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Activities,
discussion guides, tip sheets, assessments — these downloads
can help you and your students make the most of Explore More. This
section contains materials you can download and use in your classroom.
Some of these are .html files and others are .pdf files.
A
Note on Portable Document Format (PDF) Files
The .pdf files require Adobe Acrobat Reader. (Download a free
copy of Acrobat Reader.) We have tried to minimize the
size of the files, but .pdf files can take a few moments to download.
Explore
More Guides to Critical Thinking
Video
Resources
DVD
Resources
Web
Site Resources
Iowa
Communications Network (ICN) Information
Student
Projects
Explore More Web Site Lexile Measures
Explore
More Guides to Critical Thinking
These Tip Sheets help students visualize their thinking and learning
processes. Whether it’s investigating issues, making decisions,
viewing media, or presenting an argument, students get bogged down
with details and need help sorting out the process. The Tip Sheets
should help them "see" their thinking and work through the steps
of putting their thoughts together.
 Reading
Online |
These
tips for students help them prepare using basic "getting-ready-to-learn"
strategies such as identifying their purpose for reading and
previewing the Web site for key organizational features. The
rest of the process is marked by examination, summarization,
critical review, and usage of their new learning.
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| Viewing
Media |
These
tips help students become savvy media consumers. The three
stages of preparing, viewing, and reflecting prompt students
to be purposeful, observant, active, and critical while using
media.
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| Investigating
an Issue |
Help
students investigate issues by discovering and defining the
issue, writing an issue statement for investigation, delving
deep into the issue and its related problems, and responding
to the issue.
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| Making
a Decision |
These
tips help students identify situations requiring a decision,
examine previous related decisions, evaluate information and
possible alternatives, consider motivations for alternatives,
and make an informed decisions based on their experiences
with the content.
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| Experimenting
and Inquiring |
Students
interpret findings, reformulate new hypotheses, and present
alternative explanations and conclusions.
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| Comparing
and Contrasting |
Students
use mental processes that sort relevant and important relationships
and qualitative and quantitative data.
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| Presenting
an Argument |
Students
evaluate arguments, question claims, identify logical structures,
and analyze the validity of arguments. Students will build
a logical and reasonable case, construct logical and reasonable
arguments, and then analyze those arguments and evidence for
validity.
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| Solving
a Problem |
These
tips take students through basic trouble-shooting and problem-solving
techniques such as alternative courses of action, prediction
of likely consequences, selection of the most appropriate
strategy, examination of complex real-world situations, and
evaluating and recommending the feasibility of various solutions.
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Video
Resources
The Explore More feature videos give the big picture, increase awareness,
and facilitate discussion with thought-provoking issues and expert
interviews. Each 30-minute video introduces compelling issues, surveys
stakeholders and experts in the field, and presents thoughtful questions
to challenge students.
DVD
Resources
Critical
thinking skills are at their best as students tackle the tough issues
featured on the Explore More DVDs. Students explore and investigate
timely issues with a DVDquest—a problem-based learning challenge.
Students interact with the content, with experts, and with each
other as they consider thought-provoking questions, explore compelling
issues, review expert interviews, and solve complex problems.
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Genetic
Engineering DVDquest
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Students
are lobbyists representing citizens who want the government
to create laws about genetic engineering and make recommendations
for legislators to develop into policy.
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The
Future of Energy DVDquest
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Appointed
by the governor to head up an energy task force to advise
the leadership of your state, your students research current
and future energy issues and to create a plan to use the best
combination of available energy resources.
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Water
Quality DVDquest
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As concerned
citizens living in an agricultural town along a mid-sized
river used for recreational purposes, students create a community-wide
plan for the city that would address stakeholders’ needs
while solving water quality problems.
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Working
Landscapes DVDquest
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Students
inherit land in the heart of the Loess Hills of western Iowa
and plan a healthy working that successfully balances social,
ecological, and economic needs.
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Web
Site Resources
Explore More Mini WebQuests
Mini WebQuests are short Web-based activities used to acquaint students
with the Explore More Web sites. These Mini WebQuests are much like
scavenger hunts and prepare students to take on the other, larger
WebQuests with greater confidence. Students must explore many different
parts of the site to find the answers.
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Explore
More: Genetic Engineering Mini WebQuest
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Students
explore the uses, methods, and future possibilities of genetic
engineering.
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Explore
More: The Future of Energy Mini WebQuest
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Students
explore various types of fuels, sources of energy, electricity
generation, availability of energy, infrastructure, emissions,
conservation, and more.
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Explore
More: Water Quality Mini WebQuest
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Students
explore water uses and pollutants, water treatment, hydrologic
modification, and the hydrologic cycle.
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Explore
More: Working Landscapes Mini WebQuest
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Students
explore the basic components of a working landscape, economic
development, urban sprawl, and the characteristics of the
Loess Hills.
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Explore
More News WebQuests
Using the Explore More News WebQuests, students will narrow their
focus and investigate a compelling issue of their choice. Calling
upon stakeholders in engineering, research, natural resources, and
policies, students survey the experts for informed opinions as they
support their research and write their own investigative news articles
of the issues of their time. By completing these WebQuests, students
will create a feature article or a full news edition that determines
the right energy mix for our future.
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Explore
More News (Short Term)
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This
short problem-solving exercise familiarizes students with
the background and issues of the Explore More topics. Students
play the role of a newspaper reporter for the Explore More
News. They research an issue that interests them and write
one of the following articles:
A general
news article
A human
interest article
An issue
article
This
WebQuest works for any of the four Explore More topics (Genetic
Engineering, The Future of Energy, Working Landscapes,
Water Quality). Plan on at least two class periods
to complete this quest.
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Explore
More News WebQuest Assessment Rubric (Short Term)
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This
rubric for the short term WebQuest helps students get organized
and record their progress. It includes a checklist to record
progress and a rubric to evaluate work. Students will learn
about an issue related to one of the Explore More Web sites
and create one Explore More News newspaper article.
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Explore
More News WebQuest (Long Term)
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This
problem-solving exercise immerses students in the facts, issues,
viewpoints, and opinions of the Explore More topics. Students
play the role of newspaper reporter for the Explore More
News. They research an issue that interests them and write
five articles:
A general
news article
A human
interest article
An issue
article
An editorial
A letter
to the editor
This
WebQuest works for any of the four Explore More topics (Genetic
Engineering, The Future of Energy, Working Landscapes,
Water Quality). Plan on at least four class periods
to complete this quest.
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Explore
More News WebQuest Assessment Rubric (Long Term)
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This
rubric for the long term WebQuest helps students get organized
and record their progress. It includes a checklist to record
progress and a rubric to evaluate their work. Students will
learn about an issue related to one of the Explore More Web
sites and create an Explore More News newspaper section that
contains five types of newspaper articles.
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Iowa Communications
Network (ICN) Information
If you are an Iowa educator, you probably have access to an Iowa
Communications Network (ICN) video classroom. Even if it’s
not your first time in an ICN classroom, these documents will help
you feel comfortable with the controls. These "tricks of the trade" will help make the experience more enjoyable for both you and your
students. The ICN classroom can be an excellent tool for presenting
student projects.
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Tips
for Using the ICN
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These
"tricks of the trade" will help make the experience
more enjoyable for both you and your students.
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ICN
Basics Handbook
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This
is a handbook of classroom basics of standard and optional
equipment, how the equipment works (including the touchscreen,
monitors, cameras, microphones, and fiber phone), copyright
issues, and scheduling an ICN classroom.
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Student
Projects
Motivation, relevance and context, higher-order thinking, learning
how to learn, and authenticity all describe problem-based learning.
As students are faced with a problem to solve, they may also be
faced with the challenge of how to communicate their answers in
a coherent, effective presentation. These resources are specifically
developed for student presentations.
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Ten
Preparation Steps for a Successful Group Presentation
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This
step-by-step guide helps students create engaging group presentations.
The guide takes your students through the research, writing,
production, presentation, and self-assessment process. The
ten steps take students through the planning, writing, rehearsing,
and presenting stages to help them be well prepared, know
what they will say, and deliver their message in the most
effective way possible
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Student
Production Assessment Framework
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Used
in tandem with the Ten Preparation Steps for a Successful
Group Presentation, this framework gives students a clear
idea of what is expected of them and how to assess their own
skill level. The framework explains what is expected, what
needs to be done to satisfy the expectations, and what are
suggestions for improvement could satisfy the expectations.
The skills evaluated within this framework are delivery, presentation
aids, content, and sources.
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Explore More Web Site Lexile Measures
Genetic Engineering
The Future of Energy
Water Quality
Working Landscapes |
The Lexile Framework for Reading® is a tool that makes it possible to place readers and text on the same scale. The Lexile Framework gives teachers a "map" of reading materials that are well suited to their students at specific skill levels. These handouts list the Lexile measures for each main article on the Explore More Web sites. |
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