eotoole

Erin O’Toole EDC 448 3/5/09
 * __ Diverse Text Set __**

This collection of materials is intended for a High School Biology class. The students attending this class would be 9th and 10th graders. The topic of study would be global warming. The ability levels of the students will range from below to above average. The texts I have selected are intended to create a general understanding of what global warming is and how it affects the world for my students. The students will gain a better understanding of about global warming, learn about different scientific options about global warming and learn how they contribute to global warming. A. Printed Resources: Text # 1: - Citation: Levine, L.S. & Miller, M.R. (2002). The Role of Climate. Chapter 4, Section 1 in //Biology// (pp.87-89). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. - Text Summary: This section from the textbook //Biology// is about climate. Within the section it describes what climate is, what the greenhouse effect is, the effect that latitude has on climate and how heat is transferred in our biosphere. - Rationale: I selected this text because it gives a very general idea of climate and can be used to create a background for the students understand some more difficult texts. - Use of Text: I would use this text in the beginning of the unit on global warming. It gives a general overview of climate. I would model reading this text so that the students could read it on their own and answer the end of section questions in learning groups. - Attachment: I made a photocopy of this text and attached it to the hard copy; it is not available for viewing on the wikispace. Text # 2: - Citation: Times Online. (2005). //New proof that man has caused global warming//. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article516033.ece - Text Summary: This text is about some scientists that collected different variables such as temperature and salt content of the ocean and compared the data with patterns that are predicted by computer simulations. The scientists compared the data they collected with simulations that take in the effect of greenhouse gases which are contributed by humans. The data collected and the greenhouse simulation of climate change matched very closely. - Rationale: I selected this article because it makes a connection between what the students learned about greenhouse gases in other texts and how the students themselves affect the environment and world around them. - Use of Text: I would use this text only when the students have learned enough information about greenhouse gases and global warming. The text is a higher level reading text and I would read the text with the class or have the students read the texts allowed and then have an open discussion about what they thought about the article. - Attachment: The article can be accessed by going to this website, [] and is attached to the hard copy of my diverse text set. Text # 3: - Citation: Science Daily. (1999). //Increased Artic Temperatures Could Speed up Global Warming//. Retrieved February 3, 2009 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990302063807 - Text Summary: This article is about how snow accumulation or an increase in winter temperatures could lead to a greater release of carbon dioxide, when the snow melts, from the soil - Rationale: I picked this text because it will make students think more about global warming and challenge the thought that global warming is finished because this winter we got lots of snow. - Use of Text: I would use this article to relate global warming to the student’s current environment. The article would also serve to characterize global warming even more. I would guide the students through the first three paragraphs of this article while modeling how to ask questions while reading. Then I would have the students try with the next couple paragraphs. I would have them discuss aloud what questions they had while they were reading. Then I would have them finish the article and have a whole class discussion on whether they agree with the article or not. - Attachment: This text can be accessed from this website, [], and is attached to the hard copy of my diverse text set. Text # 4: - Citation: The Quaker Economist. (2008). //The Causes of Global Warming: A Graphical Approach//. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://www.quaker.org/clq/2007/TQE158-EN-GlobalWarming.html - Text Summary: This text is a graphical approach to global warming and uses many different graphs to characterize the effect and the predicted effect of global warming on the earth - Rationale: I selected this text because it gives a graphical representation of global warming and because it shows data collected over years and allows the students to visually see the effect that it has on the world temperature. This site aids in making the abstract idea of global warming more concrete. - Use of Text: I would use this text to make the idea of the earth heating more tangible. Students have trouble identifying with global warming because they do not see immediate affects of it in their lives. The data that is represented in a visual way makes it easier to understand. - Attachment: This text can be accessed by going to this website, [], or by seeing the attached papers included with the hard copy. Text # 5: - Citation: Slade, S. (2007). //The Carbon Cycle//. (pp.4-22). New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. - Text Summary: This text is a children’s book which explains the workings of the carbon cycle. It breaks down the carbon cycle and explains what carbon is, why it is important to us as human beings, where a person can find it and how too much of certain carbon compounds can upset the carbon cycle. - Rationale: I picked this text because it introduces an important concept of global warming, the carbon cycle. This book breaks down the components that lead to global warming. I think it will help the students better understand where global warming comes from. - Use of Text: I would use this text at the beginning of the lesson to create background knowledge for the students before they start reading more complex texts. - Attachment: This text was too big to attach to the hard copy of my diverse text set. B. Media Resources: Text # 6: - Citation: Braasch, G. (2005-2008). //The Photographic Documentation of Climate Change//. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org - Text Summary: This text has a multitude of pictures about global warming. There are pictures of the effect global warming has on the earth from all different perspectives. - Rationale: I selected this text because I thought it would peak the students interest in the subject of global warming. - Use of Text: Many people not only students have misconceptions about global warming and who it affects. I would use these pictures towards the beginning the unit to show the students that global warming does affect everyone and not just the polar bears in the Antarctic. - Attachment: The pictures can be accessed on this website, [|http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org], and some of them can be seen on the printout that is attached to the hard copy. Text # 7: - Citation: Bender, L., Burns, S.Z., & David, L. (Producers), & Guggenheim, D. (2006). //An Inconvenient Truth// [Motion Picture]. Paramount classics. - Text Summary: This text is a motion picture that stars former Vice President Al Gore. The film captures Gore Campaigning for the environment and sharing facts about global warming in the hopes that people will work together to stop global warming. - Rationale: I selected this film for my text set because it will peak the students interest in the topic of global warming. - Use of Text: I would show this movie to my class just at the end of the unit for global warming. Then I would have them write a reflection on whether or not they liked the movie and if they agreed with Former Vice President Gore. - Attachment: This text was a DVD from I received from Netflix and is not attached. C. Online Interactive Resources: Text # 8: - Citation: Discovery Education, NSTA, & Siemens. (n.d.). //Environmental IQ Quiz//. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://wecanchange.com/media/uploads/pdf/Environmental-IQ-Student.pdf - Text Summary: This is a quiz that the students can take in order to determine how much they know about the environment. - Rationale: I selected this text because it is a tool that can be used to gain students interest and assess their prior knowledge about the environment. - Use of Text: I would first make sure the students know that this would not be a graded assignment and then tell them that we were going to take the quiz to assess how much the class knows about their environment and how they affect it. - Attachment: This quiz is attached to the hard copy of my diverse text set and can be found at this address, [] Text # 9: - Citation: Environmental Defense Fund. (n.d.). //Calculate Your Impact.// Retrieved March 4, 2009 from www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.htm - Text Summary: This is an interactive questionnaire which calculates the amount of carbon a person contributes to the environment. - Rationale: I selected this interactive game/quiz because it is fun to do. It makes connections between the life of a student and global warming as well. - Use of Text: I could have students do this calculation at the beginning of the unit because it will keep them interested in the material being learned. They may want to figure out why their carbon consumption is so big and how can they lower it just by playing the game. - Attachment: This text in online only and can be accessed through this website, from [|www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.htm]. D. Instructional Resources: Text # 10: - Citation: Discovery Education, NSTA, & Siemens. (n.d.). //Lesson 3: Pictures of Pollution//. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://wecanchange.com/resources/teacher-resources/pictures-of-pollution/ - Text Summary: This is an example of a lesson plan in which the teacher has the students learn about pollution, take a picture of pollution, research that specific type of pollution and explain it. - Rationale: I choose this lesson plan because it was a great way for students to make connections between the material they learn about pollution, their environment and their personal lives. - Use of Text: I could use this text to create a modified version that is more specific about global warming. It would be neat if the students could do this lesson as a group project and they could take a picture of something that is representative of reducing their carbon foot print. An example could be a picture of a reusable grocery bag or windmill. - Attachment: This text is accessible through the website, [], and is attached to the hard copy of my diverse text set.

Using the Texts Together: The unit would take many days to complete. I would begin by assessing the student’s prior knowledge by having them take the environmental IQ quiz as a homework assignment. I would follow that assignment with //The Carbon Cycle// by Slade (2007). This children’s book will make the topic of global warming seem less daunting by beginning with a text that breaks the carbon cycle down into a lower reading level book. The students may understand more about the content with less technical words present. It will prepare them to read more complex texts. Next I would have the students calculate their own carbon consumption. I would try to obtain time in the school library for this portion of the unit so all students could have access to a computer. I would assign the text book excerpt as class group work .Before the students began reading I would model how to read the section. I would make sure the students made use of the reading guides and answered the post section questions. The students would be shown the visual texts next. They would be shown the pictures taken by Braasch (2005-2008) and the graphs by the Quaker Economist (2008); the students would already have prior knowledge about graphs and graphing before this lesson was taught. The next assignment would be the modification of the Lesson plan found on wecanchange.com (n.d.). I would have the students take a photograph or if they did not have a camera find one online that best represented a way to reduce global warming. The articles about global warming would be introduced during the class next. I would take an excerpt from one and model how to read it while questioning things that might need clarification .The students would work in four groups, two groups would have the article from Science Daily (1999) and two would have the article from the Times Online (2005). I would have the groups switch papers and read again in groups. Then I would have a class discussion about each paper including what questions arose while reading, and what their opinions were on the article. I would end the unit watching the motion picture //An Inconvenient Truth// (2006). After the students watched this movie I would have them write a reflection paper about whether or not they liked the movie, if they thought it was accurate and have them reflect on what they could do in they own lives to reduce the amount of carbon they consume. Objectives: - **LS2 (9-11) NOS-5:**
 * 5a**: “Analyzing claims from evidence and resources and evaluated based on validity.”
 * 5b**: “Applying additional scientific data to develop logical arguments concerning environmental issues.” (RIDE grade expectancies for Life Science, pp.13)

- **R–8–7.2**: “Using information from the text to answer questions, to state the main/central ideas, or to provide supporting details” **- R–8–7.4**: “Generating questions before, during, and after reading to enhance understanding and recall; expand understanding and/or gain new information”(RIDE grade expectancies for reading, pp.16-17)

Michael R. Sackett: Erin, you did a very good job with this. I would omit the movie by Al Gore and maybe show just clips of the movie that reinforce what you are covering in class. The movie is, in my opinion, very boring I would worry that students would not pay attention and therefor not take as much out of the movie as they should. The one text that I did like alot was text number nine, the carbon footprint calculator. This may be a really good hook, relating the students personal lives to the lesson. Good Job Erin!!