Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Senior Project Online Source


“Specific Page Title or Article Title”

"Endangered Cats Around the World"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)

Ben Farmer
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )

The Telegraph
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)

The Telegraph Media Group 2012
Date Page was Last Revised

15 July 2011
Date You Read It

31 January 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)


FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):
There are at least seven known species of wild cats that are either "endangered or critically endangered on the Red List of animals at risk" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Ben Farmer).
The Iberian Lynx, wild cat who's native home is Spain and some parts of Portugal. But recently, they have disappeared from Portugal all together. Of those left, there are "a maximum of around 150" Lynxes left in total (Ben Farmer).
The Tiger is believed to have at least six subspeices, and all of them are considered endangered. They used to inhabit "Asia from Turkey to the eastern coast of Russia, but have lost nearly 95 per cent of that range" (Ben Farmer).
There are only about "3,000 to 5,000" Tigers left on the planet (Ben Farmer).
The Borneo Bay Cat, from the forests of Borneo, is endangered because "its home is quickly being eaten away by logging and plant oil plantaions (Ben Farmer).


Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION):
Ben Farmer puts together a list of seven known species of wild cats that are endangered or critically endangered. He then goes on to state basic geographic info about each animal and why they are in danger. The writer also adds habitatual and diet information on some of the animals.


Credibility of Source:
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site?
Ben Farmer is a reporter for the news paper The Telegraph, he used to write directly for the paper in London, and now he does international news from Afghanistan.

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business? 
The information in the article and on the rest of the web site as well, is all objective and id strictly for the sake of news.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?
There seems to be no bias; the article is strictly facts about endangered animals.
 
References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility?
The author cites the International Union for Conservation of Nature in his article, further supporting the credibility of his information.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project?
I plan to use this source to support my opinion that the helpless animals all accross the world are in danger due to human errors, and that it is up to us to reverse the damage we have caused these creatures.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Senior Project Proposal

Proposed Topic in the form of an  Essential Question:
Why are different species of wild cats across the world endangered, and what can the human race do to help them?
Rationale for Choice
What about this topic appeals to you? Why did you choose it?
This topic appeals to me because I love animals. I chose it because these animals are in danger but they cannot help themselves, so it is up to us to help them.
 
What do you already know about this subject?
I know that some species of wild cats (such as Tigers) are endangered due to humans hunting and killing them.
 
What are you hoping to learn about the subject?
I hope to learn a way that we can contribute to the survival of these animals, and what, if anything, were doing wrong.
What are you most interested in regarding the topic?
  I am most interested in the different types of endangered cats there are and what makes them unique.                                                                                                                                               
What potential risks or challenges do you foresee for your project?
A challenge I forsee in this project is not finding a source for community service or feild work, since there are no wild cats roaming around Granada Hills.