Information about Reaction Writing Piece - Including Rubric

You are going to write a short reaction piece based on the material we've examined and discussed on world water issues.


Your writing will include two main sections. First a short summary of the material we've looked at (written and film) and of the important things from class discussion for you. Second will be a reaction to the material and ideas, including how convinced you are by the material. The reaction should be connected to the summary (focus your summary on the parts that are important for your reaction). For your reaction, think about the importance and implications of the ideas on the world, and on you personally.


You should also have a short introduction and conclusion paragraph.


Formative Assessment: You'll be asked to hand in your writing twice. The first time (Mon 28th) will allow you to get some feedback from Dan to help you improve your reaction paper. The same assessment scheme will be used for this first formative assessment, and for the second final assessment.


Rubric: This rubric will show you how your writing will be evaluated.
Rubric for Reaction Writing




After the final evaluation, anyone who wishes can have their piece published here and on scribd.com if they wish. 

Water Issues

I just want to make some of the resources used in our discussions on water issues available to you. 


The "Bottled Water Myth Versus Reality" printout.


The transcript for the video "The Story of Bottled Water"


And here is the video, "The Story of Bottled Water"




(or click here to see the video on the main website)


And here is a short article on why we should ban bottled water from Dan's university campus. It very much just repeats the things we've been talking about, but it's another example of people being concerned about this issue lately.


If you want a copy of the short Segerfeldt article "Private Water Saves Lives" that we used in conjunction with the Myth vs. Reality article, just let me know and I'll get you a copy. 


And here's the Amnesty International article mentioned in the comments below! 

Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

This is related to our first main topic of environmental issues, and since it was brought up in class a bit on Monday I thought I'd post some of the resources I've come across. This is an interesting story for the world, and especially for us because we live so close to the area affected. I've also heard that Korean disaster response teams were among the very first to arrive in Japan to help!


Here is an interesting but very sad set of interactive photos. Scroll the mouse over the images to slide between the before images and the after ones.
Click here to see them.


Here are some videos related to the event, and connected to a map of Japan. Click here.


This is an Australian news site that continues to post updates including photos and video related to the disaster. Click here if you're interested in browsing through it.  


I also came across this article from the CBC. It's related to the stock market in Japan. I usually find the most interesting parts of these articles to be the comments from the public. CBC articles tend to attract quite a mix of ignorant and informed people, which can make for interesting conversation, though it can also be quite frustrating. Anyway, if you're interested, click here to read the article.


If anyone finds anything else they feel should be added here, do feel free to let me know!