Global Warming- Are We Doing Enough?

By: J. Rivera

PS 125M The Ralph Bunche School- New York

Introduction

Have you ever gotten in a car that’s been under the sun with its windows closed? How does it feel? It is extremely hot isn’t it? The temperature inside the car is an example of what is happening to planet Earth now. For years, scientists have been warning us about the effects global warming is having on our climate.

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Task

Working individually and following the PPA steps, you will develop a research-based paper that showcases the causes and effects of global warming. You will also discuss actions that governments are taking to find a solution to this problem. Discuss whether or not these actions are being effective and the reasons why. Finally, give your own research-based opinion on what other solutions you think governments should consider adopting.

Questions to consider:

1. What is global warming?

2. What are the main causes of global warming?

3. What impact is global warming causing on our climate?

4. How is climate change impacting our economy?

5. Are actions governments have taken to reverse global warming effective? Why or why not?

Process/Resources

PPA Steps:

1. Define the problem

2. Gather the evidence

3. Identify the causes

4. Evaluate an existing policy

5. Develop solutions

6. Select the best solution (Feasibility vs Effectiveness).

Ensure that your paper has the following components as we have practiced n class:

· An introduction that catches readers’ attention.

· You address the problem that you are researching

· Use evidence to support your findings and cite where the information came from.

· Identify all the causes that are creating global warming.

· Discuss what the government is doing to fight global warming.

· Discuss your own solutions to the problems.

· Discuss the best solution to this problem. Are the solutions that you offer feasible? Are they effective?

· Include a biography of all the sites that you used. Copy and paste the URL to the bibliography.

Webpage Resources

Extreme Weather: Impacts of Climate Change

Global Warming Effects and Causes: A Top 10 List

Climate change impacts: The effects of warming on our world can be seen today

Impacts of Global Warming

Possible Consequences of Global Warming

Government Solutions to Global Warming

Your Guide to the Greatest Challenge Facing Planet Earth: Climate Change

Is Government Action Worse than Global Warming?

Video Resources

Film: An Inconvenient Truth with Al Gore

National Geographic- Global Warming: 101

Global Warming: How Humans are Affecting Our Planet

AOL- What is Global Warming?

Evaluation

Global Warming: Are We Doing Enough?

Rubric

Criteria	Expert	Proficient	Developing	Novice
Purpose	The writer's central purpose or argument is readily apparent to the reader.	The writing has a clear purpose or argument, but may sometimes digress from it.	The central purpose or argument is not consistently clear throughout the paper.	The purpose or argument is generally unclear.


Content	Balanced presentation of relevant and legitimate information that clearly supports a central purpose or argument and shows a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of a significant topic. Reader gains important insights.	Information provides reasonable support for a central purpose or argument and displays evidence of a basic analysis of a significant topic. Reader gains some insights.	Information supports a central purpose or argument at times. Analysis is basic or general. Reader gains few insights.	Central purpose or argument is not clearly identified. Analysis is vague or not evident. Reader is confused or may be misinformed.

Organization	The ideas are arranged logically to support the purpose or argument. They flow smoothly from one to another and are clearly linked to each other. The reader can follow the line of reasoning.	The ideas are arranged logically to support the central purpose or argument. They are usually clearly linked to each other. For the most part, the reader can follow the line of reasoning.	In general, the writing is arranged logically, although occasionally ideas fail to make sense together. The reader is fairly clear about what writer intends.	The writing is not logically organized. Frequently, ideas fail to make sense together. The reader cannot identify a line of reasoning and loses interest.

Feel	The writing is compelling. It hooks the reader and sustains interest throughout.	The writing is generally engaging, but has some dry spots. In general, it is focused and keeps the reader's attention.	The writing is dull and unengaging. Though the paper has some interesting parts, the reader finds it difficult to maintain interest.	The writing has little personality. The reader quickly loses interest and stops reading.

Criteria	Expert	Proficient	Developing	Novice
	The tone is consistently professional and appropriate for an academic research paper.	The tone is generally professional. For the most part, it is appropriate for an academic research paper.	The tone is not consistently professional or appropriate for an academic research paper.	The tone is unprofessional. It is not appropriate for an academic research paper.



Tone
	Sentences are well-phrased and varied in length and structure. They flow smoothly from one to another.	Sentences are well-phrased and there is some variety in length and structure. The flow from sentence to sentence is generally smooth.	Some sentences are awkwardly constructed so that the reader is occasionally distracted.	Errors in sentence structure are frequent enough to be a major distraction to the reader.



Sentence Structure
	Word choice is consistently precise and accurate.	Word choice is generally good. The writer often goes beyond the generic word to find one more precise and effective.	Word choice is merely adequate, and the range of words is limited. Some words are used inappropriately.	Many words are used inappropriately, confusing the reader.



Word Choice
	The writing is free or almost free of errors.	There are occasional errors, but they don't represent a major distraction or obscure meaning.	The writing has many errors, and the reader is distracted by them.	There are so many errors that meaning is obscured. The reader is confused and stops reading.

Grammar, Spelling, Writing Mechanics (punctua-tion, italics, capitali- zation,etc.

Criteria	Expert	Proficient	Developing	Novice
	Compelling evidence from professionally legitimate sources is given to support claims. Attribution is clear and fairly represented.	Professionally legitimate sources that support claims are generally present and attribution is, for the most part, clear and fairly represented.	Although attributions are occasionally given, many statements seem unsubstantiated. The reader is confused about the source of information and ideas.	References are seldom cited to support statements.




Use of References
	References are primarily peer- reviewed professional journals or other approved sources (e.g., government documents, agency manuals, …). The reader is confident that the information and ideas can be trusted.	Although most of the references are professionally legitimate, a few are questionable (e.g., trade books, internet sources, popular magazines, …). The reader is uncertain of the reliability of some of the sources.	Most of the references are from sources that are not peer- reviewed and have uncertain reliability. The reader doubts the accuracy of much of the material presented.	There are virtually no sources that are professionally reliable. The reader seriously doubts the value of the material and stops reading.






Quality of References

Conclusion

By completing this PPA Web Quest you have learned much about the causes of global warming and how this problem is affecting humans, animals and plants at a global scale. You have also learned about the policies our governments have created to try to counteract and revert the effects of global warming. Use what you have learned here today as you make decisions about how to best help the environment.

Standards

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5

1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing Standards K–5

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because , and , also ) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Science Standards

ANIMALS AND PLANTS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT (Gd 4)

What roles do plants and animals play in their environments?

Classify populations of organisms as producers, consumers, or decomposers by the role they serve in the ecosystem (food chains and food web). LE 6.1a-d

Explore how plants manufacture food by utilizing air, water, and energy from the sun. LE 6.2a,b

Understand that food supplies energy and materials necessary for growth and repair. LE 4.2b

Identify populations within a community that are in competition with one another for resources. LE 6.1e

Recognize that individual variations within a species may cause certain individuals to have an advantage in surviving and reproducing. LE 3.2a,b

Describe how the health, growth, and development of organisms are affected by environmental conditions such as availability of food, water, air, space, shelter, heat, and sunlight. LE 5.2g

Understand that their senses help animals survive. LE 5.2c

Observe that when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, while others die or move to new locations. LE 6.1f

Describe the way that humans:

• Depend on their natural and constructed environment.

• Have changed their environment over time. LE 7.1a,b

Identify examples where human activity has had a beneficial or harmful effect on other organisms (e.g., deforestation)