Compare and contrast taxonomic data to explore differences and similarities of organisms.

“Skill #4 and #5: Data for Research and Investigation
This week, you will complete two Excel workbooks, both related to a very special Orca population. Be sure to fill in all of the yellow boxes on each sheet- these are your reflection spaces. Once the badge at the end of the workbook is full, upload to the assignment!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not get a full badge, just verify all yellow boxes are filled. Sometimes a bug prevents the badges from populating. Double check, then upload!
Application #1 Excel: In this application, you will create a personal budget for your future career using Microsoft Excel. Specifics are in the assignment page.”

MEET KIKI AND HER FAMILY!

Earth’s oceans are vast and remain mostly unexplored. The marine ecosystems that make up our oceans contain amazing populations of creatures. The existence of these populations depends on complex interactions within food webs and the health of the environments they inhabit. Humans can play a major role in preserving marine ecosystems, but we must understand the impact of our actions.
Connect with the J pod population, a close-knit family of 24 endangered Southern Resident orca whales living in the Salish Sea, and specifically Kiki—a six-year-old female who carries the fate of the pod on her shoulders. Explore data related to Kiki and her family that may lead to insights that protect her family, her ecosystem and ultimately us!
LESSON 1 – USE DATA TO RESEARCH
Paddle your way into Kiki’s world through a self-paced, online Excel activity that introduces beginning concepts for data-driven research using linked data types.

Lesson highlights:

Access information in Excel using data types and data cards.
Compare and contrast taxonomic data to explore differences and similarities of organisms.
Use data cards to access geographic data related to orca sighting locations.
Document student learning in Flip and through a reflection journal.
Learning standards:
NGSS MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
ISTE 5b. Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
Download the following Excel workbook which contains a variety of data regarding Kiki and the J pod population. In this workbook, you will read all instructions, and then you will engage with the questions and reflections, guided by the data exploration in the workbook.
MEET KIKI AND HER FAMILY!
Earth’s oceans are vast and remain mostly unexplored. The marine ecosystems that make up our oceans contain amazing populations of creatures. The existence of these populations depends on complex interactions within food webs and the health of the environments they inhabit. Humans can play a major role in preserving marine ecosystems, but we must understand the impact of our actions.
Connect with the J pod population, a close-knit family of 24 endangered Southern Resident orca whales living in the Salish Sea, and specifically Kiki—a six-year-old female who carries the fate of the pod on her shoulders. Explore data related to Kiki and her family that may lead to insights that protect her family, her ecosystem and ultimately us!
LESSON 2 – USE DATA TO INVESTIGATE
Make a splash using data to investigate with a self-paced, online Excel activity that introduces beginning concepts for investigating a phenomenon using data.
Lesson highlights:
Investigate data to describe feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Explore multiple sources of data to explain how toxins can influence the health of populations in an ecosystem.

Analyze multiple acoustic data to provide evidence for the effects of sound pollution on a population.

Document student learning in Flip and through a reflection journal.
Learning standards:

NGSS MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

NGSS MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

ISTE 5b. Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
Using the following Workbook, continue our investigation into Kiki and the J-Pod. Once completed, with an earned badge, upload the completed workbook to this assignment.

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