Last week I had my marine biology students prepare a presentation on a marine reptile, bird, or mammal that they chose. I wanted them to identify features of their animal, metabolic processes, feeding behaviors, reproduction methods, any significance their animal has on their ecosystem and the impact of humans on that marine animal and it’s ecosystem. I wanted to do this so that they could investigate themselves and be more curious. They had to include different types of media, more than just pictures. I was tired of lecturing on this kind of stuff when a) these students CHOSE to take another year of science and b) it’s just not that much fun.
I got this assignment from Merrilee when she used it last year when she taught this class. I really enjoyed it and I am so glad I decided to do it. I had the students take notes during all the presentations so I knew they were all paying attention. I asked them after all the presentations were done if they liked the project and I heard a lot more “yes'” than “no’s”.
However, I wanted to do more with this assignment.
Out of the 18 marine animals that were chosen, 16 of them are considered endangered. I wanted to bring more awareness to these marine animals and what would happen if they would be completely removed from their environment. So, instead of giving a test like I had originally planned, I did something different. This project is the “action plan”. The first part is to create a visual (not a PowerPoint but a brochure, ad, video, etc.) that advocated for the marine animal they previously researched on. I told them to think of the SPCA videos they see on TV or the flyers that are handed out on the streets that show pictures of pigs and cows being slaughtered for meat and why they are so effective in getting people’s attention. The second part (and my favorite) is writing a letter to a political official or an organization explaining the significance of their animal and why they need to be protected. I will actually send the letter that they write. I wanted them to understand that if something is not right, they have a voice and the opportunity to try and fix it. Or least make someone else more aware.
Pictures to come of the action plan!!
UPDATE:
Below you will find the some student’s work of their Endangered Species project. There were two parts. For part 1, my students had to create a visual “advertisement” of the endangered animal they researched. Most of my students did a brochure but I had one boy who made a video. The second part was writing a letter to an organization or official describing the importance of their animal. I sent out the letters about 1 week ago and one student got a response!