North Carolina River Basins Project

This project is designed to meet the following goals:

  1. You will become familiar with the characteristics of a North CarolinaRiver Basin
  2. You will be aware of the impact that land development has on a river basin
  3. You will be able to describe ways in which development can be done with minimal impact on the environment.
  4. You will become familiar with eco-friendly building practices and how to deal with pollutants associated with human activity.

In this project you may work independently or in a pair. If you choose to work as a pair, be aware that much of the work on this project will be done outside of class; therefore,it is your responsibility to plan times and arrange meetings to get work done. If you cannot do this, then you should work alone!

Description of the Project:

You are a land developer and you are planning to build a housing development, resort, shopping center, university/college, or amusement park in one of North Carolina’s river basins (we will have a “draft” to decide which river basin you will work in). You will need to create an informational product that will:

  1. Describe the planned development, for example if you choose housing development: how many homes, types of homes, streets, lot size, layout, etc..
  2. Describe the reasons that this river basin was chosen (sales pitch)
  3. What would attract buyers to this location
  4. How your building plan minimizes damage to the local watersheds and river basin
  5. Information on how you will prevent/minimize pollution of the local watershed/river basin and how you will deal with any pollution that is generated.

You can create any of the following products:

  1. A website for your development
  2. A video (shot outside of school)
  3. Plan book (multiple pages)
  4. Multimedia presentation
  5. Your choice – must receive teacher approval.

Research Component:

In order to do a good job on this project you will need to do a lot of research. You will have 2 ½ days in class to work on research for the project; everything else will need to be done outside of class. When doing research it is important to properly cite your sources. You must include an MLA formatted works cited page with your final project. You may use the website: to create a proper works cited page. It is also important that you use reputable sources that are research based.

Due Date: Your entire project is due no later than Wednesday, November 30, 2016.

Grading Rubric

Area / 10 points / 8 points / 6 points
Description of Building Plan / Visual representation of the layout of your development. Highly detailed description of location, proximity to local water sources, topography, land area utilized, impact on local forests, number of buildings, sizes of buildings, types of buildings, etc… / Visual representation of the layout of your development. Detailed description of location, proximity to local water sources, topography, land area utilized, impact on local forests, number of buildings, sizes of buildings, types of buildings, etc… (missing up to 2 components). / Visual representation of the layout of your development. Little detail included in description of location, proximity to local water sources, topography, land area utilized, impact on local forests, number of buildings, sizes of buildings, types of buildings, etc… (missing more than 2 components).
Why you chose your river basin / Detailed and persuasive description of the reasons why this river basin is a great place to put your development. Include items such as: climate, recreational activities, ecosystems nearby, major cities, tourist attractions, local plant and animal life of interest, etc… / Moderately detailed and informative (not persuasive) description of the reasons why this river basin is a great place to put your development. Include items such as: climate, recreational activities, ecosystems nearby, major cities, tourist attractions, local plant and animal life of interest, etc… (missing up to 2 components). / Informative (not persuasive) but not detailed description of the reasons why this river basin is a great place to put your development. Include items such as: climate, recreational activities, ecosystems nearby, major cities, tourist attractions, local plant and animal life of interest, etc… (missing more than 2 components).
What will attract buyers / Detailed and persuasive description of the development. Inclusions will vary based on what type of development you are creating. This is the part where you sell your development to potential buyers/investors. / Moderately detailed and informative (not persuasive) description of the development. Inclusions will vary based on what type of development you are creating. This is the part where you sell your development to potential buyers/investors. / Informative (not persuasive) but not detailed development. Inclusions will vary based on what type of development you are creating. This is the part where you sell your development to potential buyers/investors.
Building plan that minimizes damage to the watershed/river basin / Detailed description of what building practices you will utilize to prevent: increased runoff, increased erosion, impact on native species, changes to the water temperature, impact on habitat of local plants and animals, and pollution levels in the river. / Detailed description of what building practices you will utilize to prevent: increased runoff, increased erosion, impact on native species, changes to the water temperature, impact on habitat of local plants and animals, and pollution levels in the river. (Missing 2 components). / Description of what building practices you will utilize to prevent: increased runoff, increased erosion, impact on native species, changes to the water temperature, impact on habitat of local plants and animals, and pollution levels in the river is not very detailed. (missing more than 2 components)
Plan for dealing with pollution / Detailed and research based approach for dealing with pollutants associated with your development. Describes, in detail, the steps that will be taken to deal with the pollution that is created. / Research based approach for dealing with pollutants associated with your development. Describes the steps that will be taken to deal with the pollution that is created, but not in great detail. / A description of a plan is given, but steps are not well described or are not research based.
Overall appearance/effectiveness of your product / Product shows time and effort. Creative design, sells the development as a great place to live/visit, has a clear audience, and includes excellent detail in all of the above categories. / Product shows time and effort. Creative design, does a reasonable, but not great job, of selling the development. Is weak in 2 or less of the above categories. / Product shows little time or effort. Not overly creative and does not sell the product well. 2 or more of the above categories fall into the 6 point category.
Vocabulary / All required vocabulary has been incorporated where appropriate and used correctly. / 70% of vocabulary has been included in appropriate places and it is used correctly. / 50% or less of vocabulary is incorporated; words are used incorrectly.
Works Cited Page / 8 or more references cited correctly. Wikipedia DOES NOT count! / 5-7 references cited correctly or 8 or more references cited in a list format. / Fewer than 5 references cited correctly or 5-7 references cited in a list format.