Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Debate

Today our fifth graders took part in a class debate, which we have spent weeks preparing for.  The debate was on the topic of solutions to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Area.  Leading up to the debate our students studied the effects of various groups of people on the watershed: waterman, recreational boaters, dairy farmers, land developers, and ordinary citizens.  Each group had to determine one major way they contribute to the pollution problem of the bay, along with three solutions, the pros and cons of the solutions, and lastly trade-offs they would make with other groups in order to clean up the bay.

Yesterday groups presented their findings.  While listening, the viewing groups had to take careful notes on what they heard.  Many students took note of items they wanted to further discuss/debate.  This morning, when our students arrived, we transformed our room into a "community hall."  As you can see in the picture, groups had designated areas, where they could easily see and listen to each other.

The debate went so well that an hour and a half into it, students were floored that they had debated so long, and upset to take a snack and bathroom break.  When returning, they began firing away at each other, once again.  We ended up debating this morning, staying on topic, from 7:45 to 10:45 (with a 15 minute break).  Talk about stamina!  These kids love a good debate!

Following the debate, students "voted" on the trade-offs we chose.  We used a Google Form, which works much the same as a Survey Monkey.  We are in the process of counting up all of the votes, but at first glance, it appears as though all of our trade-offs passed unanimously.

Great day in the classroom.  Excellent "hands-on" learning experience for all!  

...AND THE RESULTS ARE IN:

(Screencast created with Screenr: www.screenr.com)

We used a Google Form to gather "votes" after our debate.  Below is the form we used: