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
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. My picture of the same view came out huge! 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:
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Message-
what is it 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.
- 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.
- What is the message?
- What examples are provided?
- Look at the organization. Was the use of a play format
effective, or would some other pattern work better? Explain
- 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:
· 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:
· 9. The findings of core drills
· 10.The thawing of the permafrost, the splitting of the Ward Hunt
ice shelf, and the disappearance of the Larson ice shelf
· 11. The Arctic ice cap disappearing
· 12. The image of a canary in a coal mine
· 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.
- · 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 already possesses 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)
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.
Original post by midnight on Thursday -
Other responses due by midnight on Sunday.
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