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

[Stefan Sommer]

Dear Mike and all,

You might also be interested in the 2007 documentary /A River Reborn/ 
which tells the story of human collaboration in the face of 
environmental conflict. Ted Danson calls it "A riveting story of 
environmental conflict and collaboration and the emergence of a new 
model for the resolution of environmental disputes."

/A River Reborn/ won the "Audience Favorite" Award at the 2007 NAAEE 
conference. You can see more about it at our website: www.RiverReborn.org

All the Best!

Stefan


Dr. Stefan Sommer
Executive Producer, /A River Reborn/, www.RiverReborn.org
Director of Education, Merriam-Powell Center, www.mpcer.nau.edu
Vice President, Association of College and University Museums and 
Galleries, www.ACUMG.org
Research Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
Northern Arizona University
Campus Box 5640
Flagstaff, AZ  86011

Office: (928) 523-4463
FAX:  (928) 523-7500

E-Mail: Stefan.Sommer at NAU.EDU


Vikas Malik wrote:
> Mike,
> Good work, I really liked the idea. Keep it up & Keep posted.
>  
> The BBC also has very nice stories in their Science Section from time 
> to time. And, I believe they are very good at explaining the big 
> stories simple way. Their website might be a good source for your 
> curious team.
>  
> Vikas
>
> */Mike Leigh <mike1leigh at yahoo.com>/* wrote:
>
>     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
>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>     Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.
>     Try it now.
>     <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ>_______________________________________________
>     Ecoed mailing list
>     Ecoed at ecoed.net
>     http://ecoed.net/mailman/listinfo/ecoed
>
>
>
>
> Vikas Malik, Ph.D.
> 274, Aronoff Laboratory 
> <http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/%7Epcurtis/people.htm>
> The Ohio State University
> Columbus, OH 43210 USA
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try 
> it now. 
> <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ%20> 
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ecoed mailing list
> Ecoed at ecoed.net
> http://ecoed.net/mailman/listinfo/ecoed
>   
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://ecoed.net/pipermail/ecoed/attachments/20080125/4d993eb0/attachment.htm