Save the planet! - webquest

Your help is needed! It is the year 2035 and your team has been selected to find ideas to save our planet. The top leading scientists from around the world have been trying to reduce the "greenhouse effect” which will destroy the Earth in one week. You have to learn about climate change and to find urgent solutions to the problem.

 

I)                    VOCABULARY ON THE ENVIRONMENT, DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE:

Translate the following words into English:

tempête/orage                          tornade=                      ouragan=              inondation=                               sécheresse=                 raz de marée=                  séisme=                                   

une urgence=

réchauffement climatique=                  effet de serre=                                              désertification=                                  déforestation=                                           pollution=                                           espèces en voie d’extinction=

http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blwordgroups_environment.htm

http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/science/enviro/vocab/

http://www.wordreference.com/fr/

II)                  EARTH ISSUES:

Match the pictures to the corresponding legend:

air pollution/ garbage/ global warming/ water pollution/ deforestation/ endangered species

I)                    GLOBAL WARMING:

Note down the definition of “global warming”=

http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=global%20warming

Can you name at least four signs of global warming?

http://www.climatehotmap.org/

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/interactive/interactive.html

http://www.suite101.com/content/signs-of-global-warming-a257577

What are the causes of global warming?

http://planetsave.com/2009/06/07/global-warming-effects-and-causes-a-top-10-list/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes/

http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

Here is an extract of a video about global warming by Matt Groening (the creator of the Simpsons). What phenomenon do the green characters represent?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHaS_eRRBFY&feature=related

II)                  WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF NOTHING IS DONE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSDYOQdNd4s

Watch the video entitled “Seal the Deal” and complete the sentences ‘if we don’t act now...”

If we don’t act now...............................................................................

If we don’t act now...............................................................................

If we don’t act now...............................................................................

Make up a sentence like these ones

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/earthday/heal.htm

If I could heal the planet, I would...

 

III)                WHAT CAN WE DO? GREEN TIPS:

Here are a few ideas to save energy: select three tips and note them down below:

http://www.planetpals.com/partnerenergy.html

1

2

3

How do you say “développement durable” in English, and what does that mean?

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sustainable_development

 

What does the expression “the 3rs” mean?  

R =                                            R =                                         R =

http://ollierecycles.com/uk/html/reduce.html

How green are you? There are lots of things you can do to help save energy and water in your home, and to make your home greener. Try a quiz and find out how green you are.

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/fun-games/how-green-are-you

 

 

 

If the topic is of any interest to you, you can have a look at the following video which tackles the problem of water pollution in the Atlantic ocean (Garbage island). You can find the script of the video below it.

http://www.newsy.com/videos/garbage-island-found-in-atlantic-ocean/

 

Some of the websites and questions used to create this webquest were adapted from http://www.michellehenry.fr/earthwq.htm