River+Dolphins


 * Research Project: River Dolphins in China **



** Explore why river dolphins in China are almost extinct. **

 **Central Idea: Biodiversity relies on maintaining the balance of organisms within systems.**

==== Your research project is a great opportunity to apply what you have recently learnt about the **Inquiry Cycle**. This is the process you will all go through. ====

** Process **
====When you see this symbol it means you should record your ideas on your project sheet. ====

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 ** Tuning In: ** You will create a presentation about a given **organism**. What is it about your **organism** and the **ecosystem** it lives in that you think is important to share with the rest of the class. What **sub questions** do you have to answer to be able to complete your task? =====

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**Remember, in your presentation you will need to explain:** =====

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· what the problem is with your assigned organism. (Are there too many of them? Is the species becoming endangered? ) =====

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· the ecosystem it lives in (biotic and abiotic features) =====

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· the role it plays in its food web =====

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<span style="font-size: 1.033em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px;">· <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px;">what is happening to the ecosystem =====

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<span style="font-size: 1.033em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px;">· <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px;">can the situation be changed? =====

What other questions do you have? Record them on your project research sheet.

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<span style="font-size: 1.033em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="font-size: 1.033em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> ** Finding Out: ** You might want to use library books or the Internet to conduct your research. Or maybe you know some experts? If you want to look on the school's OPAC for books check: <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[]  =====

====<span style="font-size: 1.066em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> Let us give you a bit of help here. For each research project you will be given links to Internet sites, videos and books. ====



<span style="font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Read here for a short introduction about baiji dolphins: <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12.6pt; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">[]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Watch this video about river dolphins:

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">[]

media type="file" key="Ecosystems In Danger - River Dolphins.mp4" width="363" height="363" align="center"

<span style="font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Read here about the 'extinction' of the baiji: <span style="font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070831-baiji-dolphin.html

<span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Read here about the Three Gorges Dam in China: ===<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[] ** ** === <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">

<span style="line-height: 28.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">** Sorting Out: ** Think about how useful your sources are? Look at your notes, have you answered all your questions? <span style="line-height: 28.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <span style="line-height: 28.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">** Going Further: ** Do you have any further questions? Are any of your questions still answered? Go back to '**Tuning In**' and repeat the process again. <span style="line-height: 28.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <span style="line-height: 28.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">** Drawing Conclusions: ** How are you going to organize your presentation? By now you should have all the information for creating your food web, and creating your presentation. You might want to use images from the sites you visited or you might want to search for some other images to include in your presentation. Don't forget to cite your sources when you use images. ** Reflecting and Acting: ** Once you have all your notes, you are ready to start creating your presentation.