| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Nooksack Valley High School

Page history last edited by talia.mathews@wcls.org 14 years, 8 months ago

 

Climate Change

 

 

WCLS RESOURCES

 

     Materials available to check out

 

Earth Under Fire : How Global Warming Is Changing the World by Braasch, Gary

http://tinyurl.com/d6oluv

I thought the photographs in this book again might make it a source for primary resources.

Review (CHOICE): "Motivated by strong convictions and armed with a wealth of experience, Braasch set out on a dramatic around-the-world journey to photo-document global warming in March 1999. This Ansel Adams Award-winning photojournalist used his skills to create a journal speaking directly to the hearts and minds of those who debate global warming issues. His photographs and commentary detailing environmental and ecological destruction of some of the most vulnerable regions of the world offer grim evidence and understanding of rapid change. Each chapter is enhanced by essays contributed by well-known writers addressing melting glaciers, flooding, drought, decreasing biodiversity, increasing ocean acidity, and lack of political progress. Although it is difficult to visually depict increasing CO^D[2's impact on sea water, rising ocean levels present threats to some corals and CO^D[2 uptake leads to a pH drop of about 0.1 pH unit, representing a 30 percent change in acidity. Increased acidity reduces carbonate available for coral formation and weakens older reefs. The final chapter presents scenarios of dangerous environmental disruptions causing giant floods and triggering disease outbreaks. In counterpoint, experienced scientists (e.g., James Hansen) are quoted as advocating for practical actions to keep global warming below 1C. The book's bargain price reflects generous grants and expert management. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels." Copyright Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

 

How we know what we know about our changing climate : scientists and kids explore global warming / by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch ; with a foreword by David Sobel.

http://tinyurl.com/cjnlzw

This book has been widely reviewed and praised-appears on many lists for school library must haves.  However, I would be interested to know if you think you could use it with your high school students as it is reviewed as being useful through 8th grade by one source and 9th grade by another. Written with a middle school audience in mind.  Full of photographs that might act as primary resources for your work.  A teacher's guide is also available.

 

Lies, damned lies, and science : how to sort through the noise around global warming, the latest health claims, and other scientific controversies / Sherry Seethaler.

http://tinyurl.com/dyxk6l

Review (Publisher's Weekly): "When judging media reports on science, one person's fact is another person's hooey, and in this brisk little book Seethaler helps readers decide for themselves which is which. Seethaler, a science writer and columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune, begins by explaining how the scientific process works in reality versus popular belief, and then discusses such subjects as how to identify the stakeholders in a scientific controversy and how science and public policy intersect. The author suggests other questions: what advocacy groups are the source for information reported in articles? is a “trend” really just a temporary blip in the data? Seethaler offers concrete advice on how to sort through such matters (“Beware of the 'Lake Wobegon effect' ”), as well as useful tables and charts. While science buffs will be familiar with most of the material, news consumers who are puzzled by scientific debates will learn how to make sense of them, and high school and beginning college science students will find the book useful for putting science in a real-world context."-Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. 

 

A Note on WCLS resources:

WCLS has many new resources on climate change.  This is a hot topic right now. 

http://tinyurl.com/ct7zyq

We purchases materials on both sides of this issue, even when those books are not highly recommended for their scientific content.  I think it is important for students to know that we buy a full range of materials-like the web everything we have to offer needs to be evaluated.  For example we have Climate confusion : how global warming hysteria leads to bad science, pandering politicians, and misguided policies that hurt the poor  by Roy W. Spencer.

http://tinyurl.com/cqg94q 

Review (Choice): "Meteorologist and former senior scientist at NASA, is among what he refers to as the "relatively small, infamous number of global warming skeptics." Over the past 35 years, the US has shown an increasing tendency to underthink and overreact--or the reverse--in environmental policy. This reviewer therefore tries to receive questioning of orthodoxies with an open mind. Spencer's nine chapters cover hysteria, science and truth, how weather and global warming work, "environmentalists' religion," economics, politics, "dumb and less dumb" solutions, and an index. The book offers no hard data to support arguments about where scientists and politicians have gone wrong. Spencer's unbalanced discussions of concepts such as sustainability and paleoclimatology and generalized pronouncements do not help the reader figure out where he may have a point, and where he falls into the same trap of letting advocacy run ahead of reason that he claims for mainstream opinion. The author is a facile writer with an ear for humor, and the book is accessible to wide audiences. Books by S. Fred Singer and Bjorn Lomborg offer more technical and substantial dissident perspectives on global climate change issues. Summing Up: Optional. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates." Copyright 2008 American Library Association.

 

     Premium resources (WCLS card required)

 

Encyclopedias and Homework Help Page

eLibrary

http://www.wcls.org/content/view/260/394/

You may find that elibrary is of some interest.  The search is very friendly for beginning researches.  You can limit your search to a particular reading level.  I thought my results were okay when I looked at global warming.  The photos did not have a ton of context and the audio/video was not as recent as some of the other video clips I included here.  However, if you are looking for overviews, or want to know information on building green or something like that, this could be a good resource.  Not set up  to work with an RSS feed.  Too bad! 

 

WCLS Newspapers and Magazine Reference Page

http://www.wcls.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=400

Proquest

This is a resource that your school library currently has access to.  2,200 periodicals indexed. This is a wonderful resource for students to learn how to use.  This is definitely a helpful resource for college and life!  Great place to set up an RSS feed once students have a topic. 

Reference Center Gold

This is a great resource for primary resources-and it also breaks down global warming articles into many sub-topics.

5,000 periodical referenced.  Once students have a topic, they can set up an RSS feed to keep up to date on any breaking news.

 

Energy:

I know you also mentioned that you look at renewable energy.  I would want another several hours to research that topic for you, but I did an advanced google search and limited the search to .gov sites and thought this was a good place to start. http://www.energysavers.gov/renewable_energy/

 

 

ONLINE RESOURCES

 

Discovery Channel

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/globalwarming.html

Includes basic background information, a list of other web resources, an opportunity to posts questions, as well as a video gallery.  Many of the additional web resources have pictures documenting global change-really interesting visual.

Discovery Channel: Global Warming: Video from the Field

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/videogallery/videogallery.html

5 short videos on evidence of global warming.  I was impressed with the videos-short, clear explanations, intriguing footage.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Change Home

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html

As well as basic information, this site has an excellent newsroom that is kept up to date with climate change news and would work as a great source for primary resources if you just want something recent.  For primary resources specific to a particular topic within climate change Proquest will probably be a better resource.  This site includes information on the latest government initiatives.  They also have a list of links to other sites-many of them with a focus on climate change in other parts of the world.  http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/WebSearchResultsALL

 

GREAT SOURCE: FactCheck.org: Can You Prevent Global Warming?

http://www.factcheck.org/society/can_you_prevent_global_warming.html

This article is from 2006 and addresses an advertisement about global warming.  Despite the fact that it is older I am adding this to your list because this is such a great website.  They work to cut through political spin, and carefully site their sources.  I thought this was a great overview about where this agreement and disagreement on Global Warming as of two years ago.  You will also find great information here when it comes to finding out more on alternative energy.  Try the search box on the home page.  I just love this site! http://www.factcheck.org/

 

Opposing Views: Is Global Warming a Crisis?

http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-global-warming-a-crisis

I thought this was an interesting idea-you will have to let me know what you think of it.  The website finds experts who have a different opinion on a topic a places their arguments side by side.  What I like is that it is clear who is putting the opinion forward.

 

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Ideas Worth Spreading

http://www.ted.com/index.php/search?q=climate+change&x=0&y=0

The goal of this site is to collect video of people who have important ideas to share in the world of technology, entertainment and design.  They have several speakers discussing climate change.  These videos are much more esoteric than the Discovery Channel introductory videos.  It sounded like part of what you do with your students is ask them for solutions-this might be a place to look for solutions be proposed for climate change.  For example see: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_keith_s_surprising_ideas_on_climate_change.html

 

 

 

GENERAL RESOURCES

 

Facing the Future: Pilot Series for ELL and Struggling Readers

http://www.facingthefuture.org/ForEducators/OpportunitiesforEducators/tabid/75/Default.aspx#Pilot

They are looking to pilot these books now, and may be willing to send free books?

I could not find reviews of the Facing the Future curriculum materials I looked at, but a Social Studies specialist highly recommended their curriculum  You might take a look and see if there is anything helpful to you. http://www.facingthefuture.org/Curriculum/BuyFacingtheFutureCurriculum/tabid/59/Default.aspx#Student%20Textbook

 

Gale Products:

Gale is a reputable publisher when it comes to reference materials.  They publish materials with many different school audiences in mind.  They publish the Opposing Viewpoints series, and have a series that is the same idea, but geared more for struggling readers called Introducing Issues.  I spoke to a Gale rep about your topic and asked them to recomend some resources. 

Greenhaven Press Writing the Critical Essay: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide Climate Change 4/17/2009 9780737744026-This series is targeted for grades 7-10+

Greenhaven Press At Issue Is Global Warming a Threat 9/12/2007 9780737736878--This series is for grades 7-10 targeted for struggling readers.

Lucent Books Hot Topics Global Warming 9/26/2008 9781420500493  This series is for grades 7-10

 

This is just a start...many other titles including Energy Alternatives, and Eco-Architecture, Renewable Energy, Biofuels and Nuclear Power

You may want to use their catalog search http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/SearchPageServlet?region=9&imprint=k12&st=As-but if you think you want to place an order you may want to talk to the Sales Rep, Sarah Miller.  She can give you reviews and more information on the different series.

 

Contact: Sarah Miller

Associate Account Manager

Gale l Cengage Learning

27500 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535

(tel) 1-800-877-4253x8789 l (fax) 888.279.9933 l

(e) sarah.miller@cengage.com

I can forward you a complete excel sheet of titles if you are interested.

 

 


Research Time Spent:

4 hours 15 minutes-45 minutes left to create lesson plan.

Requested support for database use like Proquest.

 

Meeting Notes:

Reader level-we need lower reading levels

Primary sources a plus-posters, audio and more.

Prefer online resources because topic changes so rapidly.

Try to tackle reading level issue by giving students an overview of primary resources.

Databases school has: Netrekker, Proquest.  Not being used as much as school librarians think they could be.

 

A note on the research:

It looks like there are some great print resources to support this topic when it comes to photographs (could be used as primary resources) and also there are current books written specifically for high school students who struggle with reading.  There are some wonderful video clips available online-from basic to esoteric.  This resource list includes many sources for overviews, as well as how to access primary sources on the minutia of this topic.  You are also mentioned that you are looking at energy sources.  Many of the same databases and publishers like Gale will have resources on this topic.  I think you will find a lot more great electronic and print resources out there on this topic, this is just a start.

 

Comments (1)

custom papers said

at 12:34 am on Apr 3, 2010

This one is really good and interesting as well as informative. I wanted to know more about this. i really appreciate it.

http://www.superbpapers.com

Regards
custom papers.

You don't have permission to comment on this page.