7Feb Topic discussion

Good morning team,

In the spirit of dialog, here’s what I’m thinking about our AL final project. I like both ideas, but am leaning towards folding renewable energy into the Geo-detective idea instead of having it stand alone.

I think it’s more meaningful to study energy within the context of life stories and locations. It’s a topic that’s very popular right now (i.e. Solar Decathlon, etc.) and I don’t know how our idea could cut through as being special enough to be successful. Do I sound too defeated on that? I’m open to your ideas...

So I’m thinking about the Geo Detective theme, and challenging us to weave energy information/carbon footprint information into the whole of our planned journey and curriculum:

The Pipestone and Northern Plains Route:
If we stick with land routes, I still like the idea of going to Pipestone, but am wondering where the journey would go from there? (It would be fab to do the Grand Canyon and other western sites, but it’s a long long way to travel for our experts in the field.) We could do a northern plains route? Go to S.D., cross over the Lewis and Clark Trail and visit an archaeological dig where they’re uncovering dinosaur bones... Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands? Have our explorers on horseback traveling part of the Fort Pierre-Deadwood Trail?

Sustainability/Energy info: Pipestone has wind farms... that region is a hotbed of wind industry activity, right? We could easily incorporate renewable energy into the Pipestone lesson plans. Wind and sun are rich resources of the region...

Preliminary inquiry based ideas:
What is the story of the land/geology of the northern plains?
What are the stories of the people?
How have/do people affected the land and sustainability?
What do renewable energy resources mean to the northern plains region?

Open for discussion - audrey

p.s.
Side Question:
Are you both familiar with either of these two classic Holling C. Holling children’s books? Minn of the Mississippi and Paddle to the Sea?

They are journey books. Minn is a turtle that travels the Mississippi River to the Gulf (though I can’t remember if she makes it!), and Paddle to the sea involves a carved 12 inch canoe with a Native Am. Figure, begins in a river that eventually leads him to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and finally the Atlantic Ocean.

The books bring in geography, geology, sociology, history... Similar to our Geo Detective idea.

I mention them because of their hook/interesting routes. Do either appeal to you? Great Lakes or Mississippi River? Both routes involve Minnesota obviously, so we could still create a lesson plan that is Minnesota based if traveling by water makes more sense than the Northern Plains idea...