Student Resources
Teacher Resources

earthleaf

Shaping My Environment


Research Scenario

starfish

Your middle school is planning to launch a program called the "Starfish Project" this year as a way to recognize the importance of environmental awareness and preservation.

Why did they choose the name "Starfish" for this project? Click here to read a brief story related to this chosen theme.

As part of the Starfish Project, you have been asked to write a letter to your local delegate persuading him/her to support your position on an environmental issue of importance to you. In order to write an effective persuasive letter, each student in your class must consider the following question:

How can I persuade my local delegate to support my position on an environmental issue?

Task and Product

letterwriter

Your task will be to research an environmental issue that interests you and write a persuasive letter about that issue to your local delegate. Your argument will be more effective if your letter demonstrates that you are well-informed about your topic.

Before you begin your research in order to become well-informed, you will need to choose an environmental issue. Click here for suggestions for possible topics. You may also want to ask your teacher for approval if there is an environmental topic that interests you that is not on this list.

After completing your research, you will use your findings to write a letter to your delegate. Click here for details about this persuasive letter.

In addition, your teacher may ask you to create one of these products to help you to disseminate your information to a larger audience.

  • pamphlet
  • poster
  • editorial, letter to the editor, or article for school or community newspaper
  • public service announcement (PSA) for television or radio

Research Process Model

infoprocess

The most difficult part of a research assignment is knowing where to begin! You may feel overwhelmed by the assignment, the vast amounts of information, all the reading you will need to do, and the decisions you must make in order to ace this assignment.

Check out the the Information Literacy Process Model for a step-by-step guide.

Assessments

smokestacks

 

The following scoring tools may be used or adapted by your teacher teacher to evaluate your research process and your final product and presentation.

Research Process Assessments:

Final Product Assessments: 

Questions

magnified questions

Essential question:
How can I persuade my local delegate to support my position on an environmental issue?

Subsidiary Questions:

  • What are the details concerning my environmental issue?
  • Why is this environmental issue so important?
  • What is my position on this issue?
  • Whom does this issue affect (both directly and indirectly)?
  • Have I had any personal experiences with this issue? If so, what are the details?
  • Have there been any attempts to solve this problem? Have any of these attempts been successful?
  • What are some possible consequences if this environmental problem is not addressed or fixed?
  • What could an ordinary citizen do to help solve this problem?
  • How can I persuade my delegate to care about this issue and to take some action?

Gather and Sort

nvironmententry

 

Gather information about your research topic from a variety of sources.

Record and sort your research findings using a graphic organizer or note cards.

Be sure to avoid plagiarism and keep track of your resources for a bibliography. Follow a guide to prepare your bibliography (works cited) or use an online site for help, such as EasyBib, CitationMachine, or Noodle Tools Express.

Organize

no dumping sign

checkmarkBefore writing your first draft :

  • Analyze your research notes to determine if you have answered your subsidiary questions.
    • Have you gathered sufficient details about your topic to write your persuasive letter, and if needed, create a visual for your topic ?
    • Do you have enough details to answer each of your subsidiary questions?
    • Do you have additional information that would be of value to your audience?
    • Is there any unrelated information you should eliminate?
    • Have you gathered sufficient details to persuade your local delegate to agree with you about your issue and possibly take action?

checkmarkWrite your first draft :

  • Use the Starfish Project direction sheet and the persuasive letter assessment tool as guidelines for composing the first draft of your persuasive letter.
    • What new insights have emerged about your topic?
    • Which facts are the most compelling and would best address the local delegate and a larger audience?
    • Decide which information would be most important to include in your essay.

checkmarkEdit your draft :

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of your first draft of your letter for the task.
How can I persuade my local delegate to support my position on an environmental issue?

checkmarkWrite your final draft:

  • Synthesize your findings by writing a final draft of your persuasive essay about your chosen environmental issue.

checkmarkCreate your visual:

  • If your teacher requires a visual, use the scoring tool that matches that type of visual as a guideline in preparing an effective one.

Conclusion

 

starfishonbeach

Share your research findings with your class.

  • Share the contents of your letter in whatever format your teacher suggests.
  • If a visual product was required, share that product in a Gallery Walk or an oral presentation.

Send your completed letter to your delegate! Use this site to find your delegates' addresses. You can click on the individual delegate's name from the results list from your search to locate his/her address.

Adapt your letter to become a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Remember that your audience will change from your delegate to the public at large. Also keep in mind that you may need to streamline your letter to fit newspaper requirements.

Extension:

  • Volunteer for an organization whose goal is to help solve the environmental problem that you researched!
  • Start your own local chapter of that organization.
  • Create your own organization dedicated to making the public (your school community or your local community) aware of the environmental problem you researched.