Objective: You will create a presentation that teaches the class about an environmental issue. Your presentation will be posted on the Discussion Board as a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed by your classmates.
Planning: Choose your topic. The list below will give you some ideas, but you may choose something not on the list. Some of the topics may need to be narrowed in focus.
- Endangered Species (general or focus on one particular species)
- Saving the Rainforests (or wetlands or any other biome in danger)
- Wildlife Conservation (national parks, reserves, hunting)
- Pollution (air, water)
- Global Climate Change
- Energy Conservation (alternate fuels, hybrid cars, the “green movement” )
- Waste Management (recycling, landfills, toxic waste, etc)
- Human Overpopulation (food & water shortages, habitat destruction)
- Genetically modified crops and animals
- Environmental toxins (such as Bisphenol A in plastics)
Research: Browse sites related to your topic, jot down information you think will be important to include in your final product.
As you browse the sites related to your topic, think about the following questions that you will need to include in your final project presentation:
- What is the problem? How do we know there is a problem (what evidence is there)?
- What causes the problem?
- What scientific research has been performed related to the problem? How was it performed, what data was collected, and what conclusions were drawn?
- What are the possible future effects of the problem? How will it affect the world?
- What is being done to solve the problem? Are there laws related to the topic?
- What can an individual do to help?
Presentation: Use PowerPoint or similar application, check with your instructor for other options. The following sequence can serve as a guideline, though you are free to organize it in other ways. A total of 16+ slides is appropriate. Try not to clutter a slide with too much information.
- Slide 1 : Title, names,
- Slide 2 : Attention grabber, put a thought provoking question or image here
- Slides 3-5 : Explain the topic, what is the problem and why is it a problem (do NOT copy and paste information from other websites, use your own words.) Include various points of views, not just your own. Include images to help explain your points and to make your slides more interesting.
- Slides 6-8 Choose one scientific article on your topic that emphasizes the major points of your paper. Explain methods used in the article and why they were important.
- Slide 9-10 You will need to post one key table or graph from your article and include a 3-5 sentence analysis of the figure and why it is important(such as patterns exhibited, deductions, etc.) What conclusions can be drawn from the article and how might the finding be limited?
- Slides 11-12 : Explain what can be done (or what is being done) to solve the problem. You may want to include specific laws and regulations related to your topic here.
- Slides 13-14: What can one individual do to help? Offer advice and tips to the class about how individuals can help to solve the problem or promote awareness.
- Slide 15: Summarize or restate the problem/issue; include any image credits or sources in APA format.
- Slide 16: References
