US History Debate: Underwater Exploration vs. Space Exploration
Focus
Grade Level
Focus Question
United States History
11th Grade
Is underwater or space exploration more important for
America to invest in in the 21st century?
Learning Objectives:
NC State Objective and Goal Being Addressed:
Objective 12.03-Identify and assess the impact of social,
political, and cultural changes in the U.S.
Objective 12.04-Identify and assess the impact of social,
political, and cultural changes in the United States.
Learner Objective(s): At the completion of this lesson,
students will be able to:
Identify why Aquarius was built in the first place, and identify
further research that could be done underwater in the future.
Students will partake in a debate in the classroom about
whether they believe space research or underwater research
is more important for the future.
Materials
Audio/Visual Materials
Teaching Time
Seat Arrangement
Maximum Number of Students
Background Information (Prior Knowledge)
-Computer/ Power Point
-Writing utensils
-Paper
Power Point with pictures of Aquarius, and background
information.
1 hour and 15 minutes total
**I will tell students to prepare for the debate by doing
individual research on their assigned topic the night before
the debate.
15 minutes to teach about Aquarius
5 minutes for students to tell their group what they’ve
learned from individual research the night before, and
come up with a consensus of how they feel.
15 minutes for Students to formulate ideas in two
different groups about why they believe space or sea
research is more important in the 21st century
40 minutes for students to debate back and forth why they
chose sea or space research—Students will be assigned to
groups the day before the debate, so they have that night
to research. I will put the two topics-space and
underwater- in a bucket for them to come up and draw
from. I will have enough slips for each topic for the class to
be divided evenly. Even if they don’t agree with which side
they got, I believe there are enough positive things about
each type of exploration for them to formulate ideas.
5 minutes to regroup, and reiterate what was learned
Two half circles of desks for each side of the debate
20 students or less- if there are more students than this,
then I might have to break each side in half and have two
separate debates going on.
Students should have a basic knowledge of sea and space
US History Debate: Underwater Exploration vs. Space Exploration
exploration since they had the night before to research
their topic. Students should also already be familiar with
issues in our country regarding the quest for more oil in
our oceans. In addition, before the debate I will go over
what Aquarius is, and so it will be fresh in their minds.
Students should have prior knowledge of space
exploration after learning about the Space Race and the
Space Shuttle Program.
Opening Activity
Learning Procedure ( Activity)
Connections to Other Subjects
Closing Activity and Assignment
How will you get the students engaged and involved in today’s
lesson right away? I will open the activity by asking the
class if they know of anywhere in the world where people
live underwater. This will propel the class into a
conversation about how underwater living spaces could
be possible, and open the floor for me to tell them about
Aquarius. I will then show the class pictures of Aquarius
and tell them about research being conducted there.
After that, I will tell my students that they are going to
have to choose whether they believe Space or
Underwater Exploration is more important in our current
times. Explain why you chose to implement this activity. I will
explain that I chose to implement this activity because I
want students to debate each other about the two types
or explorations taking place during our lifetimes.
Students should be able to realize different benefits and
drawbacks to both sea and space exploration.
The actual activity will be a debate about whether Sea or
Space Exploration is more valuable to us in the 21st
century. I will give them some ideas as to why both are
important such as alternative fuels undersea, or life on
other planets in space in addition to the ideas they should
already have from their research. Once students have
formulated their ideas, we will regroup as a class and I will
ask questions relating to certain topics having to do with
America’s future and how these different types of
exploration can either enhance or hinder it. There will be a
total of 10 questions with each side getting two minutes
allotted to making their point.
This lesson is connected to science in addition to history
because of the research being done both underwater and
in space.
How will you wrap up your lesson? I will wrap up the lesson
by saying that both sides have made valid points about
their respective kinds of exploration. I will also add that
no side could win, because only time will be able to tell
which exploration we benefit more from. What is the
timeframe for closing activity/assignment? The timeframe for
closing the activity will be about 5 minutes How will you
review the material presented? I will review the material
US History Debate: Underwater Exploration vs. Space Exploration
presented by asking the class what they would most like
to see come out of research being done on Aquarius. How
will you keep all students actively involved until the end of class?
We will continue the class discussion about possible
discoveries until the end of class.
Assessment
How will you verify that students have accomplished your
objectives and met the standards (your assessment)? To assess
that my students have gained an understanding of
Aquarius, I will have them write a paragraph about what
type of research (undersea or space exploration) they
believe the US Government should spend more money on
and why.