Cpb-ap-se2.wpmucdn.com



ObjectiveQuestionResources/Web 2.0 toolKnowledgeWhat is an ecosystem?Dictionary - print or online ( includes many variations for the term ecosystem) or basic textbook, eg. Wordnik (interesting tag line – ‘I always feel lucky’ – definitions), Visuword (very interesting too – like a mindmap – hover over a word to get its’ definition), specialist glossary (a glossary of biological terms – from Pearson). All of these are most interesting. Provide very different types of information to access for the term ecosystem (and this is all without referring to Wikipedia). KnowledgeDefine an ecosystem and list the varieties that are found in South Australia.Online learning module – Khan Academy – What is an ecosystem?Short video on YouTube – What is an ecosystem?Varieties found in South Australia:2 terrestrial (arid and mediterranean)2 marine ecosystemOverview of South Australia’s environmentCoastal and marine ecosystemsTerrestrial ecosystems and communitiesComprehensionList the different parts of the ecosystem and explain what they do.(I think, for students, or anyone really, sifting through information to find appropriate information for your level of understanding and need is a skill in itself).Classroom – Ecosystem (contains living (biotic) and non-living things (abiotic). Contains a one paragraph explanation that would be suitable for junior secondary students. Mensa for Kids - EcosystemsKhan academy - EcosystemsComprehensionCompare a marine ecosystem with one from another area of our state.Coastal environments vs NSW estuaries (NSW coasts generally okay, NSW estuaries not doing so well). NSW State of the environment(The difficulty here is the reading level. Suited to middle-high school students. I think sifting through the information is the big challenge i.e finding what you need and what fits your research purpose. Then you need to read it/decipher it/interpret it. Finding quick answers on the internet is one thing, but finding and researching deeply is a very different scenario).ApplicationUsing a diagram, show how the water cycle operates in an ecosystem.The water cycle - BritannicaApplicationDemonstrate what happens when humans interfere with the water cycle.(It is helpful to know when to know when to try some different keywords or different synonyms. For example, try ‘human impact’ or ‘human interference’). This is a very interesting article that questions some of the information that is highly viewed on the internet. It is critical of diagrams that don’t reflect the human impact on the water cycle. Universities have said some diagrams are obsolete.Proposed up-to-date diagram is available here. (I think that interpretation of this diagram requires student understanding of a number of geographical terms). Students could then interpret or demonstrate understanding of this diagram using a number of methods.AnalysisContrast the natural water cycle with that used by our community.If this question was posed to a e.g Year 7 student, I think that it would be helpful for them to have say, access to a book with some ideas about how water is used by our community (better still, have them brainstorm some ideas about how we obtain our water, what happens to it, where it goes, how it is treated for human use etc). Then have the students research this. Then do the same for a ‘natural’ water cycle and then compare the two. Safe drinking waterWaterNSW : How it all worksWater our most precious resourceAnalysisExamine an ecosystem that has been damaged by human interference. Avoided how?Pollution ‘devastating’ China’s vital ecosystem, research shows (A good article for senior Geography students. Requires good comprehension skills).SynthesisIdentify an unspoilt ecosystem and design a way of preserving it.In search of a healthy ocean ecosystem – National Geographic report(Again, this is a good article but requires a good level of comprehension, skimming and scanning skills, and deep reading skills). From this article, others may be explored. As well as ideas to design a way of preserving an ecosystem. This requires an ability to utilise all of the previous information to respond with ideas that address this question. ‘Identify’ and especially ‘design’ are much more involved requiring a high level of thinking to be able to respond.SynthesisHow would preserving our local ecosystems enhance our environment?Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas (requires access to uni databases to access the article or needs to be purchased. Requires very good comprehension skills; suited to senior high school students. This is an example where access to databases would be supportive of students’ research in response to this question).Importance of Biodiversity (Australian government site. Good reading and comprehension skills required). The synthesis questions are probably questions that you would expect an advanced or senior student to be answering. EvaluationIs it reasonable that people pollute our waterways? Defend your answer.This is actually a complex question as access to water is not equal. Obviously, we do not want waterways polluted. However, this is not as simple as it first appears. As mentioned, some people may not have access to sanitation etc. But others, such as companies, may not fulfil their obligations and may deliberately pollute waterways through bad practices. Students would need to demonstrate wide reading around this and deep thinking to develop a detailed response. In this question, students need to make a judgement.EvaluationAssess the impact of pollution in our local waterways.Ditto, and this would draw on all the knowledge developed from the previous questions and stages of knowledge and inquiry. ‘Assess’ requires students to evaluate their information and make a judgement based on the information they have gathered about pollution and our local waterways. These final questions rely on students having developed their knowledge from a wide variety of sources and through thoughtful consideration. There will be no single source to answer this question. Unlike the initial questions such as define etc (for which there are some original, unique tools offered online … great way to learn these days) … the final questions require deep reading, deeper involvement in thought around the questions to come up with a response and a position (in relation to a local context). ................
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