For Teachers:
This collection of web pages is intended to serve as a starting point for a persuasive writing or speaking assignment for tenth grade students. It can be used to address the Virginia Standards of Learning listed below.
The instructional context of this website is situated exploration, reference exploration, and information presentation experience.
Virginia SOLs Addressed:
SOL 10.2 World Geography
The student will analyze how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth's surface, in terms of how humans influence and are influenced by the environment.
The student will develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing with respect to enduring issues and determine how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled.
SOL 11.1 English
The student will make persuasive presentations. Organize evidence to support a position. Present evidence clearly and convincingly. Support and defend ideas and thoughts in public forums.
SOL 11.2 English
The student will analyze and evaluate persuasive presentations.
Critique the accuracy, relevance, and organization of evidence.
Critique the clarity and effectiveness of delivery.
Suggested Activities for Students
Students explore this website individually or in groups, choose and research another human-animal conflict, and write a paper suggesting ways humans and animals come into conflict and can compromise.
Students explore this website individually or in groups, research other human-animal conflicts, and write a paper from the point of view of an animal with an agenda that conflicts with human agendas.
Students explore this website individually and make a persuasive presentation to the class supporting removal of beavers from Pandapas Pond, removal of humans from the Pond, or continued methods of compromise.
Students explore this website in groups and then debate the ethical issues involved in humans competing with animals for resources.
Students explore this website in groups and then debate what is "natural" versus what is "unnatural." Why is human construction considered unnatural and animal construction considered natural?
Preparation and Feedback
Students must have been exposed to persuasive writing techniques prior to beginning the assignments listed above.
Students should have access to library facilities and the internet to further research the topics introduced in this website.
Feedback on individual assignments should come from the teacher and fellow students after the assignments are completed.
Feedback on group or debate assignments should come from the teacher.
Other Virginia SOLs covered: Assignments covering the following SOLs may also be able to make use of this website:
SOL 7.8 English: The student will develop narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical writings. Apply knowledge of prewriting strategies. Elaborate the central idea in an organized manner. Choose vocabulary and information that will cause a reader to perceive images and tone. Use clauses and phrases to embed context into sentences. Revise writing for clarity. Edit final copies to ensure correct use of homonyms, pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb agreement, and verb tense consistency. Edit final copies to ensure correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and format. Use available technology.
SOL 7.10 English: The student will apply knowledge of resources in preparing written and oral presentations. Use print and electronic sources to locate books and articles. Use a thesaurus to select more exact descriptive, specific, or effective vocabulary for writing. Use graphic organizers to organize information. Credit secondary reference sources.
SOL 8.5 English: The student will write in a variety of forms, including narrative, expository and persuasive writings. Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas. Focus on elaboration and organization. Select specific vocabulary and information. Use standard sentence formation, eliminating comma splices and other nonstandard forms of sentences that distract readers. Revise writing for word choice, appropriate organization, consistent point of view, and transitions among paragraphs. Edit final copies to ensure correct use of pronoun case, verb tense inflections, and adjective and adverb comparisons. Edit final copies to ensure correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and format. Use available technology.