You will be working together as a group exploring web sites that have been selected. You should start with the pages that are labelled 'Background Information' before dividing into groups. Each group has their own Task to complete and a separate set of web sites to use. There is a task organizer and an evaluation rubric in Background Information to guide your work.

Phase 1 - Background Information
These sites are important because they will provide basic information about the topic as a whole. Everyone should explore these sites before starting your Task. Make sure to check out the marking rubric before you start, it will help guide your work and act as a way to check you have completed the task!

• Ajax open house
• Mining
• Marking Rubric

Phase 2 - Roles
These roles were chosen because they each define the most important elements of Local Ecosystems. Each of you has been assigned a particular role with links and instructions below. Here are the general instructions for all of you. Please see your specific instructions and questions below.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Each webquest group of three has been assigned to 'Opposed to the mine' or 'Supporter of the mine.' Within your group you will each be responsible for one particular aspect of this category. The three aspects are:
1) Economy
2) Health
3) Environment

2. Read through the files designated for your group. You can print out pages and underline the parts that you feel are important or cut and paste from the webpage into a word processor. Remember, if you cut and paste you must put the information into your own words and reference where you obtained the information.

3. Remember to include the URL of the page you take information from so you can return to it and use it as a citation.

4. Focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers the Big Quest(ion) or Task.

Opposed to the mine:

• Ajax mine will cost Kamloops big time.
• Effects of Mining on the Environment
• Stop Ajax Mine

This mine will tear your city apart, leaving it in shambles and forcing families to move out. Your client had no choice but to try to put a stop to this project.

Using the website links, or any other website that is approved by your teacher, answer the following questions:

1. What negative effects will the mine have on the environment?

2. What negative effects will the mine have on the economy?

3. What negative effects will the mine have on our health?

4. How will the mine negatively effect your daily living?

5. How has the proposed mine affected your community, both socially (what you talk about at the dinner table) and emotionally? (how would you live with this mine in your backyard...would you have to move away from your friends???)

6. Your client destroyed all of the plans for the mine - how did they do it? Create a scenario in which they may, or may not be guilty...

7. What are the three main points you believe the supporters of the mine will use? How can you argue against these points using evidence?

Supporter of the mine:

• Ajax mine office opens
• Love thy neighbour

This mine will be a great boost to the city of Kamloops. Not only will it create 400 new jobs, but it will bring people into the city and help shape the city of Kamloops. Your client had to push the decision through to get the mine approved, whether everyone agreed or not. Use the links provided or any other teacher approved link to answer the following questions:

1. Will the mine have any negative effects on the environment? Is there any proof it will be bad for the environment?

2. What economic benefits will the mine bring into the city? How many jobs will it create? How many families will it bring into the city? How much money will these new people spend in the city of Kamloops?

3. Are there any real health concerns with the new mine or is it just people being scared of the word 'mine.'

4. What positive effects could the mine have on your daily living? (a job for a parent, family or friends moving to town in order to work there, more money at home to use on things...ect.)

5. How has the proposed mine affected your community, both socially (what you talk about at the dinner table) and emotionally? (how could the mine improve your life...new friends moving to town, more 'things' in your neighborhood such as stores, theatres etc.)

6. Your client rigged the vote and had it pass with flying colours - how did they do it? Create a scenario in which they may, or may not be guilty...

7. What are the three main points you believe the supporters of the mine will use? How can you argue against these points using evidence?

Individual research and questions:

• Ajax mine will cost Kamloops
• City of Kamloops
• Mine information centre

Use these links for your research. They should help you build a case for either supporter or opposition...it all depends on how you look at the facts sometimes ;-)

Video links:

• Video created regarding the mine

Use this link to view a video which, although it seems mainly like an opposition video, it does provide some good facts for the supporters as well!

Small group consensus:

Now that you are finished with your individual research and have all answered questions that touch on all aspects of how the mine may affect our city, your job as an assigned group of 3 is to come up with posterboard that touches on all of your major arguments for each of the 3 categories (health, economy and environment). You have already done the research so now it will just be a matter of giving the 3 top reasons as to why you support or oppose the mine. You must give reasons for your choices and support your opinions with prior research. Include pictures and references, as well as possible quotes or newspaper articles.

Whole group consensus:

After all groups have finished their posters, the supporters will meet in a big group, as will the opposition. Your job will be to take everyone's opinion into consideration and prepare for the debate. You must create a chart - one side with arguments that support your opinion and the other side will be used to list the possible arguments of the opposing point of view. You must think of ways in which you can counter their arguments with evidence. Your job is to make the other group consider their arguments and decide which side of the debate they are really on! Each group will elect a recorder who will write down the key arguments for your team or supporters or opposition. You must also nominate members that will be ready to speak to specific points during the debate, although each member of the group should be ready and able to contribute to the discussion.

Phase 3 - Reaching Consensus
After you have completed the whole group consensus we will have a class debate in which we will create two circles, each circle will have their own viewpoint. The inside circle will do the talking first while the outside circle must only listen. They will have the opportunity to switch positions so they are able to present their viewpoint and respond to the opposition. The goal is not necessarily to reach consensus but bring to light that there are two sides to every story; your job is simple to decide what side makes most sense to you based on the information both sides have presented.

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Conclusion

So is an elephant smooth, rough, soft, or hard? Well, when you're blindfolded and only 'looking' at one part, it's easy to come up with an answer that may not be completely right. It's the same for understanding a topic as broad or complex as Local Ecosystems: when you only know part of the picture, you only know part of the picture. Now you all know a lot more. Nice work. You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of Local Ecosystems could still be explored? Did this exercise change your view of the proposed mine? If so, how did it do this?

Write a response that includes a brainstorm web as to which side of the argument you are on now. Is it the same side you were assigned to for the debate? Give your top three reasons as to why you would support or oppose the mine with details and facts for support.

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Content by pacway, cgrimm@sd73.bc.ca http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/weblocalecpa.html Last revised Wed Jan 25 21:49:10 US/Pacific 2012