Endangered Species

1
Endangered Species
A Multimedia Encyclopedia Exploration
Activity Student Pages
Pat Sarvis
GSL 520
Computer Assisted Language Learning
Summer 2002
2
Solets begin!
Multimedia Exploration of Endangered Species
Open Encarta 97 by double-clicking the icon on
your desktop
Lets start with a guided tour. From the opening
screen choose Media Features, then click on
Guided Tours, and then Endangered Species. This
screen opens.
Remember, at any time in this program, you can
click these arrows to return to previous screens.
Click Next to scroll through each screen in this
Guided Tour.
3
Exploration (cont.)
Browse through the 17 screens of this guided
tour. Skim the articles and enjoy the media (some
have video or sound as well).
When finished, click on Features on the Menu bar.
From the drop down menu, click Media Features,
and then choose Collages. When the collage screen
opens, choose Biodiversity.
Click on the title, Biodiversity, and read the
short essay to give you an overview of this
concept.
Scroll through the collage. When your mouse
passes over some pictures, youll hear the sound
of the animal, or see its name. You can also
choose to read some of the related articles.
Black Rhinoceros
Snow Leopard
Gorilla
4
Exploration (cont.)
Click the X in the upper right corner until you
return to the opening screen. Click Encyclopedia
Articles and a screen like the following opens.
Lets use Pinpointer, the search mechanism in
Encarta, to find out about some endangered
species that may not have been included in the
Guided Tour or Collage.
Type the name of a particular animal in the
dialog box, or click Word Search and type
endangered species.
Click Find to open Pinpointer.
5
Research Phase
Now its time for you and your partner to decide
which animal you will focus on. Make sure when
you choose your animal that you have pictures and
enough information to be able to describe it and
make a convincing argument to the Grant Committee
on its behalf.
Macaw
Siberian Tiger
Armadillo
Wombat
Flying Fox
Rattle Snake
6
Research (cont.)
Find all the information you can about your
chosen animal. Read and take notes of the
important or interesting facts, especially those
which answer your research questions. You can use
paper and pencil, or the note card feature of
this software.
From Features on the Menu bar, click Tools, and
then choose Notemark.
You can type your notes here and the program
saves them for you. Click OK when youre finished
and then you can click the notepad on the upper
right menu bar to open them again on any page.
7
Using Encartas Dictionary
Remember, you can double-click on most words
within the articles and the dictionary screen
opens and displays the meaning of the word.
8
Write a Description of the Animal
Using both the text and media from the articles,
and the notes youve taken, describe your animal
in your own words in an MS Word document.
Tell what kind of animal it is (reptile, mammal,
etc.)
Tell what it looks like and where it lives
Tell any other interesting facts you found out
about the animal
You may want to use the Thesaurus to help find
some words to make your writing more vivid.
Explain why this animal is endangered (for
example, decreasing habitat, over-hunting, etc.)
What can be done to help this animal species to
survive?
9
Power Point Presentation
Each pair of students will present their findings
using power point. There should be a minimum of 8
slides. Include text, pictures, sound, and video
if you wish.
Power Point Tutorial
Your presentation should include the following
points
A description and picture of the animal
A description of where in the world the animal
lives. Including a map might help your audience.
Explain the problems that the animal is facing.
What are the factors that have led to its
endangered status?
Why should we help this animal to survive? Why is
it important in our world?
What are some steps that can be taken to help the
animal survive?
10
Power Point Presentation (cont.)
Remember that you must present a solid case to
the Grant Committee (your classmates). Use facts
to support your reasons why this animal deserves
to be helped.
You will use the LCD projector as you present
your case using power point slides to the Grant
Committee.
Koala
Grizzly Bear
11
Using the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word
1. Highlight the word you want to change.
2. From the Tools menu, point to Language, and
click Thesaurus.
3. Choose the right meaning sense of the word.
4. Choose a word you think would be good you
might ask a friend or check a dictionary to see
if the meaning fits.
5. Click Replace and the word will be changed in
your document.