COMC-401 Lessons

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

My, my, how fast a year does fly! This is the final lesson of Year Four of Care of Magical Creatures, and I would like to start by thanking you all for being wonderful students this year. I could not have asked for a better year really. Continue to shine bright even if this is your last year of the course. For those continuing, I will see you again next year! 

There are a couple of quick notes before we dive right in, so please bear with me for a moment while we get through these, and then we will do some review and discuss the final project in depth.

Do also note your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams are coming up at the end of next year. It is never too early to start preparing! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. There may be a study guide of sorts available closer to the administration of the test, however, you should start to study all material covered now to make sure you fully understand it.

The Ecology Project

Finally, let’s discuss the ecology project! As you know, you have two medians to select from: an essay or a pictogram and blurb. Provided below are the general requirements you must include in both medians, and the median-specific requirements. This will also be provided for you again in the assignment submission section, so it is available in a variety of places if you ever need to look at the requirements again. You can also always owl myself for clarification on any of these requirements.

General Requirements for Both Options

1. One to three magical creatures covered at some point during Year Two to Year Four.
2. At least one mundane creature.
3. At least three plants.
   
4. Discuss the abbreviated food chain.
5. How do the creatures in your system help each other? What are the types of symbiosis present?
6. What is the environment like? Which biome does it fall into?

Essay Option Requirements

• Your submission must have one paragraph for each of the points (That means six paragraphs).
• Paragraphs are five to ten sentences, though it is better to have eight to ten sentences!
• Six paragraphs minimum, no maximum! After having the six required paragraphs, feel free to add in additional information, such as why you chose the creatures you did, or anything else you would like to discuss.
• You are not required to have pictures. However, pictures of the mundane creatures and plants can earn you extra credit! Spectacular submissions in general can also earn extra credit.

Pictogram and Blurb Option Requirements

• You must have a picture similar to the one provided below. You can add in more of a background if you like, but the main components and the arrows should be there!

• Text must be included on the pictogram. You can have the food chain outlined, like the image provided above has, creature names, etc.
• A short blurb must accompany your pictogram. It must explain everything not explained by your graphic representation. If your pictogram discusses the symbiosis, then you have to make sure to specify the kind of biome and the food chain. If you manage to fit everything onto the pictogram, give a short description of the pictogram, pointing out major parts.
• Feel free to draw this out, use Photoshop or another image editing program, or something of that sort. You cannot take pictures of arrows and creatures and put them in a powerpoint form.
• Extra credit will be given for spectacular submissions!

Closing

There will also be a 40 question test. Make sure to review all of the content covered this year! Now that I have explained the final, I would like to close with a few words. This year has been a turning point in your magical education! You are starting the downhill slope of your magical education, and that means all of your courses will be covering more advanced, and important, information. Never forget why you are studying the creatures of the magical world, even if you find yourself worried about a test or essay, or if we study a particularly dangerous or difficult creature. We have saved these creatures for the end to make sure you are fully prepared to absorb all of the information about them, because one small mistake when handling them can change your life. Thank you for an amazing year!

Lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne

All pictures are found using the Google Images search engine, and belong to their owners.