| Help Michael!
|
 |
|---|
| Help Michael!
|
|
|---|
Introduction
Michael Jordan is planning on building an All Sports Youth Camp in Henderson, Minnesota. This camp will include gymnastics, tennis, basketball, golf and water sports, such as skiing , blasting, and sail-boating. However, in the past three years deformities in local frog populations have been found. This has caused a public concern about water and other environmental qualities. Now, Mr. Jordan wonders if such a camp in this beautiful, affordable area is such a good idea. He is asking for input from several committees of special interest groups to help him make his decision. (This is a scenario for educational purposes only. Any references to Michael Jordan and the All Sports Youth Camp in Henderson, Minnesota, are purely hypothetical.)
The frog malformations range from adult frogs who still have their tadpole tails to frogs with missing eyeballs and limbs or extra limbs. Researchers agree they have never seen deformities in the frog population in Henderson, MN, before the first reports in August, 1995. Frog populations around the world have been showing increasing signs of stress in recent years: some species have disappeared and others are no longer found where they used to be. An increase in physical deformities may be a sign that something is very wrong. And if something is harming frogs in an area, could this something harm humans there as well?
Tasks
In the role of a special interest group member, you will collect, analyze and form a persuasive argument for a supporting hypothesis regarding the reasons why frogs are being deformed in this area and whether those reasons would harm humans. To achieve this end, you will need to:
You will use the Internet and traditional resources to prepare an oral presentation with a visual aide before the class as a member of one of the following special interest groups (3-4 students/group):
Process
ROLES: You are a member of one of the following special interest groups. Open the dossier for your special interest group to discover questions that need to be answered as preparation for your oral presentation.
Resources
North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations
URL: http://www.npsc.nbs.gov/narcam/index.htm
Background information about frog deformities, locations of observed deformities, visuals, searchable bibliography, articles and news releases, and strategies for research and reporting.
Deformed Frogs at Hartwick College
URL: http://www.hartwick.edu/biology/def_frogs/index.html
Background information in essay format with hyperlinks to more in-depth information. Information present on how they have conducted research about frog deformities. Explores two hypotheses relative to the problem: chemicals vs. parasites.
Hot Topic: Deformed Frogs in Minnesota
URL: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frogs.html
Produced by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Background information, latest news about deformities, Live FrogCam, frequently-asked questions about frog deformities, MPCA fact sheets about deformed frogs, and links to other sites of interest. Includes the ABC News Nightline transcript of their show on deformed frogs.
URL: http://dnr.state.il.us/frog/
Just what the name says.
The Minnesota New Country School Frog Project
URL: http://www.mncs.k12.mn.us/frog/frog.html
Website from the students who identified the problem of deformed frogs in Minnesota. Basic resources on their research and the deformed frog problem.
URL: http://frog.simplenet.com/froggy/
Everything about frogs! Pictures, sounds, tales, songs, web pages from frog enthusiasts, resources about famous frogs, and Scientific Amphibian (use this link for information about deformed and declining frog populations).
The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program
URL: http://ftp.im.nbs.gov/amphibs.html
View the scientific research reports about deformed frogs.
URL: http://www.pmac.net/wildimp.htm
A series of links to resources relative to the deformed frog problem.
Freaky Frogs-Transcript of PBS broadcast
URL: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/july-dec96/frogs_12-23.html
A transcript of a PBS radio show on deformed frogs. Contains graphics and links to outside sources of information.
The Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF) Home Pages
URL: http://www.open.ac.uk/OU/Academic/Biology/J_Baker/JBtxt.htm
Information about declining frogs worldwide. Links to other frog resources including Froglog, their newsletter about frogs.
URL: http://www.hartwick.edu/biology/def_frogs/trem/new.html
Explores the parasitic causes of deformed frogs, has research, experimentation, pictures, and problems with hypotheses.
URL: http://www.hartwick.edu/biology/def_frogs/meth/new1.html
Background information and research into retinoic acid-limb development mutations.
URL: http://www.pmac.net/frogs.htm
Brief description of herbicide (sulfonylurea) that may be involved with deformities in frogs.
Deformed Frogs Leap into Spotlight at Health Workshop
URL: http://www.junkscience.com/news/kaifrog.htm
Summaries of workshop sessions.
Products
Day 1 - Introduction to WebQuest and Internet.
Day 2 - Continue using the Internet. By the end of the period, identify and turn in descriptions for at least three stated hypotheses from your search, including URLs. (One product/team) Each student will receive a xeroxed copy of an article about deformed frogs from a scientific journal. Read through that article closely as homework and identify the information for each of the steps of the scientific method used in the research. Due Day 3.
Day 3 - Turn in the summary of the steps of the scientific method for the journal article. Prepare for the oral presentation by discussing the answers to questions in your group's dossier and design the visual aide in your groups.
Day 4 - Complete preparation for presentation, including skills needed for successsful role playing. Use the presentation rubric as a guide.
Days 5 and 6 - Oral Presentations.
Assessments
Scientifc method steps from journal article
Help Michael! Presentation Rubric
