Monday, May 15, 2017
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Week #8
Week #8 Note the due dates. We finish on Friday, May 12. You will NOT have the weekend to work on this.
Week #8 - Assignment #1 - More research - write the essay. This is the last week of the course! I can hear you cheering now. However, this week ends on Friday, May 12, 2017. All work needs to be submitted by 8:00 am on Friday. I am required to submit grades on Friday.
Even though this is a challenging writing assignment, keep in mind that it is the last one! This essay is your exam. Research and write a great paper!
Last week you completed steps 1-5 in Writing a Problem-Solution Essay. Now you are ready to move on to steps 5-13. Here is the link:
A. Research some more ... Please include at least five of the following in your essay.
Even though this is a challenging writing assignment, keep in mind that it is the last one! This essay is your exam. Research and write a great paper!
Last week you completed steps 1-5 in Writing a Problem-Solution Essay. Now you are ready to move on to steps 5-13. Here is the link:
A. Research some more ... Please include at least five of the following in your essay.
- An interview with someone (You are a pro at this!)
- Art, music,or literature related to the topic
- Current news report
- Current videos/ movies You may quote An Inconvenient Truth or you may select an additional movie feature. National Geographic and Animal Planet have several features. It does not need to be a documentary. Happy Feet comes to mind! YouTube offers many options. This is just one of many:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKbZxKZJM
- Branch out. Find something to view that relates to your chosen topic.
- Information from an expert source. Search the EMCC on-line library for strong sources:
- Charts and/or graphs
B. Organize your essay into parts.
Here are some guidelines:
Part I: Identify the problem. Prove that one exists.
1. What is the problem? Was it clearly identified? How many are impacted by the problem? Who is impacted? What other problems result because this problem exists?
2. What are the causes of the problem? Is the information specific? Explain. Do you need to know more? Is anything confusing? Explain.
3. Make three claims about your topic. Provide two or three pieces of evidence to support each claim.
a. Claim
- b. Reason 1 + Evidence
- c. Reason 2 + Evidence
- d. Reason 3 + Evidence
Here are some links to information about claims, reasons, and evidence:
http://mrbehm.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/2/1/14214992/claims_reason_evidence.pdf
For example, Al Gore claims that global warming is happening. One reason is that the earth's climate is getting hotter. One piece of evidence was the melting of the ice fields in Greenland and in Canada. He also uses a chart to show that the temperatures are warmer now than they were in the past.
Here is a graphic organizer. Use it to guide you.
Claim:
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Why?
Because:
Reason:
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Reason:
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Reason:
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Facts and Proof!
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Part 2: Looking to the future
1. What are the future implications if this problem is not addressed?
2. Please include:
a. A chart or graph
b. A personal experience
c. Evidence from at least two expert sources
Part 3 – Possible Solution(s) and a Call to Action
You want to get your readers to do something to help to solve the problem. Remember that people are limited by time and money. Make sure that your call to action steps are worth the time and the money.
Try to have at least three things that people can do to make a difference. For example, if you suggest recycling, explain how effortless the process can be.
Part 4 – Technical points
1. Use in-text citations. Are they in MLA format?
2. Place all in-text citation sources on the Works Cited page? Make sure there are no extra sources on the Works Cited page.
3. Pay attention to the grammar, usage, and mechanics. Run spell and grammar check.
- Post your essay The essay is worth 100 points -25 points for each part.Week #8 - Assignment #2 - Reading & Discussion BoardReading link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/reality-hotter-world-already-here-180951172/Read "Hot Enough for You?" by Jerry Adler from the May 2014 Smithsonian Magazine.Do the following:1.Read the article before posting.2. React to the article. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the article? If you have spent at least one summer in Phoenix, include personal experiences of dealing with the local summers. If you are new to the area, predict what you will do to survive the summer.50 points30 points for the initial post / 20 points for each of three responses to others.Post your initial comments by Wednesday at midnight. React by 8:00 am on Friday, May 12, 2017.
(Class closes on May 12.)
Monday, May 1, 2017
Week #7 - May 1, 2017
Week #7 - May 1, 2017
On with Week #7! This is the final unit of the course. It will take two weeks to complete. This week is a time to gather information, to think, and to react to problems faced by the environment. As with any issue, there are at least two points of view. You cannot be wrong with your personal opinion as long as you support that vision with evidence.
You will be writing a problem/solution essay for the final essay. In addition, there are several shorter writing activities designed to get you to think and to clarify your point of view.
Week #7 - Assignment #1 - A Walk with Mother Nature 50 points
Nature: What is
Mother Nature Telling Us?
Take a 15 minute walk
in nature. Search for messages from Mother Nature. Snap pictures or simply
write descriptions of what you see and of the message you
"hear." Feel free to describe your pictures instead of
posting them. I must confess that for the example I had to borrow a picture
from the Internet. Even that decided to evaporate! A photo from my camera came out huge and did not work either! This is not a
photo or technology activity. If you are struggling with the picture posting,
just describe or borrow. The goal is to get you to think about nature and the
environment.
Description of the picture – what
did you see?
1. Example:
 Pretend that you can see a picture of a cactus here. I post it, and it goes into cyber space! |
Message- what is Mother Nature
saying?
Endure! Enjoy the spotlight or, in this case, the sun.
(Sometimes life is difficult, but we can take a message from
the cactus and survive anyway. Did you know that these giants can live over
100 years? Perhaps struggles do make things stronger.)
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Activity #2 - Reading
and Reacting (75 points total)
A. "Saving the
Songs of the Sea" by Jean-Michel Cousteau who is the son of Jacques
Cousteau. He is the president of Ocean Futures Society. (25 points)
·
Read the article.
·
Select the three most
powerful lines or phrases.
·
In a sentence or two,
explain why you selected the lines and phrases.
·
Write a reaction to
the selection and explain why you agree or disagree with the author's
message.
B. "The Bounty of
the Sea" by Jacques Cousteau (25 points)
Note: There is a lot
of extra "stuff" at this link. Just read the article and answer these
questions:
Before you read,
define trawlers, effluents, buffer, and plankton. You will get more
out of the reading if you understand the terms.
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What is the message or
thesis? Did Mr. Cousteau state it clearly in a sentence, or did he share the
message differently. Explain.
·
What evidence was
provided that the ocean might be dying? Is the evidence convincing? Explain.
·
In your own words,
explain the greenhouse effect. (This term will come up again in this unit. )
·
What will happen to
humans?
C. "So Earth Had
This Boyfriend" by Emily Levine (This is the original title of the article
as it appeared in Detla Sky Magazine in April of 2010. ) (25 points)
Note: The author uses
humor to make a point. Not all people find humor in the same things.
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What is the
message?
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What examples are
provided?
·
Look at the
organization. Was the use of a play format effective, or would some other
pattern work better? Explain
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Was the use of humor
effective? Explain.
·
Locate three lines
that you would rate as strong, funny, or memorable. Explain why you made the
selections.
Activity #3 - Viewing
- An Inconvenient Truth (75 points)
This is an older award
winning documentary on global warming. Try not to let your politics, ether pro
or con, get in the way of your viewing.
An Inconvenient Truth – Questions (50 points)
After viewing the
documentary, answer the following questions. Post your answers on CANVAS.
You do not have to write the questions, but you do need to number your answers.
1.
1. Why does the film open
and close with serene images of nature: lush green leaves and a gently flowing
river on a sunny day, followed by Al Gore’s voice-over about this peaceful
place? What is the impact on the viewer?
2. 2.
In this film, Gore
narrates a moment in 1989 when his six-year-old son dropped his father’s hand,
ran into the street, and was severely injured. How does this personal story
relate to Gore’s mission?
3.
3. Much of the film
consists of scientific facts and charts. Think back and answer the following:
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4. Why do we have global
warming?
·
5. What is the
relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature?
·
6. How does global
warming contribute to an increase in the number and severity of storms,
hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons?
·
7. How can global warming
cause both violent precipitation as well as droughts?
4.
8. Explain the significance
of each of these references from the film:
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9. The findings of core
drills
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10.The thawing of the
permafrost, the splitting of the Ward Hunt ice shelf, and the disappearance of
the Larson ice shelf
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11. The Arctic ice cap
disappearing
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12. The image of a canary
in a coal mine
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13. The image of the frog
in the cooking pot
5.
14. Cite three ecological
consequences of global warming in the animal and plant communities.
6.
15. Gore used quotations
from several memorable people. Explain how they apply to the topic of
global warming.
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· Mark Twain: “What gets us into trouble is not
what we don’t know; it’s what we know that just ain’t so.”
·
Upton Sinclair: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his
salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Cite specific ways that
this statement is illustrated throughout this film.
·
· Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow in Science magazine: “Humanity alreadypossesses
the fundamental scientific, technical, and industrial know-how to solve the
carbon and climate problems.”
7.
16. Explain the
significance of the film’s title An Inconvenient Truth.
Once you have finished, in two or three paragraphs explain your position
on the issue of global warming. Is it real? Would it happen anyway? Has it
happened before? Might it happen with or without human intervention? (25 points)
Activity #4 - Get
started -
16 Easy Steps to
writing a problem-solution essay
Study the link.
Now, think of a
problem related to nature that is important to you or that you wish to
explore.
Start the process.
Work through steps 1-5. In at least two sentences, tell me how you are
progressing on the research. In addition, explain why you selected the
topic.
Activity #5 - Discussion
Board (50 points)
This week, discuss
your favorite or least favorite place or experience in nature. Use your
descriptive writing powers to show us the place or to help us to visualize the
experience. Perhaps you remember vividly the first fish you ever caught. Maybe
you want to write about what you did when you found a rattle snake on your
porch. Whatever it is, make the experience or place come alive for us. (The rattle snake on my porch was NOT my favorite experience with nature!)
Original post by
midnight on Thursday -
Other responses due by 6:00 am on Monday, May 8, 2017.
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