Wetlands Webquest

Introduction:
You and your friends have a special place you like to go that is very marshy, but has lots of interesting creatures that you like to observe. You have heard in the news that the town mayor has applied for a permit to clear the marsh area in order to build a mall. You and your friends are shocked to learn about this because it means that you will lose your special spot to relax while enjoying the presence of your favorite creatures. Fortunately, you read in the newspaper that appeals regarding the clearing of this area will be accepted by town officials for the next month. You and your friends have decided to place an appeal and take action to try to save your special wetland area.

Task:
You and a partner are going to put together a presentation to try to convince town officials to keep this wetland area. In order for your presentation to be successful, you will need to gather and organize information on the wetland area and your favorite creature from that area. You will then present it to the appeal board (class) for further evaluation of the situation.

Process:
Step 1. You will form a group of 2 people to begin brainstorming ways in which to go about your appeal.

Step 2. You will be given a creature that is found in the wetlands from the list below:

Step 3. You will begin to work on your appeal, answering the following questions using the resources provided in the resources section:

Step 4. Be ready to share your presentation to the appeal board (class), as they will be the ones deciding whether your appeal is worthy enough to disregard the mayor's permit to build a mall.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Wetland Information and Creature Information	Few areas well covered, facts incomplete.	Some areas well covered, facts are somewhat weak.	Most areas well covered using factual information.	All areas are well covered using factual information
Mechanics	Includes more than 5 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.	Includes 3-4 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.	Includes 2-3 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.	Grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization are correct. No errors in the text.
Presentation	Do not work well to enhance the presentation.	Works reasonably well to enhance the presentation, and are somewhat context based.	Generally work well, to enhance the presentation and are generally context based.	Worked great together while creating a comprehensive presentation that grasped the attention of the class and was very much context based.
Cooperative Group Work	Cannot work with others in most situations. Cannot share decisions or responsibilities	Works with others, but has difficulty sharing decisions and responsibilities	Works well with others. Takes part in most decisions and contributes fair share to group.	Works well with others. Assumes a clear role and related responsibilities. Motivates others to do their best.
Presentation Skills	Great difficulty communicating ideas. Poor voice projection. Little preparation or incomplete work.	Some difficulty communicating ideas, due to voice projection, lack of preparation, or incomplete work	Communicates ideas with proper voice projection. Adequate preparation and delivery.	Communicates ideas with enthusiasm, proper voice projection, appropriate language, and clear delivery.
				Total

Congratulations, your appeal to halt the development of the town mayor's building of a mall has been received by the town and has cancelled the plans that were previously made. You and your partner can now continue to enjoy your wetland area and the creatures that are in it. Great Job, the town is proud of your work and effort to keep this beautiful area around for us all to enjoy!

	Snail
	Dragonfly
	Leech
	Mosquito Larvae
	Mayfly
	Water Flea