A Procedural Mini-Lesson on Writing an Essay on Energy Resources in Connecticut
I. Connection: Answer the following questions to stimulate your ideas and to help you make connections.
- How did you use energy this morning when you made your way out of your home and came to school?
- Where did this energy come from?
- What was the ultimate source of this energy? What kind of fuel was burned to generate the energy?
II. Teach: (Using guided practice.) The following are guidelines for writing an essay based on your previous work of graphing energy usage in CT from an excel spreadsheet.
Please take out your graphs and data table from yesterday. Notice how, over the past 40 years, some sources of energy in Connecticut have been used extensively and some have not. The use of some has grown over time and the used of others has not changed much or has declined.
Your task today is to write an essay about just one of these sources of energy and how it has been used over the past 40 years in Connecticut.
First you must research the energy source you pick. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this source of energy? Does this source of energy support Connecticut’s initiative to reduce CO2 emissions by this year?
Remember to use reliable internet sources and to develop a reference list in MLA format!
Your essay should discuss the following things:
- A paragraph on the benefits of this energy source.
- A paragraph on the disadvantages of this energy source.
- A paragraph describing how this source of energy has been used in CT over the past 40 years. Use observations from your graph. Interpret your data.
- A paragraph describing your prediction of how this source of energy will be used in the future and why. Tell me if you think using this energy source supports our initiative to reduce CO2 emissions.
- A concluding paragraph which states your main points.
III. Active Engagement: Are there any questions about the assignment?
IV. Link: In this unit on Environmental Chemistry we have been discussing the combustion of fossil fuels and the impact that using them as an energy source has on our environment. As the accident in the Gulf illustrates, our heavy reliance on fossil fuels has detrimental effects on the environment in the air, water, and land. This accident has happened just recently, but we have been burning fossil fuels for 150 years. Should we continue to rely on fossil fuels as an energy source or encourage the development of cleaner alternatives which have less of an impact on the environment?
V. Writing and Conferencing: Now you have the opportunity to work on your research and write your essay. I encourage you to stay on task, to use reliable sources and to maintain your reference section.
VI. Sharing: You have an opportunity to share with each other your work and to get feedback on the content and writing skill involved after completing the essay by myself and other students by posting your essay on this blog as a comment! Good luck!
Wow! As a science teacher this is a great lesson! I personally like how you have integrated the writing directly into the content. Well Done!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Allison. What I didn't do and I want to correct, is to address it directly to the student. Now that I reread it, I realize I wrote it in the spirit of writing directions to a substitute. Now I have to figure out how to edit my entry ..... and the learning continues ....
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone, I revised my mini-lesson. Could you proof read it for me and tell me where I might add details?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you outlined the essay for your students; it provides a very clear picture of your expectations for this piece. ...I'm actually thinking that this is an area that's lacking in my own mini-lesson writing assignment. Thanks for the model and reminder!
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple of thoughts:
ReplyDeleteHow will you prswent the connection quetions at the begging? YOu could have them written on the board or powerpoint, or you could have them on a slip that you pass out to them.
Also, how do you want them to respond? In written or oral form? In groups, in pairs or in whole class discussion?
One note on the essay they have to write- I would definitely give them a minumum number of relaible internet resources. You may be looking for 2 or 10, but the students need to know so that they don't do too many or too few.
Thanks Elisha. You make some really good points. I'm going to use them now when I revise.
ReplyDelete