TaskProcessBackgroundGroup 1 Group
2 ConclusionEvaluationTeacher
Information-
To Log or Not to Log?
A
WebQuest on Logging in the Tongass National Forest of Alaska.
Introduction
Should we ban
the logging of trees in our National Forests? You might think, No, we use tree products every day! In real life though the issue is rather
complicated.
In
the Tongass National Forest there is a large debate going on about logging the
trees. Should people be allowed to
clear-cut the trees? Should anyone
be allowed to take trees? How
should we protect our resources?
You
represent a company that wants to take a stand on this issue. They have asked your group to make a
persuasive presentation on the company ideas to present to the media to help
inform the public.
Launched August 2002
Created by Sarah Forbes
Task
You will work
in cooperative groups and take on different roles to help you answer the
questions for your group and figure out your companys opinion. The first thing you need to do is find
out some background information on the Tongass National Forest and the Tlingit
people who live on the forest. This
will help you understand the area and the issues.
Your group
should work through the tasks and answer the questions posed. As you work you will probably come up
with new questions. Your goal
though is to answer the big question:
Should clear-cut logging of trees be
prohibited in the Tongass National Forest?
There is no
right or wrong answer to this question.
Form your own opinion with your group members and be able to support
your opinion in your presentation
You will
present your information and views in a multimedia presentation. This should contain an introduction,
background information and then a conclusion with your supporting
evidence.
Process
Your
group will look at web pages and other material to explore the issues around
logging trees. These sites are
real sites on the Internet. They may
have some difficult parts or confusing words. You should make sure everyone in the group understands what
each page means. Be prepared to use the dictionary to help you learn new words. As you go along remember which
role you belong to as you answer your questions and form your point-of-view.
Here are a few
online dictionaries that might help you
World Centrals Student Dictionary
Dictionary.com (online thesaurus too)
Step 1
Background All groups
Before you
begin you will need a bit of knowledge about the Tongass and the people who
live there. Form cooperative
groups and then view the following web pages to learn some basic information
about this beautiful area.
Tongass National Forest Information
|
|
Each group
should make a poster. Draw a
picture of the Tongass National Forest and include ten facts about the Tlingit
people and the trees in the Tongass.
How do you think The Alaskan Natives of the region feel about logging?
Step 2 Exploring the Issues
Select a Role
For this part
of the WebQuest you and your group should decide on a role. You can choose to represent an
environmental protection specialist, or a timber harvesting
specialist/consumer. Once you have
chosen your role, follow the directions beneath the heading. You should explore the issue from the
perspective of someone in that role and make a convincing persuasive
presentation.
Environmental
Protection Specialist
People have
been concerned about the environment for a long time. There are concerns about animals, water, and forests. Use the Internet links below and the
books in the classroom to explore these questions related to environmental
concerns about logging.
1.
How are
forests important to humans?
2.
What do
forests give humans?
3.
Why do
environmentalists want to protect the forests?
4.
How does logging
effect the forest?
5.
How has logging impacted forests
especially the Tongass National Forest?
6.
Do the people support logging in the
Tongass? Does this include Alaska Native People?
Tongass National
Forest Update
|
|
What other
information do you think is important from the Environmental Protection
Specialist point-of-view? Why do
you think this is important?
Your company
wants their point-of-view to be heard by the media. It is now your job to make a multimedia presentation that
presents this point-of-view to give to the media so they may report on it.
Timber
Harvesting Specialist and Consumer
We
need and use tree products every day.
They are vital to our lives and how we live them. Use the Internet links below the books
in the classroom to explore these questions and find new questions about
logging and consuming trees.
1.
Why
and how do humans use and depend upon trees?
2.
How
has timber been harvested in the Tongass?
3.
What
is the mission of a company who harvests trees?
4.
What
is sustainable Forestry?
5.
How
do timber companies manage their trees?
6.
Why
is clear-cutting a good way to harvest trees?
History of Timber in the Tongass
National Forest
American Forest and Paper
Association
Kids Recycling Pages
(All About Trees)
Kids Recycling Pages
(Sustainable forests)
Weyerhaeuser
Clear-cutting Trees
|
|
What
other information do you think is important from the Timber Harvesting and
Consumer point-of-view? Why do you
think this is important?
Your company
wants their point-of-view to be heard by the media. It is now your job to make a multimedia presentation that
presents this point-of-view to give to the media so they may report on it.
Conclusion
Now that youve
looked at the issue from the perspective of your role, you can see that the
issues are very complex and hard to solve.
View the
presentations of the other companies and discuss the ideas and issues. Can you come up with a consensus to
answer the question Should all logging on the Tongass National Forest be
prohibited? Have your views changed from the
beginning? How do you think Alaska
Native Peoples feel about logging trees?
How does studying something change your views on it? What more do you want to know? If you wanted to continue and argue one
point-of-view for this cause, whom would you contact?
Evaluation
Project
Rubric
Go through this
rubric with your teacher before you start the presentation. As you work, consider where you want to
place yourself in the categories.
When you finish
your project you will be evaluated using this rubric
|
|
4 Wow!Terriffic! |
3 Youve Got It! |
2 Not Yet! |
1 Try Again |
|
Content |
Covers topic completely
and in-depth. Makes a persuasive
argument about their point of view that is consistent with role |
Includes essential
information and enough to give audience and understanding of the issue |
Includes some essential
information and begins to address issue |
Includes little
essential information and does not address issue |
|
Organization |
Presentation has an
informative introduction, follows a logical sequence and presents a detailed,
appropriate conclusion |
Presentation has a small
introduction, follows a sequence and has a conclusion |
Presentation attempts to
introduce the topic, has some sequencing evident, but lacks a conclusion |
Presentation lacks an
introduction, has little sequence and lacks a conclusion |
|
Cooperative
Group Work |
Communicates ideas with
enthusiasm and takes a leadership role |
Communicates ideas and
takes responsibility in the group |
Some
difficulty in communicating ideas and taking responsibility |
Cannot work with others
in most situation or share decisions or responsibilities |
|
Technical
Requirements |
Includes more than 8
slides and shows exemplary use of graphics and sound |
Includes more than 6
slides and has appropriate use of graphics and sound |
Includes 6 slides or less
and has adequate use of graphics and sound |
Includes 4 slides or
less, and has inappropriate use of graphics and sounds |
|
Conventions |
Grammar, spelling and
other errors are not present in text |
Includes 2-3
grammatical, spelling or other errors in text |
Includes 3-4
grammatical, spelling or other errors in text |
Includes more than 5
grammatical, spelling or other errors in text |
Student
Self-Assessment Rubric Group Work
Your teacher
will go through this rubric with you before your group starts its task.
As you work, think about where you would place yourself in these
categories.
After your work
is complete, you should evaluate your own work as a group member, how well did
you do?
|
Researches
and gathers information |
Collects
a great deal of information - all relates to the topic |
Collects
some basic information - most relates to the topic |
Collects
very little information - some relates to the topic |
Does
not collect any information relating to the topic |
|
Shares
information |
Relays
a great deal of information - all relates to the topic |
Relays
some basic information - most relates to the topic |
Relays
very little information - some relates to the topic |
Does
not relay any information to teammates |
|
Participates
|
Offers
a great deal of important information - all is on-topic |
Offers
some information - most is on-topic |
Either
gives too little information or information which isn't important or is
off-topic |
Does
not share ideas during group work |
|
Shares
equally
|
Always
does the assigned work without having to be reminded |
Usually
does the assigned work - rarely needs reminding |
Rarely
does the assigned work - often needs reminding |
Always
relies on others to do the work |
|
Listens
to teammates
|
Listens
and speaks a fair amount |
Listens
but sometimes talks too much |
Usually
does most of the talking - rarely allows other to speak |
Is
always talking - never allows anyone else to speak |
|
Cooperates
with teammates |
Never
argues with teammates Performs
all assigned duties |
Rarely
argues Performs
nearly all duties |
Sometimes
argues Performs
very few duties |
Usually
argues with teammates Does
not perform any duties |
Teacher Information
Background
This WebQuest
was created as an assignment for a course in Educational Technology at the
University of Alaska Anchorage as part of my masters program. It was designed to fit into a third
grade Social Studies unit about Alaska Natives and their connection to
resources.
It is an
inquiry-based activity to encourage students to ask and find answers to
questions.
Thanks for
participating! Have fun!
Overview/Process
Students work
in groups to gain an understanding of the issues surrounding logging on the
Tongass National Forest and then take a role to decide if logging should be
prohibited. They are then required to create a persuasive multimedia
presentation to present their companies perspective to the media to get their
views out. There are many books
available on both the Tongass and logging to help in your class study.
Alaska
Content Standards
History (A, B, C) Students understand that history is a
record of human experiences that lends the past to the present and future. Students understand historical themes
through factual knowledge.
Students develop the skills and processes of historical inquiry.
Language Arts
(A, B, C, D) Students
speak and write well for a variety of purposes. Students are competent and thoughtful readers, listeners and
viewers of literature and other information. Students identify and select from multiple strategies to
complete projects independently and cooperatively. Students think logically and reflectively in order to
present and explain positions based on relevant and reliable information.
Technology (A,
B. C, D) Students operate
technology-based tools. Students
use technology to select and manage information. Students explore ideas and derive meaning using technology. Students express ideas and exchange
information using technology
Resources Needed
Computers with Internet access
Word processing software
Multimedia software
Collection of print and other resources on
the Tongass National Forest, logging and environmental protection
Evaluation
Students should
be familiar with the expectations of the project and process before they begin
creating their presentations.
Discuss the rubric with students so they know to use it to guide their
work.
Student
Self-Evaluation Rubric
Teacher
Evaluation Rubric (Presentation)
Conclusion
This WebQuest
should be an exciting adventure full of choice and decisions for students. They will learn to gather information
and use it to develop a persuasive presentation from the point-of-view of a
chosen role.
Credits/References
Thank you to
the following Web sites for the use of their pictures and sites for
information.
National
Geographic:
American Forest and Paper Association
Southeast Alaska Conservation
Council
The
Tlingit of the Northwest Coast
This WebQuest
was heavily based on a Bowhead Whale WebQuest created by Joni Turville. Her rubrics were used in almost their
entirety to facilitate classroom grading of small group projects. It was my intention to use her WebQuest,
this and a third by Wren McCart to give the students a choice in their
assessment of the connection between resources and Alaska Native Peoples. The WebQuests were kept consistent to
allow for discussion and comparison between the groups and for ease in
comparison in assessment.