Where the Weird Things Are…

The Purpose

Weird and wonderful parts of the natural world are all around us! Sometimes our lives are so busy and we are in such a hurry we fail to appreciate the complexity, the diversity, the incredible beauty that time and the process of evolution have engineered. Structures and behaviours plants and animals possess are so varied, fanciful and intricate, we would struggle to create them from our own imaginations. The perfect aerodynamic, lightweight and insulating properties of a feather; the timeless, mathematical perfection of a seashell; the intricate, complex and pinpoint accuracy of the honey bee’s dance; the discovery of such elaborate natural creations is the great joy of studying biology.

The Objective

Find, within your daily travels, a weird, biological wonder. Explore your house, your yard, and your surroundings with close observation and renewed child-like curiosity to discover one of the many marvels we blunder past every day. Share the exploration with a partner if you choose.

Disclaimer: If you choose a partner then you must stick with this choice. No drama!

SHSM STUDENTS:

-  Hospitality Students: choose bacteria that live in food (E. coli, botulism etc…)

-  Construction Students: choose to build a model of your organism

The Presentation

In a creative, engaging way, share the wonder of your discovery with the class and the rest of the school in the following ways:

a)  A brief, (approx. 10-15 minute), imaginative and fun presentation to the class. The format should not be standard and should involve a game (20 questions? hide and seek?), a puzzle, a demonstration or any other interactive format that conveys the thrill of the topic.

Disclaimer: This presentation should not be a recall of facts found on Wikipedia, rather it should focus on the WEIRD part of your organism in attempts to thrill your audience!

b) Your space. The space assigned in the display case outside of this classroom is yours to supplement your presentation with some graphic, interesting and informative extensions of your topic. Your display must be posted on the same day as your presentation (before or after). (No exceptions).

The Evaluation

Examine the evaluation form provided carefully so that you may effectively present your topic.

Most importantly, be a kid, take a second look around, and be amazed by the weirdness that surrounds us!

Where the Weird Things Are…

Presentation Evaluation Form

Presenters______

Topic______Date______

Presentation Content

Rating /

Nil

/

Poor

/

Fair

/ Good /

Excl

1 / Information – quality, thoroughness, interest, (not just recalling facts, but showing you are experts)
Comments: / 0 / 2-4 / 4-6 / 6-8 / 8-10
2 / Presentation Skills – interest, creativity, presentation energy, visual aids, preparedness, within time
Comments: / 0 / 2-4 / 4-6 / 6-8 / 8-10
3 / Scientific Terminology – vocabulary, pronunciation, accuracy
Comments: / 0 / 1-2 / 2-3 / 3-4 / 4-5
4 / Familiarity – comfort with content, subject matter, ability to answer questions, ability to present without reading
Comments: / 0 / 1-2 / 2-3 / 3-4 / 4-5
5 / Sources – (3+) handed in to the teacher PRIOR to starting the presentation. Standard APA style / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3

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Display Evaluation Form

Rating /

Nil

/

Poor

/

Fair

/ Good /

Excl

1 / Content – thoroughness, relevance, interest, scope
Comments: / 0 / 0-2 / 2-4 / 4-6 / 6-8
2 / Presentation – colour, creativity, originality, effort (did you fill the entire space? Did it look similar to the group who went before you?)
Comments: / 0 / 0-2 / 2-4 / 4-6 / 6-8
3 / Expression – vocabulary, clarity, comprehensibility, layman’s terms (can all students at HHS understand what you’re trying to teach them?)
Comments: / 0 / 1-2 / 2-3 / 3-4 / 4-5
4 / Sources – references cited (3+),
Standard APA style, displayed in your space / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
5 / Display Case Care – did you clean up all your tape, display content for the group after you? (this includes sweeping out display case and removing all pins etc…)
The display will be cleaned up on Wednesdays prior to the next group who will be presenting. / 0 / 1 / 2

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