I. Safety and Evacuation Program
Place the students in groups consisting of 4-5 people. Each group must set up their own safety and evacuation program.
The specific initial instructions for the groups are:
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1. select a specific area (state, city, neighborhood, or school)
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2. find out the population of that specific area
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3. what type of communication set-up would you use to warn of a possible nuclear problem and how to keep the people aware of what’s going on
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4. where would the people go for shelter or how will the people evacuate an area without chaos and panic
This project will make use of the library, the city (census bureau and fall-out shelter locations), and a person involved in public communications.
It also gives the students the chance to experience working within a group.
II. Debates
Some possible issues and topics for debates are:
1. Nuclear proliferation and the third world countries
2. Nuclear energy vs. other energy alternatives
3. How safe is nuclear energy?
4. Fission vs. Fusion
5. American feelings towards nuclear energy
The debates can be set up in various ways:
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(a) split the class into two, assigning one group one view point with the rest of the class taking the opposing view point.
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(b) assign only a few students to prepare a debate while the rest of the class prepare questions and act as judges of the debate.
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(c) set up a debate with another Science class whom are also working on an energy unit.
Again the library would be used for research of the issues.
III. Library—Research
Teaching the students on how to go about doing a research paper. (The English cluster teacher would be a helpful aid).
Using the library for research allows the students to learn how to look up books, magazines, periodicals, and other available equipment.
Possible Research Topics:
1. Three Mile Island
2. “The China Syndrome”
3. The attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor
4. International feelings towards nuclear energy
5. The Trident submarines