A Web Quest for Living Environment Students
Ms. Ligonde
Christopher
Columbus High School
Introduction
| Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion
It’s a Thursday night and you are preparing for work
in the morning. The sweat is rolling
down your face. It feels like it is 100oC outside and its 8 o’clock at night!
Just when you think you can not handle the heat anymore the telephone
rings. You have just been assigned by
the Mayor to a special task force of scientists who are investigating the
causes of the recent increase in temperature in New York City.
Despite media reports that cite scientific evidence
that humans play a large role in the increasing atmospheric temperature, city
officials are not sure. With the melting
of icecaps and the freaky changes in weather, many people argue that humans are
causing changes in the environment that are increasing the temperature. Scientists are constantly debating where or
not global warming exists. Your job is
to evaluate the current theories and policies regarding global warming and the
increase of local temperature. You will
also present your findings to the Mayor and suggest new policies that can
lessen the effects of global warming in the city. The Mayor is anxiously awaiting your report
You are a scientist investigating the role humans play in the increasing temperature in New York City. You and your colleagues will write a paper about global warming. In your paper you need to identify the problem, gather evidence that the problem does exist, identify the cause of global warming, explain the policies that exist to deal with the problem, and finally, suggest new solutions to the problem.
Using the PPA method, you will write a research paper. The paper must be 4-6 pages long, double-spaced and grammatically correct. You must also have a works cited page, which does not count as one of the 4 pages. Be sure to cite your resources correctly. If you are unsure about citing resources, please refer to
Each group will give a five minute oral presentation
on their findings and conclusions. The
oral presentation should focus on your suggested public policies and the
solution you believe will best address the problem of global warming.
Check the evaluation rubric so that you
know how I
will be grading you!!!!!!
Working in groups of four, you will complete the TIPS
Public Policy Analyst handouts to complete the task. I will place you in groups. You group will decide how to complete the task. You may split up the work anyway you’d
like. Just make sure that all the PPA
handouts are completed.
First, you will define the problem.
Second, gather evidence to support the existence of the problem.
Third,
determine the causes
of the problem.
Fourth, evaluate the
existing policies.
Fifth, develop new public
policies.
Sixth, decide which policy will provide the best
solution to the problem.
You must print out each of the six worksheets and answer ALL questions as a group. When you hand in your final research paper, you must all hand in the completed worksheet. You will work on the handouts in class and complete the final paper after school.
U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Human Impact
on Global Warming
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|
Criteria |
Excellent 3 |
Good 2 |
Poor 1 |
Pts |
|
Gathering Information: PPA |
Problem is identified and researched thoroughly. All steps of the PPA are addressed and the
handouts are complete. |
Problem is
identified and researched. All six steps of the PPA are addressed. Most worksheets are completed
correctly. |
Problem is identified and partially researched. Some of the worksheets are incomplete. |
|
|
Group Dynamics |
Students work cooperatively in groups each
contributing to the final products.
Students remain on task completing work in a timely manner. |
Students work cooperatively in groups. Students remain on task most of the time,
however they do need several reminders to remain on task. |
Group dynamics are poor. Students do not work cooperatively and/or
they do not all contribute to the final product. |
|
|
Research Paper: Content |
All of the required topics are addressed thoroughly
in the paper. Content is accurate and
ideas are supported well by research. |
All of the required topics are addressed in the
paper, however, some topics could have been researched more thoroughly. Content is accurate. |
All of the topics are not addressed in the paper. More than two topics are not covered in enough
detail. Content is inaccurate. |
|
|
Research Paper: Grammar
|
Paper is grammatically correct. There are no spelling or punctuation
mistakes. |
There are a few minor grammatical errors. |
There are major grammatical errors. |
|
|
Research Paper: Presentation |
Paper follows all requirements described in the task.
Resources are cited properly. |
Almost all of the requirements for the paper are
met. Resources are cited properly. |
Major requirements for the paper are not met. OR Resources are not cited properly. |
|
|
Oral Presentation |
Each person participates in the presentation. Students speak clearly and address the question
completely. |
Each person participates, however the presentation is
unclear at times. The question is
answered completely. |
One or two people present. The flow of the presentation is unclear. Questions are not answered completely. |
|
Total Possible Points: 18 Total Points Earned:____
New York State Standards
Science Standard 1: The
central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural
phenomena in a continuing, creative process.
Science Standard 4, Key Idea
5: Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.
Science Standard 4, Key Idea
6: Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical
and living environment.
English Language Arts
Standard 1: 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 to acquire, interpret, apply, and
transmit information.
Standards obtained from New York State Education Department
After completing this Webquest, you should be familiar with global warming and the role human beings play, if any, in increasing local temperatures. You will have sharpened your critical thinking skills as you evaluate the existing public policies and suggest the best policies to prevent the increase in temperature. You will also evaluate the role humans play in global warming.