources will include links, pictures, and videos from online websites. Attached below is the handout you will need while working through this webquest.