The Rainforest

Description
Each student will individually choose an animal or plant that lives exclusively in the rainforests of Central America. Then, the student will research that animal on the internet using the links provided by the teacher. The students will finally create a drawing or diorama of the plant or animal they chose. They must include facts and answer questions about the item they chose, and it must be displayed on their drawing or diorama. They must also describe their plant or animal by writing 10 sentences in Spanish and using verbs like: ser, estar, vivir, or any other verbs we have learned in class.

Task
Follow the links to learn some general information about Central American rainforests:

http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=46
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/http://kids.mongabay.com/elementary/central_south_america.html
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

Choose an animal or plant you want to research.

Record any useful information you find about the animal or plant. Remember to cite your sources, and MAKE SURE the plant or animal you choose grows or resides in the rainforests of Central America.

Choose if you will make a drawing or diorama. NO PRINTING PICTURES OFF THE COMPUTER-you must create this on your own. (I understand all of us are not artists, but I know if you put time and effort into it you will have an amazing final product!)

Describe your animal or plant by writing 10 sentences in Spanish. USE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN CLASS! You are not allowed to use words we have not learned for this activity.

Examples of sentences:
El animal es grande.
El arbol tiene medicina.

Rubric
The following rubric will be used to assess your final product:

Category	Does not Meet	Needs Improvement	Meets Criteria	Exceeds Expectation
Required Components	3 or more required components are missing.	2 required components are missing.	1 required component is missing.	0 required components are missing.
Organization	Writing is disorganized and difficult to follow.	Writing has some elements of organization, but is difficult to follow.	Writing is well organized, but sometimes difficult to follow.	Writing is well organized and easy to read.
Mechanics	There are 5 or more grammatical errors in the writing.	There are 4 or more grammatical errors in the writing.	There are 3 grammatical errors in the writing.	There are 2 or less grammatical errors in the writing.
Quality of Drawing	Student creates visual, but it has little or no color or shape. Student's visual is sloppy.	Student creates visual, but has the visual has little color or shape.	Students visual is easy to recognize, colorful, and lively.	Students visual is easy to recognize, colorful, and elaborate. Student goes above and beyond in comparison to peers.

Turning in your Project

On the due date of your project, you are expected to be totally finished with your final product. You will not be allowed to glue, cut, color, or manipulate your project during class that day. Everyone will display their projects around the room, and students will be able to browse projects. Students will then present their projects by reading their best 5 description sentences in Spanish out loud to the class. Students will be allowed to browse projects again, and will be asked to place constructive, encouraging comments on projects using post it notes.