Web links

1. Welcome to Ms. Ambrose’s Science Place! On this site you will find important information about our class. Please investigate the different links. 6th Grade Science Students—Look under “Assignments” for a new web quest assignment. Watch the Mean and Median Video first. The Teacher Page describes the standard used for the Web ques. • Teacher Page • School Site • Mean and Median video • Web links • Parents E-mail

2. Watch these videos to find out how to calculate the Mean and Median. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u38VBS_Miw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpZIIW8uqDc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgxZfQDf4qY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNdVynH6hcY Your objective is to find mathematical data on the population of a species over time, and use this data to calculate the mean and median population over the past twenty years. Your data should show five numbers: Year 5, Year 10, Year, 15, Year 20, Year 25 What is the mean population for these 25 years? What is the current population? Find the median. Is it close to the mean? Why or why not? It’s ok to guess. Back to Assignments

3. Assignments 6th Grade Web Quest • Back to Home Page

4. Teacher Page This Web Quest is designed to help sixth grade students meet Indiana Academic Standard 6.2.1. Standard 6.2.1 Find the mean and median of a set of data. In this Web Quest, five teams of students will gather information about the populations of the Black Footed Ferret, the Monarch Butterfly, Grevey’s Zebra, Big Horn Sheep, and the Diamondback Terrapin. They will plot the location of colonies of their animals on a map. After finding the different populations, they will calculate the mean and median number of their animals that exist in the world. They will investigate how the populations have declined over the past twenty-five years using the mean and median for each of the past twenty-five years in five year increments. They will find three reasons for this decline and propose possible solutions to alleviate the decline. Finally, the students will create a presentation showing the information they have found, the decline in population, the reason for this decline, and proposed ideas for how we can help these populations. Back to Assignment Page

5. Introduction Welcome Students! In this web quest, You will learn how to use the mean (average) and median (middle number in a set of data) to discuss the rate of decline in an animal population. Each group will investigate a different population. Team Five will Investigate the Diamondback Terrapin To Task Page

6. Task Your task is to find information about the population of your species. Your goal is to learn how to use the mean (average) and median (middle number in a series of data) to predict the future of the animal population that you are investigating. After finding out the average number of animals in the population, the types of food they eat, and their impact on the environment, you will propose measures to help stop the decline of the population. Finally, you will publish your findings in an artifact that your group creates. Your artifact can be a poster, power point presentation, video, etc. Your group will need several workers. Choose your job from the list and click on it. There should be one person from each category in each group.

7. Mathematician (everyone must be able to find the mean and median) • Your job is to find and organize the numerical data. You will help the other team members understand the mean and median. Make sure you watch the teacher tube videos about finding the mean and median. You can use timelines and charts to show your data. Next

8. Habitat Specialist: • Your job is to find out where the species lives and eats. What things in the habitat are affecting the species? How? next

9. Conservation Officer: Your research will help you find information on the population’s decline, what is being done now to help, and what can be done in the future Next

10. Lay Out/Graphics Designer: • Your job is to create a visually appealing presentation. Everyone in the group can work on this part if needed. You will need to decide what type of presentation you want to give (video, poster, power point, blog, etc) and build the layout for that presentation. Next

11. Cartographer: • Your job is to create the maps that show the population’s decline over time. You will need to chart the population using different colors or symbols to help the viewer understand the data. You can use maps printed from the internet. Next

12. Process Find information • Where is your animal found in the world? • What does it eat? • How many exist today in the wild? You will have to look at different populations and find the mean and median. • How many existed 25 years ago? • How many existed 20 years ago? • How many existed 15 years ago? • How many existed 10 years ago? • How many existed 5 years ago? • What is already being done to help increase the population? • What does it do for the environment? • What might happen if this species is lost forever? • How can we help this population to continue to thrive? • Why is this species declining? • When is it predicted that this species will be extinct if nothing is done? Compile the information that you have found, using a web or chart. Generate some ideas of what we can do to help this species. Create your presentation. Web quests are due on November 30, 2009 websites

13. Web Sites Back to Assignment Page

14. Conclusion In your investigations, you have learned how to find the mean and median of a set of data. Hopefully, you have discovered some new information about the species that your team investigated. The endangerment of our animals and natural resources is a serious problem. It is not one that is not easily solved, nor can it be solved by only a few people. In finding the mean and median numbers of population over time, one is able to mathematically describe declines or increases in population. This type of math gives the viewer a better idea of how quickly a population is going extinct. What will you do to help our endangered species? Assignment Page

15. Evaluation Use this rubric to gage your project.

16. References This is a list of references that I used to build this web quest. "TeacherTube - Teach the World | Teacher Videos | Lesson Plan Videos | Student Video Lessons | Online Teacher Made Videos | TeacherTube.com." TeacherTube - Teach the World | Teacher Videos | Lesson Plan Videos | Student Video Lessons | Online Teacher Made Videos | TeacherTube.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://teachertube.com/>. WETA, the Public Broadcasting station in Washington, and this website gathers. "Internet Sites for Grade 5 - 6." Area III Learning Technology Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://lth3.k12.il.us/RHAMPTON/5-6.html>. "WebQuest.Org: Home." WebQuest.Org: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://webquest.org/index.php>. "Weebly - Create a free website and a free blog." Weebly - Create a free website and a free blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://education.weebly.com/weebly/main.php>. information, researching the, and what conclusions have they come up. "Creating a Web quest." Educational and Administrative Technology Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. <http://www.eats.ecsd.net/curricular/webquest/create_webquest/>.