Students will launch the investigation by comparing two habitat scenes, gathering first evidence about food web changes, hearing from an Oregon wildlife biologist, and recording questions for the keystone species project. (this will be used at a later date )     Introduce  1) What the Cascade Region is.   2) Where it is located on a map. 3) Identify Oregon portion as the area we will be studying ** Video **  4). Have students name any and all animals they believe live there.  Share with their table group first and make a written record of what they wrote.   5) Share aloud with class 6) your Share slideshow of animals that (actually) live in the cascades. 7) Does anyone have any personal experiences with any of these creatures?   Peruse journals - list of all animals we will cover during our class, and share what their exhibition project will be.

Students will choose an Oregon Cascades keystone species, develop a focused investigation question and hypothesis, gather guidance from a wildlife biologist, and create a peer-reviewed evidence plan for comparing a healthy habitat to one missing its keystone species.

Students will turn their research into clear evidence-based habitat comparisons, build two-scene exhibition drafts, critique one another’s reasoning and visuals, and revise their work to show why an Oregon Cascades keystone species matters.

Students will present their Oregon Cascades habitat comparison exhibitions to an authentic audience, explain their evidence-based claims about keystone species, and complete the final performance assessment through public sharing and responses to audience questions.