This assignment is designed to allow students to cover the Biology 11 outcome regarding life cycles of organisms from within the six kingdoms.  While we acknowledge that the outcome also includes viruses we felt this was already sufficiently covered in the text so the assignment focuses on organisms only.

In group format, students will use a variety of resources to investigate the life cycle of a representative organism and present this information to their peers using a selected software program.

Prior Knowledge:

1. Students need to have prior knowledge of the six kingdom classification system and characteristics of organisms within each kingdom.  They should also be aware of how an organism's habitat influences their life cycle.
2. Students will need to know how to use EBSCO.
3. Students will need prior knowledge of one of the following software options for presentation of information:  
   • Comic Life
   • Movie Maker
   • Photo Story
   • Powerpoint
4. Students will need to know how to properly cite their research sources.

Take personal responsibility for their safe and ergonomic use of technology for learning (BOC 12.4)

Demonstrate facility with the specialized vocabulary associated with the technology they use BOC 12.3

Behave ethically and with accuracy as they generate and distribute information about themselves, others, and curriculum topics under study (SEHI 12.1)

Demonstrate habits of perception, analysis, judgment and selectivity as they contribute to society through the discerning and critical use and creation of information resources and technology (SEHI 12.4)

Act responsibly when faced with ethical issues that arise from their use of information and ICT and perspectives (SEHI 12.5)

Write and represent their research using the structures, features, conventions, and techniques of specialized publication and presentation formats with growing fluency (PTS 12.3)

Evaluate, select and use a range of media, and information and communication technology, to create, edit, and publish their work independently (PTS 12.4)

Design and create electronic documents to accomplish curricular tasks (CT 12.3)

Critically apply technological skills in a range of electronic, visual, and print media for formal and informal communication (CT 12.2)

Identify, evaluate, and compare the quality, congruencies, discrepancies, omissions, biases, and perspectives of information content of print, media, and electronic resources (RPSD 12.2)

Evaluate and organize ideas and information from a wide range of media and a variety of sources to meet their curriculum needs efficiently and independently (RPSD 12.3)

Contribute to the development of criteria for selecting a research topic, and, based on those criteria, define and complete a research task efficiently (RPSD 12.5)

Accurately record and cite, using academically accepted formats and standards, sources of information contributing to their research (RPSD 12.6)

Biology 11 Outcomes:

Analyze and explain the life cycle of a representative organism from each kingdom, including a representative virus (313-1).

Use library and electronic tools to collect and communicate information on techniques used on the classification process (213-6, 215-1).

Work collaboratively in planning and carrying out investigations, as well as generating and valuing ideas (445)

Use factual information and rational explanations when analyzing and evaluating (443)

2. One class needed to demonstrate how to use EBSCO.

3. One class to explore software options for presentation.

4. Time to carry out assignment: approximately one week of 75 minute classes.

• 1 class to research (includes evaluation of resources)
• Minimum of two classes with laptops to create presentation.
• Two classes for group presentations.

Resource Evaluation Handout

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html.

Students should access EBSCO through their school website (library).

Students could choose an endangered species and investigate how the breeding programs and human intervention are being used to prevent extinction.

Students could choose an organism from a local or regional ecosystem.  This would tie in organisms previously investigated during outcome (316-5).

Students who are on on an IPP should be assigned an specific organism and outcomes should be adjusted