Digging Deep: Excavating the Habitat of the Gopher Tortoise

I wrote this unit for an energetic group of gifted students to expand their research and cooperative learning skills. It was such a hit with them that I decided to enter it into a curriculum contest and it won first place in the State of Florida! If gopher tortoises aren't your thing, the research format I have created in this unit is easily adaptable to any other topic. Students will work in cooperative groups to research and create a final product of their choice with various options for product variety. Please note: a link in the unit sends you to the Florida Department of Wildlife where there was once a children's story available about the gopher tortoise. That book is no longer available, but any book on gopher tortoises from your school library can be substituted to provide an introduction for your students. Enjoy!!