Lesson 5: The Everglades

Objective: Identify current environmental problems affecting the Everglades, and the importance of this area to Florida's environment using various resources.  Utilize scanner to collect photographs of the Everglades for their project; these photos will be used in a multimedia presentation by means of HyperStudio or PowerPoint.  

Activity: The students will locate the Everglades National Park on the Florida map. 
They will research the Everglades, concentrating on endangered plants and animals, and the problems facing the native fauna and flora.  
Each student will select a plant or animal to study in depth. 
Students will visit the following web site to learn facts about the Everglades. Visit the The South Florida Destinations Everglades Web site. They will prepare a multimedia presentation by means of HyperStudio or PowerPoint using scanned pictures, clip art, text and data collected from Internet searches.  
Visit The Everglades National Park Web site. Students can work in small groups for presentations.

If students are taken on a field trip to the Everglades; they can use a digital camera to record the events of the day and insert these into their multimedia presentations.

Evaluation: Each student will contribute to a group multimedia presentation on the Everglades and present it to the class.

Extension Activity: Create a Database

• Students will create databases from material gathered about Everglades plants

• These instructions are for ClarisWorks, although other database applications can be used

• In ClarisWorks, go to File menu and choose New

• From New Document dialog box, click Database then OK

• In the Field Name box, type: Plant Name

• Click Create. Whatever is typed now will replace the highlighted text

• Type: Where it lives

• Click Create

• Continue these steps to create the following fields: Type of plant, When it blooms, What part of the Everglades it lives it, How it protects itself 

• Click Done

• Students can now enter data into database

Homework: Create a database about an Everglades animal. Include its name, animal classification, what it eats, what part of the Everglades it lives in, and how it protects itself

Fieldtrip: If students live in South Florida, plan a trip to Everglades National Park. If students live elsewhere, visit park online at Florida Maps

and click on Everglades National Park.