Liceo Campoverde, Quito

2BGU APES 2022-2023

Biogeochemical Cycles Challenge

In the APES course, four biogeochemical cycles should be studied and known:
1.4 The Carbon Cycle
1.5 The Nitrogen Cycle
1.6 The Phosphorous Cycle
1.7 The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

ASSIGNMENT
You will work in 8 small teams of 3 students, with two teams working (independently) on one of the
four biogeochemical cycles, which will be assigned randomly.

This assignment has two principal outcomes:

1. A visual communication of the cycle by means of a large, colourful and informative poster,
showing relevant processes, sinks and stores, figures and quantities, reservoirs, phases,
drivers, losses and gains, components, etc. The poster must include the relevant “What does
APES say?” (copy/pasted from the Blog or elsewhere).
2. A hands-on activity which other students can use to learn about the cycle. This may be a
game, a simulation, a challenge, a model, a lab, a construction, a media activity – whatever
you can create for others to ‘use’ or play with or become active in. The hands-on activity
must start with and be driven by a question or a problem which has to be solved.

Resources
You may of course use the internet or books or other resources in order to research your material,
either for the poster or for the hands-on activity but you must follow this protocol:
o You must personalise or modify for your specific needs, any resourced material such as
images or games or text – ie you should not simply copy/paste it in its original form; you
must adapt resourced material for your own purposes.
o All work or information or images, etc which are not directly your own must be properly
cited, using the APA 6th (or 7th) edition.

Timetable
The assignment will be completed in one full week of classes and homework – 5 ‘hours’ + H/W.

Rubric & Assessment

Two grades will be generated from this assignment:
1. Poster
2. Hands-on activity
The grades (1 to 10) will be calculated using the rubric on the next page.
The first four bands of each section of the rubric will be scored the same for each person in the team.
The last band of each section of the rubric will be an individual score which may be different for each
person of the team.
 Criteria 3 2 1 0 Score
POSTER
The poster is a The poster has The poster has The poster has no
unique product of sufficient impact to little impact, is not impact at all,
the team, has been draw viewers but is a unique shows no creativity
creatively not a unique production by the or uniqueness and
Visual impact
produced, is very production or lacks team and has little in no way
impactive, and some creativity. creativity. encourages
draws the attention viewing.
of viewers.
The poster is fully The poster is The poster is The poster is badly
labelled and drawn, labelled and drawn poorly labelled and labelled, shows
to accurately show to show all does not show all few of the
Accuracy of
all processes, processes, phases, processes, phases, processes, phases,
information
phases, quantities, quantities, quantities, quantities,
and value as a
components, etc of components, etc of components, etc of components, etc of
learning tool
the cycle, and is a the cycle, and is a the cycle. It is an the cycle. It cannot
great learning tool. useful learning inaccurate learning be used as a
tool. tool. learning tool.
“What does APES “What does APES
Inclusion of
say?” is included in say?” is not
“What does
the poster. included in the
APES say?”
poster.
The general data The general data The general data
are fully included, are fully included are incomplete and
General data and all citations are and all citations are citations are not
& citations made, using APA made but there are properly or fully
protocols. errors in the made.
protocols.
Points (3, 2, 1 or 0) are awarded here for a combination of factors which might
Holistic include a demonstration of intellectual initiative, personal commitment, unusual sense
assessment of ownership of the product, special insights or depth of understanding, originality and
creativity.
TOTAL / 12
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY
There is a There is a driver There is no proper
challenging but question, which driver question and
appropriate driver either does not a participant is not
question, which encourage the encouraged to
Driver,
forces the participant to follow through
starting
participant to follow through with the activity.
question
follow through with the activity, or
with the activity to resolve a
and resolve a problem.
problem.
The activity is The activity has The activity is The activity is
supremely creative been creatively either not a great neither creative nor
Creativity and original, both produced and creation or original original.
intellectually and shows some in its idea.
in structure. originality.
The activity works The activity works The activity does The activity does
Viability & successfully and is as a learning tool not work well and not work
usefulness as a a wonderful for other students. has limited use as a successfully and
learning tool learning tool for learning tool for has no use as a
other students. other students learning tool.
The general data The general data is
are fully included, incomplete and
General data
and all citations are citations are not
and citations
made, using APA properly or fully
protocols. made.
Points (3, 2, 1 or 0) are awarded here for a combination of factors which might
Holistic include a demonstration of intellectual initiative, personal commitment, unusual sense
assessment of ownership of the product, special insights or depth of understanding, originality and
creativity.
TOTAL / 12