Unit A Section 4 Summative Assessment – Design a Sustainable Ecological Doghouse- FOR MARKS

Section 4: Some Ecosystems Require Protection

Key Ideas   Unit Checklist

  Project – Design a Sustainable Ecological Doghouse

In this project, you will design a sustainable doghouse. You are required to submit this project to your teacher for marks. Very carefully, read the whole project and how to do it. Be sure to read the requirements and rubric, they explain the expectations for this project and how it will be marked. Click here if you need tips on how to create a good project!

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Situation

Like humans, dogs need a comfortable home! But it would be great if doghouses could be built while taking into account sustainability. The ideal situation would be to create and excellent doghouse that serves the needs of the dog, but also uses sustainable materials and requires the least amount of energy as possible.

Project Task

Your mission is to design a doghouse. Your dog should be cozy and warm during a long cold Alberta winter. It should enjoy its house in summer, too.

Here’s the catch – your doghouse should be built as sustainably as possible. Remember the basic principles of sustainability. You are trying to build a doghouse with the smallest ecological footprint possible. Your doghouse should be ecologically sensitive in the way it looks, too. (Does it fit into its surroundings?) Here are a few ideas to keep in mind:

• The materials you choose should be suitable for a doghouse, but are they recycled and/or recyclable? Do the materials come from sustainable sources
  
  
• Your doghouse should have a heater, but your design should keep energy loss to a minimum. Remember comfort has several aspects. Your dog should be warm in winter and cool in summer, be able to get in and out easily, enjoy some light, and have a comfortable place to rest.
  
  
• When you describe your design, be sure to describe the ecology of the surrounding area. How does your doghouse fit into the ecology of the area where it is built? How will it affect other species in the area?  Will the dog interact with or destroy other animals and plants?  

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Method

Choose the way you would like to communicate your design. You can choose from the following ideas.

• Build a real doghouse for your real dog! Then, photograph or video various aspects of it to share with your teacher. (This might take a long time! Better to make a model or a plan – then, do the real thing for Fido!)
  
  
• Build a model. For example, you might build it with Lego, popsicle sticks, cardboard, or some other convenient material. Then, photograph or video your model to share with your teacher.
  
  
• Draw several pictures to show clearly the interior and exterior features of your design. Use pencil and paper, or use a computer drawing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Gimp.
  
  
• Build a structure in Minecraft and take screenshots.
  
  
• Write a detailed written plan about your design.
  
  
• Use any other creative ideas you have, but check with your teacher first!

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Requirements

You must answer the following questions to communicate clearly information about your design.

• You can provide written answers to these questions, or you can include the answers as labels if you produce a drawing of your design.
  
  
• You can address these questions by recording yourself (and your model or drawings) on video or make an audio recording.
  

Questions (Be sure to explain your design very clearly.)

1. How does your doghouse design keep your dog comfortable? Remember that comfort includes temperature, movement, light levels, and physical space.  How will you stop energy and heat loss?
   
   
2. How do the parts of your design respect the principles of sustainability? Remember, you are trying to build a doghouse that has a very small ecological footprint.  Explain what sustainability is and how the materials you chose to use support it.  
   
   
3. Describe how your doghouse fits into the surrounding ecological area and how it affects the species around it. Is it a natural fit?  The ecological area is up to you. You could build your doghouse in a forest area, beside a waterfall, in a grassland, in a desert, or somewhere else of your choice – even under a tree in your backyard.

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Rubric

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Submitting Your Work

• If you print your work and/or do pencil drawing(s) on another piece of paper, you must scan your work to submit it.
• If you have prepared any other electronic images or documents for this project, you must submit them.
• If you have used an Internet location where your work is located, you must submit the URL so your teacher can view your work.

When you are ready to submit your completed project, click the "Add submission" button at the bottom of this page and follow the directions. If you would like to view a tutorial on how to submit your assignment, click here.

Note that when you submit anything to your teacher, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE DOCUMENT TITLE. For example, you might title it something like this:

unitA_section4project_Jenny_Smith.doc

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Download

You can download a Word doc version of this Unit A Section 4 Project by clicking here.