[Ecoed] the BEST environmental science assignment I've come up with

[Mike Leigh]

I teach Environmental Science-- which can be a very depressing topic, given the current state of the world.  So I'm always looking for teaching strategies that keep us (my students AND me) from feeling like all that's left is to join hands and jump off a cliff together!  (I'm still working on this, and welcome any ideas folks might have.)
   
  I recently stumbled upon a strategy that has made a REAL difference for my students AND for me, and wanted to pass it on to other teachers.  It's a weekly assignment I give my students:  
   
  Every week, each student is required to pick one news story that s/he feels is the most-encouraging environmental news s/he heard or saw in the news that week.  Students then write and turn in a 2-paragraph paper on the story they chose: the first paragraph summarizing the news story; the second explaining why s/he found that story so encouraging.  They also supply me with citation information on the story, and a URL where I can find it.
   
  What's really great about this assignment is that not only are many students encouraged (judging from what they write)-- SO AM I!  I actually look forward to reading & grading them!  (Well, at least I look forward to reading them.)  And many students use the opportunity to relate their news story to topics we are covering in class or the textbook, so it gives them a chance to integrate that knowledge.
   
  In addition, students often find news stories that I hadn't heard about, and provide me with the URLs for stories that I can use if I want to learn more.
   
  I have a list of on-line sources for them to use in their search for news stories, containing news sources that I consider "higher quality" (like the New York Times, NPR, and Environmental News Network) or have a local perspective (like the better local newspapers and a regional environmental news clearinghouse).  Because I require them to draw from these sources, the assignment also serves to introduce many of them to some news sources they might not have looked at before.
   
   
  Any other ideas out there?
   
  Mike Leigh
  South Puget Sound Community College

       
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