C/D Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - Okay, first things first...you have the first block in room 115 to work on/finish your US Southwest (Colorado Basin) city questions for me.
To help:
Phoenix
Las Vegas
The US Sun Belt
With Benton in 145, you'll look at how the ecology of the Colorado River is changing. First we'll study adaptations and the status of endemic/endangered fish populations and secondly we'll look at Tamarisk, an introduced species, to see effects on the river and riparian zone. (What is the value of biodiversity?) From Discover Moab
Riparian lands in the Western U.S. have been severely impacted by many human-related actions, but none so much as the introduction of tamarisk, an invasive and non-native plant. Tamarisk plants hoard light, water and nutrients, and can impact natural systems and destroy native wildlife habitat. The Colorado River Corridor is an ecosystem that has been out of balance for several decades, and now the tamarisk has spread to such an extent that it has effectively altered the natural functions and processes of the ecosystem. The issue is widespread and complex, and there are no easy answers or solutions.
For more on the Tamarisk check out:
The Battle Over the Tamarisk Tree: Ecologists seek balance as one non-native species eradicates another.
Photos: Colorado River battle against a serious enemy -- invasive tamarisk
NPS Grand Canyon Exotic Tamarisk Management
You'll have the second block in the library/learning commons for your final preparations for our Colorado River Round Table activity...Your assignment is to participate in a round table discussion about what a renegotiated Colorado River water compact should include, today. This is a discussion not necessarily a debate, so listening is really important. Listening is an essential skill and an important element of any discussion. Effective listeners don't just hear what is being said - they think about it and actively process it. So,
- Be an active listener and don't let your attention drift. Stay attentive and focus on what is being said.
- Identify the main ideas being discussed.
- Evaluate what is being said. Think about how it relates to the main idea/ theme of the discussion.
- Listen with an open mind and be receptive to new ideas and points of view. Think about how they fit in with what you have already learned.
- Test your understanding. Mentally paraphrase what other speakers say.
- Ask yourself questions as you listen.
- Take notes about things to which you could respond or that can be added to your knowledge.
If you find it difficult to participate in seminar discussions, set yourself goals and aim to increase your contribution. An easy way to participate is to add to the existing discussion. Start by making small contributions: agree with what someone has said or; ask them to expand on their point (ask for an example or for more information); prepare a question to ask beforehand; answer question(s) put to the group; provide an example for a point under discussion; or disagree with a point.
I know it's for job interviews but this is a good video to help clarify a few things:
- What re-allocation schemes are feasible (doable)?
- What changes regarding allocations and water rights should be made?
- How would these changes impact other stakeholders?
- Are all the many uses of the Colorado River compatible? If not, what should the priorities be and why?
- Are there fair ways to move water from one use to another?
A Block Legal Studies - Today will be our last day in the learning commons for our Human Rights poster. I have poster paper for your Human Rights project and I'll give you the paper once I've seen your ideas (a rough sketch). Remember you need to create a visually appealing Human Rights Campaign Poster that addresses the human rights violation by incorporating key information (What is happening? Where is it taking place? What rights are being violated? Who is having their rights violated? Why are their rights being violated?) as well as pictures, symbols, and colours. Your poster should seek to draw the attention of the public through the balanced combination of text and visuals in a creative, yet educational manner!
Here are some video examples of Human Rights Advocacy campaigns
B Block Human Geography - Today we'll look at the Key Issue "Why Does Development Vary among Countries"? To do this we'll look at the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI is a composite index measuring average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development:
- a long and healthy life,
- knowledge and
- a decent standard of living
Earth’s nearly 200 countries can be classified according to their level of development, which is the process of improving the material conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology. This is not necessarily about what makes people happy (The World Happiness Report) The development process is continuous, involving never-ending actions to constantly improve the health and prosperity of the people. Every place lies at some point along a continuum of development.
What pattern do you recognize in the map of LDC's below?
Given what you just learned about demography...why do you think this pattern exists?
You'll have two really big thinking questions to work on for me connected to this topic:
- If you were to create an index of development, what indicators would you use, and why (look at the UN HDI Indicators for Canada in the week 7 booklet)? How would you weigh each indicator? Could your index be used around the world, or would it be mostly relevant to our society?
- The HDI is used to measure development at a whole-country level. Is it adequate to measure development within a country? Why or why not? (Another way of thinking about this: Are there minority groups that may be “glossed over” by the HDI?
Today's Fit...
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