Dirty Water...So What?

Understanding all of the different ways that water can cause problems in a society can be a big challenge. The simple jigsaw activity and quiz are based off of the 4 effects components(health, hunger, poverty and education). They are easy to understand but should still give you a glimpse into the complexity of the situation.

Overview

To learn about the effects of the water crisis, we will be utilizing a jigsaw approach. You will get in groups of 4; this group will be their 'home group'. Assign each member of the group one web-page to read to themselves: Health, Hunger, Poverty, and Education (links listed below).


After reading the material, you will form an 'expert group' where you will meet with the students from the other 'home groups' who have read on their same topic. You will discuss with your 'expert group' and determine how best to teach your 'home groups' about the subject. After meeting with your topic groups, you should return to your 'home groups' to teach the other students about your particular sections.

A simple half-page quiz is included to ensure you have actually communicated the critical information to your 'home groups.' In the jigsaw method, the quiz will not be graded but simply be used as a check to ensure that your peers communicated the overall ideas, not necessarily specifics.

In addition to the jigsaw, you will:

Create a public service announcement video using at least 1 fact from each effect.

Craft a 30 second news intro summarizing the effects of bad water.

Host a debate arguing which effect has the greatest impact - or write position papers.

Write a story about a family that experiences the effects of dirty water and predict how their life might be different after a well or other project is built.

The Grammy Awards...Lake House Review (that's us, the aka portable)

I enjoyed watching the Grammy Awards last night, did you see it? I want to know who you thought were the standout artists of the past year. I want you to take a peek at the awards categories that I list below and make your own selections. Here is a list of all of the 2014 Grammy Nominees.

The General Field (also known as the 'Big Four') are four standard awards for musical works which do not restrict nominees by genre or some other criterion:

Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.

Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.

Song of the Year is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.

Best New Artist is awarded to an artist without reference to a song or album.

Here is a complete list of all of the categories at the Grammy Awards.

Looking Back at 2013 – A Year in Review Assignment

Part 1: What Will You Remember Most From 2013?

Something to think about – What national, international, cultural and personal events in 2013 stand out for you most? Why?

Take a moment and record the first 10 things/events from 2013 that come to mind when you think about the year as a whole. This can be anything – relating to your life personally, media, global, entertainment, trends, controversy etc.


Here are a few videos about 2013 in review:

Video #1: Google Zeitgeist:



Video #2: 2013 A New in Review: Facebook Stories



Video #3: You Tube Rewind 2013



Video #4: Top 10 Stories of 2013 - Year in Reivew



Video #5: Year in Review: Breaking Down the Numbers



Video #6: Year in Review: Top Sports Stories of 2013



Writing Task - Your Review of 2013 – Ideal length, approximately 1 page.

You may take some time to view some of the other categories on the retrospectives list - - there are lots of interesting “best of” lists that can fit a unique interest of everyone – enjoy!

The Top 10 TV Stories of the Year That Was List
Best of 2013 The Year in Music
The Best of 2013 in Book Releases
The 25 Best Movies of 2013

Tell us about what you’ll remember most from this year, whether it’s a news event, something that’s gone viral on the internet, a new innovation or fad etc. An event in your own life, or something else entirely may even be included - - it’s your choice as this is your reflection of 2013. How would you sum up this year? What are you looking forward to in 2014?



Formatting tips for a well-organized piece of writing:

A catchy title that will grab your reader’s attention

Paragraph 1 - Your introduction should generally discuss 2013 and memorable moments/events

Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 - You should have distinct body paragraphs that discuss some of the events that you feel are most memorable. For example, perhaps the passing of Nelson Mandela makes your list. You would have a distinct paragraph for this. You would need to be sure to fully discuss why this was such an important event and touch on how his life influenced so many. I would recommend selecting 3 significant events to focus on (i.e 1 separate idea per paragraph).

Paragraph 5 - Your last paragraph should be a conclusion. How would you sum up this year and what are you looking forward to in 2012. You may even want to put a creative twist on this and predict what 2014 may have in store for us.



Good luck!! I can't wait to read your thoughts and opinions:)



Mrs. Dowker