Project: Environmental Chemistry Web Site and Presentation

For this project, your team of three students will research a current environmental issue involving chemistry and design a web site and presentation to teach your classmates (and anyone in the world who wants to visit your site) about the issue. There are some required pieces of information, but I want to leave most of the project to your own creative energies. You may handcode your pages or use an HTML editor.

Here is a list of possible subjects. Feel free to submit one that is not on the list, but it must be approved by me.

Each environmental web site must address the following information:

• identify the issue (what is the problem, what is the controversy?)
• discuss the chemistry behind the problem (what chemicals and chemical reactions are involved?, why does the problem occur?)
• discuss the problems associated with the issue (who is harmed?, who is concerned?, why should we be concerned?)
• discuss ways to combat the problem
• a webpage showing the slides of your powerpoint presentation
• a reference page
• your names at the bottom of the homepage (This site was created by _____)
• each linked page must have a link back to your homepage
• a link to my site (http://www.allatoms.com) from your homepage (but don't "frame" me!)

The web sites will be scored based on the quality and quantity of information they contain as well as the organizational design and quality of presentation.

The class presentation will be scheduled for a 40 minute time frame. This will include the presentation by team members, questions from the audience, and a worksheet to be filled out by the audience. The classroom presentation will evaluated by both your classmates and myself. We will be looking at:

• is the team well organized?
• can you hear the speakers?
• can you see the visual aspects of the presentation?
• is the presentation interesting and hold the audience's attention?
• how well does the team address the questions?
• is the worksheet well organized and provide the audience with a good evaluation of what they should have learned?

This project will count 100 points in the lab report category. There will be two evaluations of your project. For the first evaluation, you must submit your project folder into my folder on the H drive. You must also submit a project flow chart and a scorecard. The flow chart should diagram the entire site. The chart should show the organization of all linked pages (using shapes connected by arrows) with the correct file name (with file extension) and file sizes written beneath each page. Indicate the presence of image files on the pages by listing their correct file name (with file extension) and file size inside the shape. I have some example flow charts if you want to see them. The initial evaluation will count 45 points and I will provide you with a written scorecard which will document where points were lost. You will have until the final due date to make changes and improve your site. You must provide written record of all additions/improvements. The final evaluation will count 30 points. If you choose not to make improvements to your site than your final score will be the same percentage as that which you received in the first evaluation. The oral presentation will count for the final 25 points. The due date for the first evaluation of the web sites will be ____________.

Tips:

• Be mindful of copyright laws. Bottom line - do not present the work of others as your own. Cary Academy has a convenient copyright permission form at: http://web1.caryacademy.org/technology/webdoc/copyright.htm
• Keep a running list of books, web sites, etc. that you use as resources so you can easily construct a reference page at the end of the project. Trying to remember a website that you accessed three weeks before will be difficult. All resources must be properly referenced in MLA style. Having a copy of the Literary Survival Guide for Cary Academy would be helpful in this respect. 
• Both MS Word and Inspiration (found under English in programs) are excellent for making quick and attractive flow charts.
• Individual files should be kept < 30 Kb with a total page load of 100 Kb or less
• Avoid a random list of undeveloped "facts". A few well-developed ideas is preferable to a paragraph that mentions 100 detrimental effects to the environment, but does not explain any of them. Develop the ideas - don't leave them vague!
• Focus on what makes your issue important. Why should anybody care?!
• Copy and paste your page into MS Word and run the spell and grammar check or at least run them through the spell checker in MS FrontPage Editor.
• It is generally preferable if the homepage does not require a lot of scrolling.
• When you want text and images to be neat, organized, and in a certain place - use a table! Tables are very versatile for page layout purposes. The color of the table background can be different from the page background. In fact, you can change the background of each individual cell.

Back to Project List