week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4
week 5
week 6
week 7
week 8
week 9
week 10
week 11
week 12
week 13
week 14
week 15
week 16

Week 7: Tropical Forests
Weeks 7, 8, and 9 make up the second three-week cycle of the course. Currently, you are in the first week - Week A: Teacher as Problem Solver.

This week, you are the problem solver - tackling the Tropical Forests Scenario. Experience problem based learning by thinking through what you already believe and know (your private theories) and then building knowledge with your teammates. Learn as much as you can about Tropical Forests this week, so you can build Earth Systems Science models next week, and design lessons in the third week.

Assignments

Individual: (by midnight Wednesday)
  • Read the Private Theory Rubric.
  • Read the Tropical Forests Scenario .
  • Think about what you believe to be true and the reasons for those beliefs about tropical forest destruction. Submit these private theories and prior knowledge for a grade to your Portfolio in the Classroom.
  • Post your theories in the Classroom Teacher as Problem Solver space.
  • Review the readings and resources below.
  • Read your teammates' postings and respond to at least one other person's theories in the Teacher as Problem Solver space in the Classroom.

Need more detailed instructions? Click here

 

Team: (by midnight Sunday)

  • Review the Knowledge-Building Rubric.
  • Brainstorm a list of questions you think you need to answer to understand the scenario.
  • Post your questions in the discussion space in the Teacher as Problem Solver space in the Classroom .
  • Review your teammates' questions.
  • List the key questions and plan how to investigate them as a team.
  • List answers to your questions as you build knowledge together.
  • By the end of the week, develop a team problem statement and post it in the Teacher as Problem Solver space in the Classroom. Submit it for a grade to your Portfolio in the Classroom.
Need more detailed instructions? Click here

 

Readings

You will want to locate other resources locally and on the Internet to supplement these. Post the resources you find in the Resource Space in the Classroom.

Barrett, Katharine. "Conservationists: Champions of a Sustainable World." Losing Biodiversity: Global Systems Science Student Guide, pp. 76-90. Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, 1996
http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/GSS

Sneider, Cary and Richard Golden. "Everything's Connected to Everything Else." A New World View: Global Systems Science Student Guide, pp. 16-21. Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, 1996.
http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/GSS

Welcome to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise: Educational CD-ROM.

Under the Land section: "Land Cover, Use, and Change" pp. 1-13


Web Sites

State of the World's Forests Discusses the complete results of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Assessment 1990 on changes in forest cover over the preceding decade.

Tropical Rainforest Information Center This NASA Earth Science Information Partner provides the education community with NASA data including satellite remote sensing data and digital deforestation maps and databases.

Information on Rainforests, Forest Conservation and Biodiversity Browse forest conservation links by topic, or search the entire contents of over 880 reviewed internet resources.

Tropical Rainforest Coalition Established to help preserve with rainforests for future generations, this site explores environmental topics of interest to students as well as adults.

Rainforest Alliance Provides links to rainforest related websites as well as ideas for classroom activities and community action projects.

Tropical Deforestation Fact Sheet If the current rate of Deforestation continues, the world’s rain forests will vanish before the end of this century.

 

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