CLIMATE CHANGE WEBQUEST
LINDA GARBADE
GRADE 7 SCIENCE
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST SCHOOL
BINGHAMTON, NY
Introduction:
Do global issues have you wondering what one person can do to make a difference? Are you overwhelmed by all the negative changes happening to our environment? Climate change is one of those global issues that seem to be on the forefront of everyone’s mind. A 2006 film documentary called, “Inconvenient Truth”, educated citizens about global warming and has been credited in raising public awareness of climate changes and reenergizing the environmental movement. (An Inconvenient Truth – Wikipedia) Scientists expect that, in the absence of effective policies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, the global average temperature will increase another 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.(The Basics of Global Warming - Global Warming - Environmental Defense Fund) Are there policies that can be changed or implemented at various levels of government that will help lessen or even eliminate global warming? Policy makers are dealing with this now on all levels of government and you can also participate at your own level! Let’s get started!
Task:
Your task will be to develop a PowerPoint presentation on
Climate Change using the PPA approach to
social problem solving. Your group will be assigned to explore existing policy
on greenhouse emissions for a particular level of government. Those levels will
include; international, national, state, county, and city. You will also look
at specific policy or measures our community at
Process:
- Create a nine slide Power Point Presentation
- Each slide must include one step of the six step PPA and address the topic of Climate Change
- Slide One: Title and names of students involved
- Slide Two: Define and describe the problem of Climate Change
- Slide Three: Gather evidence about Climate Change
- Slide Four: Identify theories behind the causes of Climate Change
- Slide Five: Evaluate the existing policy on carbon emission regulations at your particular groups level of government (International, National, State, County, or City)
- Slide Six: Develop solutions for carbon emissions regulations at your groups level of government
- Slide Seven: Select the best solution using the feasibility vs. effectiveness chart
- Slide
Eight: Discuss how we at
- Slide Nine: List all resources (books, websites, interviews, etc.) used
- Give a dynamic presentation to classmates, teacher, principal, and community members.
Resources:
Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ?
The Basics of Global Warming - Global Warming - Environmental Defense Fund
Global warming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm
Greenhouse gas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clean Air Act (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State Implementation Plan (SIP) | Region 8 | US EPA
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Summary 2007 Emission Inventory - By County (A through N) - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Controlling Vehicle Pollution - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Office of Climate Change - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Climate Smart Communities - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Green Initiative Recognition Program | Broome County, NY
U.S. Climate Policy | Climate Change | U.S. EPA
Kyoto Protocol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Summary of the American Power Act - Global Warming - Environmental Defense Fund
Reckoning Time in the Senate on Climate - Global Warming - Environmental Defense Fund
Evaluation:
You will be evaluated on the quality of your Power Point slide show and your oral presentation. Creativity and originality is the difference between a 3 and 4 in the grading process! Use color and graphics and be sure the slides are clear and font size large enough to be read by audience. I will be using the rubric below to evaluate your presentation.
|
Element |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Total |
|
Slide 1 Title |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 2 Problem |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 3 Evidence |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 4 Causes |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 5 Evaluate Existing Policy |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 6 Solutions |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 7 Best Solutions |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 8 |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Slide 9 Resources |
Excellent! Exceeds standards
Creative-Original All requirements are satisfied and goes beyond what is
expected! |
Very Good Meets standards All requirements are
satisfied and the assignment meets set expectations |
Good Approaches standards.
Assignment satisfied many objectives. |
Poor Below Standards. Assignment
needs overall improvement/Assignment satisfied a few of the requirement |
|
|
Presentation |
Excellent! Clear, loud, and
dynamic. Goes beyond expectations |
Very Good. Meets
expectations |
Good Meets most expectations |
Poor meets few expectations |
|
Conclusion:
How does it feel to be a policy maker? Do you feel like you can make a difference when tackling big problems like climate change? Can you apply this process to other social problems in our community? Organize a group of your friends and use the same process to tackle a social problem that interests you for extra credit.
"Delay
is no longer an option."
— Barack Obama, December 2008
Standards:
Mathematics,
Science, and Technology
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical
analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as
appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 2: Information Systems
Students will access, generate,
process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Standard 3: Mathematics
Students will understand
mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning
mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving
problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra,
data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
Standard 4: Science
Students will understand and
apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical
setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of
ideas in science.
Standard 5: Technology
Students will apply technological
knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and
systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Standard 6: Interconnectedness: Common Themes
Students will understand the
relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and
technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.
Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
Students will apply the knowledge
and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address
real-life problems and make informed decisions.
English
Language Arts
Standard 1: Language for Information and
Understanding
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers,
students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts,
and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and
electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and
written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language
to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and
Expression
Students will read and listen to
oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American
and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and
develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural
dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers,
students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted
conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and
Evaluation
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers,
students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by
others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they
will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the
English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and
judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction
Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use
oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English
language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As
readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to
enrich their understanding of people and their views.
Social Studies
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the