Tour The Biomes of the World

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Purpose:

To learn about and explore the world biomes, looking at Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, ect.

Goal:

To produce a tour guide (booklet) of different biomes of the world. Each group in the class will provide one section (one biome) in the Tour Guide.

For Each Biome:

    1. Where is this biome (e.g. the Gobi Desert is in Mongolia and China).
    2. How do I get there. If your biome is the first in the Tour Guide, tell me how to get there from San Francisco. For the other Biomes, tell me how to get there from the previous biome that we looked at. Provide the cost of travel.
    3. Provide a descriptive essay describing the biome’s major features (e.g. dominate animals and plants, and habitats). This must be no shorter than three pages, typed, double space, 11 point font, Roman Times.
    4. Provide drawings of at least the three key animals and plants that define the biome. You must have at least three drawings of plants, and three drawings of animals. You can use Internet pictures of a map of the area, and the biome on whole. But you can not use Internet pictures of plants or animals.
    5. Accompanying each drawing will be a short description of the animal or plant. The description will include the animal’s or plant’s name, its place in the food web, such as its trophic level (e.g.: Trophic level 1 for plants). The description will also include information about its habitat.

Grading:

    1. Groups will be composed of two to three students. No one will work alone on this project.

Individual Grades:

    1. One student will be primarily responsible for the written part of this project. That student’s individual grade will come from here.
    2. One student will be primarily responsible for the drawings and the descriptions of the drawings for this project.
    3. One student, if there is a third, will be responsible for research and the overall format for this section of the Tour Guide. This student must assist the other group members to find information daily on the Biome. This student will also decide in which order the pictures will go, and where to place the pictures and their descriptions with the written part of the biome. This student will also communicate with the other groups to decide the order of the biomes.

Group Grade:

    1. The Biome sections will be grades on overall aesthetics (looks) and accuracy.
    2. The tour book will be graded on ease to travel from San Francisco to the first Biome, to travel from one Biome to another, and to return to San Francisco.
    3. The Tour book will also be graded on overall aesthetics.