STRIP MINING - completely removing earth’s surface to access minerals & coal

Main Idea

CONSTRUCTION – large scale projects (highways) destroying an ecosystem completely

WAR – bombs and moving heavy equipment (tanks, etc) over terrain destroys ecosystem

ACCIDENTS – events like oil tankers sinking & nuclear power plant “melt-downs”

2Sudden Catastrophic ImpactQuickly & obliviously damaging an ecosystem to the point that it can never be restored

Human Negative Impact in the Ecosystem

Is about …

How people’s behavior impact the environment in bad ways

Main Idea

FERTILIZERS / PESTICIDES kill a variety of animals & plants; leave chemicals

POLLUTION / ACID RAIN waste products that kill organisms & break food chains

CONSUMING RESOURCES uses up things needed to maintain an ecosystem (i.e., minerals in soil)

1Slow Subtle ImpactSlowly and not obliviously damaging an ecosystem to the point that it can never be restored

3

1

4

2

2

1

3

CLEAR Event

BIG IDEA (What is important to understand about this?)

Essential details

Main idea Main idea Main idea

Essential details Essential details

Key Topicis about... exploitation

taking advantage of something or someone

Does this help or hurt in the real world?

What are some ways this idea shows up in the real world?

Personal experiences related to this concept

Takes advantage of people in a weaker position

Bad idea that should not show up

Quality of society based on how you help, not on much you can take

Exploitation results in anger

College make millions from games, but players can’t get paid

Politicians exploiting voters

Porn & prostitution exploits poor women

Some factories exploit workers

Parents exploit me when they make me do chores.

Kids in lunch room get exploited by bullies

Used car salesmen exploit buyers (if they can)

Casinos exploit poor people who wish to get rich quick

Our world would be a lot better off if there were no exploitation in it.

BELIEF opens the door

How did your beliefs change?

LEARNING opens the eyes

What did you learn that was different & important?

ACTION changes our lives

What will you do as a result of what you learned?

Cutting down Rain forests

is about the clearing of vast areas of rain forests to make grazing lands for cattle

I believed that it didn't matter where beef came from, as long as I could buy a 'Big Mac' when I wanted for a cheap price.

I now believe that we need cut down on how much beef we eat because of what is happening to rain forests.

Brazilians are cutting down rain forests as quickly as they can to... * create jobs & income * make grazing land for cattle so they can sell beef to US * sell trees

Fast food companies are buying cheap beef from Brazil so they can make more money selling hamburgers

Eat more chicken! Boycott hamburger joints. Spread the word and encourage others to do the same. Learn more about how our everyday habits impact the environment in important ways

Spin-off Tensions or Issues

Sources of Tension

Reaction Actions

Critical TensionPivotal Event?

BIG IDEA (WhatÕs important to understand about this?)

Changes

© 2001 Masterminds, LLC

© 1998 Edwin S. Ellis

Brazil’s population explosion (need jobs & income!)

Limited resources & ways to make money

Access to media (TV) shows apparent wealth of rest of the world makes poor

Brazilians want “a piece of the economic pie”

Brazil’s poor economy / need for money

Foreign companies willing to pay $$$ for beef & wood (teak, mahogany, lumber)

Cutting down rain forests as fast as possible to make grazing land for cattle & to sell trees for lumber

New source of income making some Brazilians rich...provides many

temporary jobs

Thin top soil washing away because loss of rain forest root systems, results in desert

like conditions where little will grow

Because of lost ecosystems, many animals & plants rapidly becoming

extinct - lost opportunity for develop of new medicines?

Loss of vast areas of vegetation results in less oxygen in atmosphere, & more carbon dioxide ...global warming?

Must generate alternative source of income for Brazilians, or they won’t stop clearing rain forests -- what would be other ways for them to make

money & generate jobs?

US Fast-food companies contract

for beef imports

BIG IDEA (What is important to understand about this?)

Key Topic

is about... © 1997 Edwin S. Ellis Atmosphere

(also called ‘air,’ comes from Greek word atmos (vapor) and shaira (sphere)

Troposphere

The layer we live in

Where all life occurs

80% of the mass of atmosphere

all moisture is here jet streams occur in this layer

Stratosphere moistureless & cloudless very low atmosphere density

no storms

ozone in this layer

Mesophere

the middle layer

very thin air

a “meteoroid shield”

Ionosphere

Essential details Essential details Essential details

Key Topicis about...

Start with... Add this... Results

+ =

How beach development is endangering sea turtles

Turtles bury eggs in the sand

Sea Turtles crawl onto beach and bury eggs

Attracted to movement & glimmer of light on water

Sun incubates eggs; baby turtles dig out of sand

Beach development & tourists

Houses & Hotels line the water front for thousands of miles

Baby turtles die

Babies get lost, disoriented

Crawl toward bright lights, away from sea

Eaten by predators & Dehydrated

IF we don't turn-off our lights at night THEN the Loggerhead may become extinct

Crawl toward light to get to the sea & swim away

Baby turtles attracted to bright lights

Street lights, Car lights, flashing signs, carnivals

Endangered Loggerheads

Tourists using the beaches

Beach buggies

So what? What is important to understand about this?

© 2002 Edwin S. Ellis graphicorganizers.com

Topic

IDEA knowledge activator

Identify possible related ideas

Determine what’s already

known

Express potential

connections to today’s world

Ask questions about the topic

Non-renewable Resources

pollution

coal mines

oil, gasoline

How much longer will the oil supply last?

Will oil ever run out? What will we do?

We’ve already used up most of the oil in the US – have to buy it from Middle East

More oil we use, the more dependent we are on other countries for oil

New data should cause belief to change to...

Ways to bend data....* Ignoring parts that donÕt fit * Selecting parts that do fit * Creating new data that fits * Discounting/rationalizing

Existing Belief

Key Topicis about...

BIG IDEA (What is important to understand about this?)

New Data

Bent Data(to fit existing belief)

Environmental Collapse

People wanting to get the most of their environment while ignoring what they are doing to it

The environment exists for our exploitation. Natural cycles of nature that makeup the environment will always exists, no matter how we interact with the environment.

Almost every aspect of our environment is showing signs of collapse. * water pollution poisoning oceans (killing reefs, poisoning fish, ect.) * air pollution, global warming

It’s not me -- it’s them! Somebody else has to do it. The earth is resilient. I’m too insignificant to make a difference.

Develop a new perspective -- rethink what we do for short-term gain to ensure long term stability.

Environment is affected on a macro-level (how industry impacts it) & and on a micro-level (how everyday behaviors like driving a car to work or using Styrofoam containers for hamburgers for 30 seconds impacts it

3-Step Cycle© 2003 Edwin Ellis www.GraphicOrganizers.com

So what? What is important to understand about this?

Topic

The Water Cycle

Condensation

Precipitation

Evaporationheavier water drops fall to the earth

tiny drops of condensed water grows until they get too heavy

types of precipitation = rain, snow, hail, sleet

rain gage is used to measure precipitation

occurs when liquid is heated by the air

molecules separate

molecules nearest water surface bounce away & move into the air

liquid -to- gas ORwater -to- vapor

occurs when gases are cooled

molecules crowd together (snuggle up)

molecules packed together so they take less space

gas can then change into a liquid

The water cycle is a 3-part process by which water enters and leaves the atmosphere. It is a continuous cycle.

I’d like to know more about …

This topic reminds me of …

I’ve been learning about…

The part I understand the best is …

The most confusing part is …

I’d like to be able to …

Content Learning Log

How oil spills are cleaned up. Decomposition – dispersion – physical

removal

The huge oil tanker that sank in Alaska & caused a disaster

Physical removal – it’s a LOT of work, VERY difficult, & takes years

Decomposition – I don’t really understand the chemistry part of this

How they prevent oil spills – seems like sooner or later, oil tanker will sink

Visit the place where the oil tanker sank to see how it looks now