US History Debate: Underwater Exploration Vs. Space Exploration
US History Debate: Underwater Exploration vs. Space Exploration
Focus / United States HistoryGrade Level / 11th Grade
Focus Question / Is underwater or space exploration more important for America to invest in in the 21st century?
Learning Objectives: / NC State Objective and Goal Being Addressed:
Objective 12.03-Identify and assess the impact of social, political, and cultural changes in the U.S.
Objective 12.04-Identify and assess the impact of social, political, and cultural changes in the United States.
Learner Objective(s): At the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
Identify why Aquarius was built in the first place, and identify further research that could be done underwater in the future. Students will partake in a debate in the classroom about whether they believe space research or underwater research is more important for the future.
Materials / -Computer/ Power Point
-Writing utensils
-Paper
Audio/Visual Materials / Power Point with pictures of Aquarius, and background information.
Teaching Time / 1 hour and 15 minutes total
**I will tell students to prepare for the debate by doing individual research on their assigned topic the night before the debate.
15 minutes to teach about Aquarius
5 minutes for students to tell their group what they’ve learned from individual research the night before, and come up with a consensus of how they feel.
15 minutes for Students to formulate ideas in two different groups about why they believe space or sea research is more important in the 21st century
40 minutes for students to debate back and forth why they chose sea or space research—Students will be assigned to groups the day before the debate, so they have that night to research. I will put the two topics-space and underwater- in a bucket for them to come up and draw from. I will have enough slips for each topic for the class to be divided evenly. Even if they don’t agree with which side they got, I believe there are enough positive things about each type of exploration for them to formulate ideas.
5 minutes to regroup, and reiterate what was learned
Seat Arrangement / Two half circles of desks for each side of the debate
Maximum Number of Students / 20 students or less- if there are more students than this, then I might have to break each side in half and have two separate debates going on.
Background Information (Prior Knowledge) / Students should have a basic knowledge of sea and space exploration since they had the night before to research their topic. Students should also already be familiar with issues in our country regarding the quest for more oil in our oceans. In addition, before the debate I will go over what Aquarius is, and so it will be fresh in their minds. Students should have prior knowledge of space exploration after learning about the Space Race and the Space Shuttle Program.
Opening Activity / How will you get the students engaged and involved in today’s lesson right away? I will open the activity by asking the class if they know of anywhere in the world where people live underwater. This will propel the class into a conversation about how underwater living spaces could be possible, and open the floor for me to tell them about Aquarius. I will then show the class pictures of Aquarius and tell them about research being conducted there. After that, I will tell my students that they are going to have to choose whether they believe Space or Underwater Exploration is more important in our current times. Explain why you chose to implement this activity. I will explain that I chose to implement this activity because I want students to debate each other about the two types or explorations taking place during our lifetimes. Students should be able to realize different benefits and drawbacks to both sea and space exploration.
Learning Procedure ( Activity) / The actual activity will be a debate about whether Sea or Space Exploration is more valuable to us in the 21st century. I will give them some ideas as to why both are important such as alternative fuels undersea, or life on other planets in space in addition to the ideas they should already have from their research. Once students have formulated their ideas, we will regroup as a class and I will ask questions relating to certain topics having to do with America’s future and how these different types of exploration can either enhance or hinder it. There will be a total of 10 questions with each side getting two minutes allotted to making their point.
Connections to Other Subjects / This lesson is connected to science in addition to history because of the research being done both underwater and in space.
Closing Activity and Assignment / How will you wrap up your lesson? I will wrap up the lesson by saying that both sides have made valid points about their respective kinds of exploration. I will also add that no side could win, because only time will be able to tell which exploration we benefit more from. What is the timeframe for closing activity/assignment? The timeframe for closing the activity will be about 5 minutes How will you review the material presented? I will review the material presented by asking the class what they would most like to see come out of research being done on Aquarius. How will you keep all students actively involved until the end of class? We will continue the class discussion about possible discoveries until the end of class.
Assessment / How will you verify that students have accomplished your objectives and met the standards (your assessment)? To assess that my students have gained an understanding of Aquarius, I will have them write a paragraph about what type of research (undersea or space exploration) they believe the US Government should spend more money on and why.