Jon Swart, Malissa Northup, and Kristina DeWitt
Capture photos and videos of habitat and organisms that are currently or that may be affected by human activity. Also, learn from the people of the Galapagos Islands about biodiversity, conservation efforts, and coastal preservation to introduce students in our Massachusetts coastal community to real world experiences that enrich the learning in high school Biology class and give them an appreciation of global citizenship.
Environmental Issues Research Project and Poster Presentation Students will start by researching some of the environmental issues facing the Galapagos, specifically focusing on the human impact (tourism, overfishing, invasive species, etc). Students will then pick a specific issue to focus on, either one that affects our local community or one that has a more global effect, and then propose a solution/conservation plan. Students will present their work in a poster session in their individual classes. These learning activities will not only address the state standard, they will also provide students with an opportunity to strengthen their skills in problem solving, written communication, oral communication, research, technology, and active citizenship. These are all 21st century skills that are a required element of our curriculum in our school district. Students will be evaluated based on scientific components of their culminating project, and also using our school-wide skills rubrics.
I will research the places and people that we will be visiting so that I can generate specific questions about environmental stresses and conservation procedures that our coastal communities in both Massachusetts and the Galapagos face.
