Thirst: A Student Research Challenge
What is the truth about our water supplies? Are they threatened? Will we run out of water? How do we solve this if it is a problem?
I came across this compelling slide show about the current and future threats to our water supplies, but I am not sure if the statistics presented in the slide show are accurate. It reminds me of the debate that rages over whether or not the film, An Inconvenient Truth, is factual. At the time of the movie’s debut, scientists that I know and trust told me that research by scientists into the question indicated that, except for a few minor errors, the movie is an accurate portrayal of the story of global climate change.
This post is a challenge to students through their teachers (individual students, groups of students, classes of students) to verify or contradict the statistics in the slide show. Be creative, but back up your research with authority. Where can you find the most accurate and latest findings about our water supplies? Using multimedia, tell the story of your research and findings. Register your work as a comment on this blog with a link to your presentation so all can judge for themselves the authenticity of the story presented in Thirst.
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish
September 10th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Oh my goodness! Global Nomads Group (www.gng.org) has a program going on this during their fall programming! I’m planning to sign up for that session and would LOVE to have my students (5-8 graders) to jump in on this!
When are you thinking of making it “due?”
September 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Wasn’t going to set a date. Can you live with rolling submissions? Teachers or students pick a date that works with the the learning cycle?
September 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Paul V., alias v8, a Twitter Friend, shared some “water” information with me that students and teachers thinking about this challenge might also find interesting although it is not directly related to the challenge.
Flow: A Documentary in Theaters September 12, 2008
Irena Salina!s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
To see the trailer, go here -> http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/flow/
October 8th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
[...] Thirst: A Student Research Challenge | innovation3 [...]
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (72.232.101.69) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP (76.74.254.123) and so is spam.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Dennis,
Great task! I have forwarded this to some of the teachers I work with in the hopes that some of their students will take up the challenge.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:46 am
This introduction to Bob Sullo is an the Massachusetts Affiliate of ASCD’s Website: http://tinyurl.com/4jx572
It is followed by a question I asked Bob Sullo about this post and his response.
———-
The Introduction to Bob Sullo
Welcome to Bob Sullo’s September Blog!
Contribute to a Conversation with Bob Sullo, author of “Creating a Need-Satisfying Classroom” in the most recent issue of Perspectives.
Bob has also written numerous books about internal motivation and responsibility, including the ASCD best seller Activating the Desire to Learn (2007).
You are invited to post your questions about meeting the emotional needs of children in your school or classroom at any time. This is a moderated blog, so your comments will not appear immediately, but will appear at some point within 24 hours of your posting.
Bob will respond to your comments and questions through October 15.We invite you to read others’ postings and to participate!
———-
My Question
Dennis Richards said…
Are there specific strategies I should use with students, 10th graders, for example, so they are motivated to think and respond substantively about an issue? Can you assess the “motivational level” of a challenge I posted on my blog? Thirst: A Student Research Challenge to motivate students. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/6rnvdt. Is this a good strategy? Should I have done something different? Are there other strategies I can use so students are motivated “to think and respond substantively” to the issue presented in Thirst?
Posted on 9/22/2008
———-
Bob Sullo’s Comment
Bob Sullo said…
“Thirst: A Student Research Challenge.” Dennis Richards asked me to comment on a challenge for tenth-grade students he posted on his blog. I would encourage everyone to check it out at http://tinyurl.com/6rnvdt. Because adolescents have a strong need to feel that their opinions matter and that adults value what they think, giving them a challenge about something as important as water and conservation will have wide appeal. Moreover, inviting students to post their findings on the Internet for others to see immediately makes their work relevant and increases its value. When students think their work will only be seen by the teacher, they often don’t approach it as seriously. When they know that what they report has the potential to be read widely, they naturally take more pride in what they produce. For these reasons, I imagine most students would be engaged and motivated by this challenge. At the same time, it’s important to remember that motivation is internal. I found the “thirst” challenge interesting because the subject interests me. As a teacher, the success of your lesson depends to a large extent upon how motivated the students are by the task you assign. To engage the students and inspire increased motivation, I might show them a slide presentation with interesting graphics – something eye-catching. I’d probably select a topic that is unrelated to the class, but something the students as a group would find interesting and relate to – something they know a lot about. After a few introductory slides designed to get their attention, I would introduce slides with erroneous information. If the students care about the topic, they will become upset. My objective would be to get the students to realize that “facts” need to be checked and published material is not necessarily accurate and must be verified. I would then transition to something related to the class content, like the “thirst” challenge. Because the students have already decided that “facts” must be checked for accuracy, even less enthusiastic learners are more likely to immerse themselves in the challenge.
Posted on 9/23/2008