What If Plants Or Animals Had Twitter?

7th Grade Science 4th Six Weeks Adaptations Project DUE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2017

What if Plants or Animals Had Twitter? (#itwouldbeawesome)

Humans often use social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to communicate events and experiences from their daily lives. But what would happen if plants or animals could use social media? In this project, you will research a specific structural or behavioral adaptation for an organism of your choice, and create a poster with a “tweet” that communicates how its specific traits allow it to survive in its environment. This project will be due Friday, February 10th.

Directions: 1. Choose a specific plant or animal species. 2. Research a specific structural or behavioral adaptation of your species and write an expository text describing how that adaptation provides a survival advantage for that species within its environment. 3. Create a visually appealing poster displaying a Twitter status and picture of your species with a “status update” of that organism.

Expository Text Research Write-Up Requirements:  Must include: scientific name of species, description of environment the species lives in, description of structural or behavioral adaptation, AND environmental threats the species faces (ex: climate change, food or water pressures, human activity, etc.)  Must be typed, ¾ - 1 page length  Must include at least 2 references (no Wikipedia, WikiAnswers, Yahoo Answers, etc.) o For more information on citations: http://www.eduplace.com/parents/resources/homework/reference/bibliography.html

Poster Requirements:  Must include color image of species (may be drawn or printed out) o This image can be “Instagrammed”  Must have a creative, school appropriate tweet or status update related to the adaptation of your organism o Tweets can be no longer than 140 characters (including spaces and hashtags, not including username) o Username of species must be related to adaptation  Research write-up must be attached to poster (front or back is fine)

Example of tweets: @giraffe2014: My long neck allows me to reach the leaves on the tallest trees #naturalselection #adaptation #survival

@prettyliltulip: Rocky soil or clay? Harsh winters? My #bulb keeps me stable and well fed #sorryotherflowers

@sleepybrownbear: Just woke up from hibernating, feeling hungry but alive #justanotherwinter

@baldyeagle: Hey little mouse, don’t make me spread my wings because you know I am an incredible hunter #hollowbones #sharpvision 7th Grade Science 4th Six Weeks Adaptations Project DUE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2017 Grading Rubric

 Expository Research Paper – 55 points  ____ Scientific name of species (5 pts)  ____ Description of environment of species (10 pts)  ____ Description of adaptation (15 pts)  ____ Environmental threats the species faces (10 pts)  ____ Typed and ¾ - 1 page length (5 pts)  ____ At least 2 academic references (10 pts)

 Poster – 45 points  ____ Color image of species (10 pts)  ____ Creative, school appropriate tweet related to the adaptation of your organism (20 pts)  ____ No longer than 140 characters (including spaces and hashtags, not including username) (5 pts)  ____ Appropriate username of species (5 pts)  ____ Research write-up attached to poster (5 pts)

TOTAL: 100 POINTS