Ecosystems Online

Dr. Pelham Mead, a technology coordinator at Assumption Academy in Emerson, New Jersey, submitted this week's lesson, which involves creating a Web site on ecosystems.

Brief Description

In this multimedia lesson, students create a Web site about ecosystems.

Objectives

Students will learn about animals and plants that live in a variety of ecosystems and create a simple Web site.

Keywords

Ecology, Ecosystems, Habitats, Developing Web Sites, SMicrosoft Publisher, KidPix

Materials Needed

Computers with Internet access, Microsoft Publisher, KidPix

Lesson Plan

• Arrange students in pairs, and assign a different ecosystem to each pair. Ecosystems might include a rain forest, desert, tundra, marshland, grassland, an ocean, a lake, a forest, wetlands, and an Alpine ecosystem.
• Ask each pair of students to use print and online resources to learn about their assigned ecosystem. Encourage them to find information about the average temperature, rainfall, humidity and other environmental factors as well as what plants and animals live there. Then have each team write a one-page report about an interesting aspect of the ecosystem.
• Help students use the Microsoft Publisher Wizard to place their reports on a Web page and save the pages in an electronic class folder or on a floppy disk.
• Ask student volunteers to draw a map of an imaginary land, using KidPix or Microsoft Publisher. Have them include icons to represent the different ecosystems. Hyperlink the icons to the appropriate written report page. Give the land a name and save the map as the Index or master page in the class folder.
• Use a browser to navigate the map and present the project to the class. Click the links on the map to access each ecosystem and written report and have students present their information to the class.

Assessment

Grade each team's Web report for factual content. Encourage teamwork by assigning the same grade to both students on a team.