Environmental Issues Essay and Slide Show (150 /200 Points)

Research and writea 750-1000 wordresearch reporton one of the following environmental issues:

1.Natural Disasters (Choose one)

  1. Earthquakes
  2. Hurricanes
  3. Tornadoes
  4. Tsunamis
  5. Volcanic Eruptions
  6. Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)
  7. Solar Flare
  8. Drought
  9. Wildfire

2.Pollution

3.Climate Change

4.Habitat Loss (Choose one: Rainforest, Temperate Forest, etc.)

5.Resource depletion (example: deforestation, over grazing, etc)

6.Endangered Species (Choose one, or address the problem as a whole)

7.Overpopulation

8.Waste Management (landfills, ocean trash, problems with recycling, sewage treatment, etc)

Introduce and define your topic then answer the following questions in as much detail as possible to fulfill the page requirement and demonstrate your understanding and effort in researching the topic. In other words, make me believe that you did your research and that you understand what you read.

Questions to be answered:

1.What is the history of your topic? When and where did people begin thinking, studying and writing about your topic? If applicable, how long has this environmental issue been a problem/ when did it start?

2.How has thinking about your topic changed over the years? How has your topic evolved or changed?

3.Who are some of the important people you discovered in your research who have studied or changed your topic? How have they changed it? What are their contributions?

4.Why is your topic something that is important for humans to study? In what ways has it affected people in the past? In what ways is it affecting people today? What potential effect can you see it having in the future?

5.Think about sustainability[1]. In what ways is your environmental issue unsustainable? Propose actions to solve or mitigate (make less severe) this problem.

6.Conclusion - what did you learn about this topic that you did not know before? What are some of the most interesting facts and ideas you discovered in your research? Why are they interesting? Explain. What are some questions you have about your topic for which you could not find answers?
(Extra Credit: Interview an expert on your topic and include your questions and his or her answers in the essay)

The parts of your essay include:

  • Heading (Title/Topic, Your Name, Class Period)
  • Introduction – Must have a thesis statement! The thesis tells what your paper is about in one concise sentence.
  • Responses to the six items/questions in order
  • Works Cited (in APA format – if you don’t know how to do this, visit all the books, magazines, websites, people and other resources you used to gather your information.At least 3 sources must be used.
    You may wish to start by googling your topic. Wikipedia will NOT be counted as a valid source.

Part II–(Honors only.) Create a PowerPoint or Google Presentation in which you organize and present your findings. Include pictures or illustrations. This presentation should include at least six (6) slides, one per each of the above questions. This will be presented to the class.

RUBRIC:
Heading _____/5

Introduction & Thesis _____/20

Body _____/ 100

Works Cited _____/20

Turn in this page _____/5

(Honors Only -PowerPoint _____/30)

(Honors Only - Presentation _____/20)

Bonus Points _____/??

Total Score _____/150 (200)

[1] Sustainability: the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.