Help! Our World is in trouble! What can we do?

Melissa Spiva and Becky Scott

Overview
This integrated webquest promotes students to become more involved and aware of the effects of pollution on their environment by researching and teaching other students. Students will accomplish this task by producing a public service commercial including a community action plan and developing a community brochure on the effects of pollution.

Science Standards:
S3L2. Students will recognize the effects of pollution and humans on the environment. a. Explain the effects of pollution (such as littering) to the habitats of plants and animals. b. Identify ways to protect the environment. Conservation of resources Recycling of materials S3CS1. Students will be aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works. b. Offer reasons for findings and consider reasons suggested by others. S3CS4. Students will use ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters. a. Observe and describe how parts influence one another in things with many parts. S3CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly. d. Locate scientific information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, CDROMs, and computer databases. S3CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry. d. Science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.

Language Arts/ Reading/ Writing Standards:

Language Arts/Reading ELA3LSV1 The student uses oral and visual strategies to communicate. The student a. Adapts oral language to fit the situation by following the rules of conversation with peers and adults. b. Recalls, interprets, and summarizes information presented orally. c. Uses oral language for different purposes: to inform, persuade, or entertain. d. Listens to and views a variety of media to acquire information. ELA3R3 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text. The student h. Interprets information from illustrations, diagrams, charts, graphs, and graphic organizers. q. Formulates and defends an opinion about a text. Writing ELA3W1 The student demonstrates competency in the writing process. The student a. Captures a readers interest by setting a purpose and developing a point of view. b. Begins to select a focus and an organizational pattern based on purpose, genre, expectations, audience, and length. c. Writes text of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story. d. Uses organizational patterns for conveying information (e.g., chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, questions and answers). e. Begins to use appropriate structures to ensure coherence (e.g., transition words and phrases, bullets, subheadings, numbering). f. Begins to use specific sensory details (e.g., strong verbs, adjectives) to enhance descriptive effect. g. Begins to develop characters through action and dialogue. h. Begins to use descriptive adjectives and verbs to communicate setting, character, and plot. i. Begins to include relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details appropriate to the audience. j. Uses a variety of resources to research and share information on a topic. k. Writes a response to literature that demonstrates understanding of the text, formulates an opinion, and supports a judgment. l. Writes a persuasive piece that states a clear position. m. Pre-writes to generate ideas, develops a rough draft, rereads to revise, and edits to correct. n. Publishes by presenting an edited piece of writing to others.

Language Arts/ Reading/ Writing Standards Continued

Writing Continued ELA3W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature. The student produces informational writing (e.g., procedures, report, correspondence) that: a. Captures a readers interest by setting a purpose and developing a point of view. b. Sustains a focused topic. c. Includes the appropriate purpose, expectations, and length for the audience and the genre. d. Includes relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details. e. Uses organizational structures for conveying information (chronological order, cause and effect, similarities and differences, questions and answers). f. Uses a variety of resources (encyclopedia, Internet, books) to research and share information on a topic. g. Provides a sense of closure. h. May include prewriting. i. May include a draft that is revised and edited. j. May be published.

The student produces a persuasive piece of writing that: a. Captures a readers interest by stating a clear position/opinion and developing a point of view. b. Sustains a focus. c. Includes the appropriate purpose, expectations, and length for audience and the genre. d. Adds supportive details throughout the paper that may include relevant examples, facts, and anecdotes. e. Uses appropriate organizational structures to ensure coherence (introduction, body, conclusion) and appropriate formats (speech, brochure, advertisement, movie and book reviews). f. Provides a sense of closure. g. May include pre-writing. h. May include a revised and edited draft. May be published.

Language Arts/ Reading/ Writing Standards Continued

Writing Continued ELA3C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. The student a. Correctly identifies and uses subject/verb agreement and adjectives. b. Identifies and uses nouns (singular, plural, possessive) correctly. c. Identifies and uses contractions correctly. d. Identifies and uses personal and possessive pronouns. e. Speaks and writes in complete and coherent sentences. f. Identifies and uses increasingly complex sentence structure. g. Distinguishes between complete and incomplete sentences. h. Demonstrates knowledge of when to use formal or informal language exchanges (e.g., slang, colloquialisms, idioms). i. When appropriate, determines the meaning of a word based on how it is used in an orally presented sentence. j. Uses resources (encyclopedias, Internet, books) to research and share information about a topic. k. Uses the dictionary and thesaurus to support word choices. l. Uses common rules of spelling and corrects words using dictionaries and other resources. m. Uses appropriate capitalization and punctuation (end marks, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks). n. Writes legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word and between words in a sentence.

Social Studies and Math Standards:

Social Studies SS3CG1 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that provide the foundation of a republican form of government.

b. Name the three levels of government (national, state, local) and the three branches in each (executive, legislative, judicial), including the names of the legislative branch (Congress, General Assembly, county commission or city council). Math: M3N2. Students will further develop their skills of addition and subtraction and apply them in problem solving. Use the properties of addition and subtraction to compute and verify the results of computation.
M3D1. Students will create and interpret simple tables and graphs. a. Solve problems by organizing and displaying data in charts, tables, and graphs. b. Construct and interpret line plot graphs, pictographs, Venn diagrams, and bar graphs using scale increments of 1, 2, 5, and 10.

The Northside News

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Click here to hear the news story

April 20,2010

Help! Our World is in Trouble!

"It is of grave concern," says David Kennedy, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mindboggling." There were 126 workers aboard the oil rig at the time of the blast. Most of the workers escaped. Eleven people are missing. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Since the blast, an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil have been spewing daily from an undersea well. "We've never seen anything like this magnitude," said George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama. "The problems are going to be the beaches themselves. That's where it will be really visible." Scientists and environmentalists worry about the huge impact of the slick on sea life in the area.

Click here to see more

Help! Save the World!

You and your political group have been sought out by the president to help spread the important message about pollution and resource conservation. Your political group will take on the roles of an Environmental Campaigner, Author, and Environmental Activist. Your job is to research the causes, effects, and solutions that are related to pollution and resource conservation. Your political group will create an action plan for your community to help protect the environment.

Click here for directions on the community action plan

Action Plan (Whole Group)

Your action plan should include: A public service commercial. The commercial should include information that you learned from each of your individual jobs. These include: reduce/reuse/recycle, conservation, and causes and effects of pollution.
A brochure or flyer to inform

people about environmental problems and possible solutions. You should include atleast 2 pictures and 2 problems and solutions.

Job Description: The president is in desperate need of your help to develop the action plan for your community. Its a big task to take on; however, he knows that you and your political group will do an excellent job. Here are some guidelines to follow as you research and complete your action plan.
In your group, assign the roles of Environmental Campaigner, Author, and Environmental

Scientist.
Read through your individual task thoroughly. Ask your teacher, if you have any questions. Carefully read through the rubric and instructions for your group project and your individual

tasks. Make sure that you know what you are supposed to include in your action plan before you start.
Review all information provided for your job description. Complete your individual task

before you begin the action plan.

After your group has completed their job description, put your information together and create

a script for your commercial.

When the script is completed, rehearse for your commercial. After rehearsing, you will begin to record /create commercial. Reflect on what you learned through this assignment. Create a brochure to go along with your

action plan.
Refer to the action plan directions for help.

Environmental Campaigner

Author

Environmental Activist

Click here for the job description of the Environmental Campaigner.

Click here for the job description of the Author.

Click here for the job description of the Environmental Activist.

Job Description: The president wants people to be informed about what they can do to help stop pollution. Your job is to find as much research as you can. You will use the link below to complete your research. This job is very important!! Prepare a presentation to share your information with the president. Examples of presentations are posters, newsletters, etc.

Be sure to include in your presentation:

Click to hear your directions

Information about reduce, reuse, and recycle. What do the words reduce, reuse, and recycle mean? What can people do in their homes to help stop pollution? What can the nation do to help stop pollution?
REMEMBER!! Pay close attention to information that has been provided. You will need to share this information with your group in order to create your action plan!

Click the recycle symbol for information about reduce, reuse, and recycle

Tasks

Job Description:

Click to hear your directions

The public needs to be aware of the issue of pollution. Your job is to write a FICTIONAL story about the issue.

Listen
to the books to help you brainstorm ideas for your story.

Things to remember when writing your story: Plan, revise, and edit your story in your writers notebook Publish your story on notebook paper and record it in audacity Use the writing process Be sure to include information about pollution, the causes and effects of pollution, and possible solutions

Click the books to REMEMBER!! Your story is not an informational story. hear stories about Pollution

It can have facts in it but it needs to be made up!!!

Tasks

Job Description:

The president needs your help to persuade legislation to make efforts to stop and prevent pollution. The president needs you to write a letter to your local, state, or national representative persuading them to take measures to stop and prevent pollution. This job is very important!! Remember these things when writing your letter:
Plan, revise, and edit your letter in your writers notebook Publish your letter on notebook paper We will address your envelope together in class.

Use the writing process

Click to hear your directions

Great Job! Now that you have spread the word about pollution and resource conservation, its time for you to step up to the plate. Here is a list of your next tasks: 1. Click here to complete the web quest on pollution.

2. Interview your parents to find our more ways you can prevent pollution in your home or neighborhood.

Article for Northside News http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,19 85599,00.html Glogster http://spivaglog.edu.glogster.com/main-page/

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