A Biome Zoo

 

1. You will be assigned into groups of five and be given one of the world biomes to conduct your research.
2. In your groups you will assign the roles of specialists to break down the assignment. You will work individually on your specific specialist role and find the information relevant to produce your virtual tour.

 

3. As a team you will work together to make a virtual tour of your biome through a PowerPoint presentation. You must include;

 

*An introduction page that briefly describes your group and biome

*Forms of images, videos, maps, graphs, and other multimedia to make your information easy to read

*At least 3 slides for each specialist and their findings

*Pictures and descriptions of the animals selected for the new exhibit

*Make sure to  show the unique characteristics of the biome

* Resources from where the information was found are needed to be shown at the end of the presentation

 

4. Your team will present your virtual tour of your biome to the class. Your tour of the biome should be between 10-15 minutes long, points will be deducted for going under the time allowed.
5. As the teams watch other tours of the different biomes notes must be taken to prepare you for a quiz at the end of the lecture.
6. As a class we will work as a general Curator of a new zoo and decide if all the teams have made good selections in the animals they choose for the new exhibits from the biomes. You will be able to make suggestions for changes as we create our new zoo together.

 

SPECIALIST ASSIGNMENTS

 

A.    Zoologist- They will study the different animal species found in the biome. They will concentrate on what animal species would benefit from living in a zoo and what biological aspects are needed to build their habitat. They must also find animals from that biome that can co-exist together in the future biome. They will need to choose at least five different species for the new exhibit from you biome and explain why they were choosen. They also need to include what is needed to help benefit the survival of the animals from that biome.

B.     Botanist- They will need to investigate the different plant and tree life located in the biome. The must investigate the effects of the environmental factors such as rainfall, temperature, sunlight, soil, topography and disease on the plant growth in their biome. They must play special attention to the types of plant and trees needed to make their future exhibit similar to the actual biome they are assigned. They must include what is needed to help maintain the future plant life in their exhibit.

C.     Geologist- They are needed to research the geographic location of their biome. They need to include topographic maps of the biome that can be used to construct a future exhibit. They must also illustrate the cause and effects of any human or natural landscapes found in that biome. (example: mountains or volcanoes) Any existing famous geographical landforms should be noted. A special interest should be shown in the relationship between the biome and its geographic location. What makes the biome so special due to its location geographically? It is important to also show the geographic features in the biome that make it unique to use in the future habitat to be built.

D.     Meteorologist- They will be researching the different climate and weather in the biome. They will make sure to include graphs on the average rainfall and temperature of their biome. They will also need to show the cause and effect of the different climate of the biome and why the weather makes that biome unique.  They will need to show what type of climate is expected in the future habitat. What changes need to be made to the exhibit to control the climate in that exhibit? HINT: pictures and graphs can help demonstrate your points!

E.    Ecologist- They need to study the populations, food chains, and environmental concerns of the biome. Detailed images and charts are needed to show the different food chains from their biomes and to show the presentation of the population. They must include environmental concerns of the biome including; the cause of the concerns, the effects of the concerns, and what is being down to the stop the environmental concerns.

 

 

Here are some tips and links that can help each specialist find the answers they are looking for!! Please explore all the extra links on the pages, there is an abundance of resources to be found. You may also explore your book and the library for further assistance.

*       World Biomes

*      Major Biomes of the World

*       What�s it like where you live

*       Ecosystems

*       Mission Biomes

*       Ecosystems, Biomes, and Habitats