Harvesting of Trees: Library Media Center Resources

Goal of the Lesson

• Students will develop their information seeking and technology skills by accessing the Facts.com database for information.

Materials Needed

• instruction sheet (see below) provided by Ms. Baker.

State Standards Addressed: E & E Standards 4.2, 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9

Subjects Covered: environmental science, history, social studies, ethics

Class: environmental science

Topics: trees, logging, forest management, federal land use, ethics, politics. This lesson is intended to support and enhance the topic of "tree harvesting," which has already been introduced to the students by the classroom teacher.

Activity

1. Students will use the instruction sheet provided by Ms. Baker to locate information on the harvesting of trees in the United States.
2. Students will select one article and write a one page summary of the article.
3. Students will also state if they agree or disagree with the article and why.

Assessment

Students will submit the written assignment to the classroom teacher.

Instruction Sheet

1. Go to Facts.com (http://www.2facts.com/stories/mainmenu.asp).
2. Place a checkmark in the "Issues and Controversies" database only.
3. In the search box, enter the words "tree harvesting."
4. Select several articles to read and compare.
5. Choose an article that interests you and decide if you agree or disagree with the article.

Note: There are many sidebars and related articles that you can click on. I recommend that you read some of the related articles to obtain a greater insight into the controversy that surrounds the topic of tree harvesting in the United States.

Author

Louise Baker, library media specialist, North Allegheny Senior High School