First off, I will layout the report that is now due WEDNESDAY - Jan. 18. Below is the exact same write-up you were given in class today except with the due date changed...
Species Report
Every one of you has selected a specific type of species that is classified as a sponge, cnidarian, or worm. All of these animals are very interesting in their own regard and I would like you to further investigate the one you have chosen. Every single one of these animals is an invertebrate but their similarities end there. Some of the things I would like to consider are the following –
- How it lives it life?
- What it feeds on?
- Does it have any defense mechanisms?
- What are its known predators?
- The animal’s lifespan?
- Its general habitat?
- How it reproduces?
A typed report is due Wednesday, January 18. You report should be at least 1 – 2 pages in length and include at least the following information –
- A description of the animal accompanied with a photo/picture of it
- The scientific name and phylum the species is a member of
- The animal’s habitat
- How it reproduces?
- Whether it is endangered or not?
- An interesting fact you learned about this species
- A resource list at the end of the report – at least 5
- Proper citation of photo/picture
The rubric for the assignment is posted below...
CATEGORY
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4
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3
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2
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1
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Amount of Information
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All topics are addressed and all questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.
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All topics are addressed and most questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.
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All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 sentence about each.
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One or more topics were not addressed.
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Quality of Information
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Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.
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Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.
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Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.
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Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
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Sources
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5 sources given and the photo is properly cited in the report.
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4 - 5 sources given.
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2 to 3 sources given.
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No sources given.
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Mechanics
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No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
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Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors
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A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.
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Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
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Interesting Fact
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Interesting fact included and explained thoroughly.
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Interesting fact included and given reason of importance to student.
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Interesting fact included but no reason to why it is important.
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No interesting fact included.
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In class today we talked about colonies and the two types that cnidarians form - coral reefs and Portuguese Man-of-War. Before I go into what we discussed in class I was really wondering why Portuguese Man-of-War are called that. You guys ever wonder that? Well, I found out it closely resembles ships that were used back in the day that were called Man-Of-War military ships. I have put the two images side-by-side and they are fairly similar...question answered.
source: http://members.iconn.net/~marlae/manofwar/profile.htm
Coral reefs were a big part of our discussion today. We looked at the article entitled Life's a bleach...and then you die by Rob Painting found at www.skepticalscience.com. The main topic of this article was coral bleaching and it's effects on everyone and everything in the world.
Coral bleaching is caused because of the rise in ocean temperature which then causes the coral to enable a defense mechanism (bleaching) that basically kicks off the algae that is living on them. This is done because the coral is being overwhelmed with oxygen from the algae that poisons them. Once the coral gives the algae the boot they run the risk of starvation, disease, and being engulfed in seaweed.
Coral bleaching is important because over half a billion people worldwide depend on coral reefs for food or income. Coral reefs also provide a the habitat for animals that are the lowest on the food chain. Without these animals, the predators begin to feel the pressure and before you know it, everything in the food chain is feeling its effects.
Coral bleaching is mainly caused by a rise in ocean temperature, which is in turn, caused by global warming. It is a serious problem and we all need to do our part to reverse the direction we are going before it is too late. I think everyone wants coral reefs to be around in the future, not just because they are beautiful but because of their environmental importance. Below is a picture from a blog entitled Oceanic Defense and you can see the same coral before and after bleaching has occurred.
Here are a few more links to USAToday articles that are talking about the effects of losing our coral reefs worldwide.
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