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The Florida Everglades. A Webquest by Bridget Singleton. Florida Everglades Webquest. Menu. Introduction. The Florida Everglades, located in southern Florida, is one of the largest wetlands in the world.
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The Florida Everglades A Webquest by Bridget Singleton
Menu Introduction • The Florida Everglades, located in southern Florida, is one of the largest wetlands in the world. • The Everglades received the name “River of Grass” because of the shallow sheet of fresh water that rolls slowly over the lowlands and through billions of blades of saw grass. As the water moves through the sawgrass it causes it to ripple like green waves. • This wetland ecosystem has become a habitat for many unique species of microorganisms, plants, and animals.
Menu • Many people worry that the destruction of the Everglades may ultimately lead to the extinction of many species. Do you agree or disagree?
Menu The Task • One of the main reasons that Jean Craighead George has written her Eco-Mysteries is to help make young people aware of endangered species and the habitats that provide them protection. • We can also help to make sure that younger students are aware by providing them with information on this environmental dilemma. This will be the focus of our task.
Menu The Task • Begin your task by gathering information from the Resources section of the Power Point. • Make a T chart of the pros and cons of maintaining environmental habitats like the Florida Everglades. • Take the role of a community member and make a poster persuading others of your opinion. • Make an environmental ABC book for younger children to educate them about the Florida Everglades and its inhabitants.
Resources Background Information http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/kids/postcards/everglades.htm http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/kids/facts/default.htm http://www.everglades.org/index.html http://www.nwf.org/everglades/tour.cfm http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades.html Menu
Resources Menu Alphabetical Listings http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/kids/abc/a.htm Habitats/Ecosystems http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Florida_Ecosystems http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/
Resources Menu • Small changes in land elevation are responsible for the varied habitats with the Everglades ecosystem. These habitats include:
Menu Resources pinelands: dominated by slash pines, this habitat has the richest diversity in the Everglades. Pinelands sawgrass marsh: a large expanse of sawgrass containing standing water for much of the year.
Resources Menu cypress swamps: wet areas that contain cypress trees, which are the most flood-tolerant trees in Florida. hardwood hammocks: wooded habitats found adjacent to marshes, pinelands, mangroves, and within the interior of some wetland tree islands.
Menu Resources mangrove swamps: found where freshwater from the Everglades mixes with saltwater from the ocean and are colonized by mangrove trees with adaptive roots. Mangroves along a channel • open-water sloughs: main routes of moving water through the Everglades.
Menu The Process Activity # 1 • Working within your four person group, visit the websites in the Resources section. • Use this information to make a T chart of the pros and cons of maintaining environmental habitats such as the Florida Everglades. • Have each person in your group take the role of a community member (i.e.land developer, conservationist) and make a poster (using Word) to persuade others to your community member’s opinion.
Menu The Process Activity #2 • Work together with the people in your group to make a vocabulary list of many of the animals and plants that make their home in the Florida Everglades. • Be sure to also include vocabulary related to the Florida Everglades and the habitats that exist there. • Assemble all of your vocabulary into an ABC informational book about the Florida Everglades and the endangered animals that live there. Use Power Point to present your information. Sample Page
Here is an example for you to use for page number 1 of yourEverglades Alphabet Book. A alligator An alligator is a reptile known for its crushing bite. Alligators’ main prey are smaller animals. They can kill and eat with a single bite.
Evaluation • You will be evaluated on this webquest by how well you perform the assigned activities within your small group. The major areas you will be evaluated on are: • How much you contribute to the total group and how responsibly you perform your duties within the group. • Presentation of T chart and persuasive argument • Completion of ABC Book
Menu EvaluationRubric
Conclusion Menu Congratulations! After participating in this WebQuest activity you should be better acquainted with the Florida Everglades. You should be able to discuss how the destruction of this ecosystem would adversely effect many of its inhabitants. You should also be acquainted with many of the characteristics of the Everglades (including habitats and animals). Was there a subject for every letter of the alphabet?
Below are some games and activities about the Florida Everglades that you can play. • Word Searches • Picture Puzzles • Word Scramble • Crossword Pages • Mazes