The Aral Sea Crisis

Introduction

 

The Aral Sea Crisis

Students of the 9th grade studying the topic of the crisis of the Aral Sea in geography at the state school.

 

Welcome to the Aral Sea WebQuest! In this WebQuest, you will learn about the environmental and ecological issues surrounding the Aral Sea. You will explore the causes and consequences of the shrinking of the Aral Sea, as well as potential solutions to the problem. Get ready to dive into this important environmental issue!

 

Watch the video below to start the lesson:

https://youtu.be/1Odb2anbq84

 

There will be 25 students in the class.

 

Objectives:

 

  1. Understand the causes and consequences of the shrinking of the Aral Sea.
  2. Analyze the impact of the shrinking Aral Sea on the environment and local communities.
  3.  Evaluate potential solutions to the Aral Sea crisis.

 

Task

Tasks:

1. Task 1: Investigating the Causes and Consequences

2. Task 2: Analyzing the Impact on the Environment and Local Communities

3. Task 3: Evaluating Potential Solutions

 

Task Taxonomy:

  • Remembering: Identify the causes of the Aral Sea problem.
  • Understanding: Explain the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis.
  • Applying: Analyze the impact of the Aral Sea disaster on the region.
  • Creating: Generate viable solutions to address the Aral Sea problem.

 

 

Task 1: Investigating the Causes and Consequences

 

Objective: Identify the causes and consequences of the Aral Sea disaster.

Use the provided resources to research and identify the causes of the shrinking of the Aral Sea:

  1. Visit the following link to watch a video on Causes of the Aral Sea Crisis

Documentary video on the shrinking of the Aral Sea:

https://youtu.be/iOfEqXI4G30

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2354074561529874

https://youtu.be/cGXdTEypnso

 

  1. Visit the following link to read an article on the causes of the Aral Sea crisis:

 

 

  1. After reading the article, take the quiz through the following link https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5e90a1d84fcdd8001ba3d057/the-aral-sea-crisis
  2. Create a visual representation or infographic highlighting the main causes of the Aral Sea shrinkage.

Use one of the following tools to create your work:

  • Infogram
  • Piktochart
  • Visme
  • Canva
  1. Present your visual representation to the class or submit it to your teacher for evaluation.

 

Task 2: Analyzing the Impact on the Environment and Local Communities

 

Objective: Students analyze the impact of the shrinking Aral Sea on the environment and local communities.

 

  1. Use the provided resources to research and analyze the impact of the shrinking Aral Sea on the environment and local communities.
  1. Articles and research papers on the impact of the shrinking Aral Sea on the environment and local communities:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Aral-Sea/Environmental-consequences

https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/negative-consequences-of-the-aral-sea-for-central-asia

 

  1.  Interviews with people affected by the Aral Sea crisis:

 

https://youtu.be/pk4v0uu5rkY

 

https://astanatimes.com/2022/11/new-documentary-on-aral-sea-to-explore-hope-and-optimism-through-people-devoted-to-build-better-tomorrow-with-exclusive-film-stills/

 

  1. Write a short essay or create a multimedia presentation discussing the environmental and social consequences of the Aral Sea crisis.

 

Use one of the following tools to write essay - Google docs, to create multimedia presentation-Google slides, Adobe Premier Pro,

  1. Submit your essay or multimedia presentation to your teacher for evaluation.

 

Task 3: Evaluating Potential Solutions

Objective: Evaluate potential solutions to the Aral Sea crisis.

 

  1. Use the provided resources to research and evaluate potential solutions to the Aral Sea crisis.
  1. Reports and studies on potential solutions to the Aral Sea Crisis:

https://emerging-europe.com/news/disruptive-tech-offers-solutions-to-aral-sea-crisis/#:~:text=Disruptive%20tech%20offers%20solutions%20to%20Aral%20Sea%20crisis&text=From%20flowering%20tree%20plantations%20that,rejuvenating%20the%20Aral%20Sea%20region.

 

https://www.undp.org/uzbekistan/blog/transforming-crises-opportunities-aral-sea-region

https://www.usaid.gov/kazakhstan/news/regional-efforts-restore-aral-sea-ecosystem

  1. Expert interviews on possible mitigation strategies:

https://carececo.org/en/main/activity/projects/programma-po-adaptatsii-k-izmeneniyu-klimata-i-smyagcheniyu-ego-posledstviy-dlya-basseyna-aralskogo-/

 

https://elearning.carecinstitute.org/learning-modules/workshops/231.html

 

 

  1. Create a proposal outlining your recommended solution(s) to the problem

Use Google docs to create your proposal outlining.

  1. Present your proposal to the class or submit it to your teacher for evaluation.
  1. Guidelines for creating a proposal presentation:

Use one of the following tools to create the Aral Sea Crisis proposal presentation:

  1. Canva
  2. Powtoon
  3. PowerPoint
  4. Oomfo
  5. Keynote speech
  6. Slide model

 

Process

WebQuest is divided into 3 lessons, each lesson lasts 45 minutes.

 Process:

Lesson 1:

   - Step 1: Use the provided resources to research and identify the causes of the shrinking of the Aral Sea.

   - Step 2: Create a visual representation or infographic highlighting the main causes of the Aral Sea shrinkage.

   - Step 3: Present your visual representation to the class or submit it to your teacher for evaluation.

 

 Lesson 2:

   - Step 1: Use the provided resources to research and analyze the impact of the shrinking Aral Sea on the environment and local communities.

   - Step 2: Write a short essay or create a multimedia presentation discussing the environmental and social consequences of the Aral Sea crisis.

   - Step 3: Submit your essay or multimedia presentation to your teacher for evaluation.

 

 Lesson 3:

   - Step 1: Use the provided resources to research and evaluate potential solutions to the Aral Sea crisis.

   - Step 2: Create a proposal outlining your recommended solution(s) to the problem.

   - Step 3: Present your proposal to the class or submit it to your teacher for evaluation.

   - Step 4: Reflect on the learning experience and discuss the impact of the Aral Sea crisis on a global scale.

Evaluation

Their critical thinking abilities, creativity, and level of active participation in the activity will all be taken into consideration while evaluating them.

Task 1: Investigating the Causes and Consequences

- Accuracy of identified causes: 4 points

- Completeness of visual representation: 4 points

- Presentation quality: 2 points

 

Task 2: Analyzing the Impact on the Environment and Local Communities

- Depth of analysis: 4 points

- Clarity of essay or presentation: 4 points

- Use of supporting evidence: 2 points

 

Task 3: Evaluating Potential Solutions

- Thoroughness of evaluation: 4 points

- Viability of proposed solutions: 4 points

- Presentation quality: 2 points

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Aral Sea WebQuest. Through your research and analysis, you have gained a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of the shrinking Aral Sea, as well as potential solutions to the crisis. By continuing to raise awareness about this issue, we can work towards preserving the environment and supporting affected communities.

Credits

Before I started the WebQuest, I prepared certain questions to be answered throughout lesson

Essential questions:

 

a. What is the main problem of Aral Sea, and how does it affect health?

b. What are the main reason the Aral Sea is vanishing?

c. What are the effects of the Aral Sea shrinking?

d. What are the solutions for reduce the affects of the Aral Sea Crisis?

After the lessons all these questions should be easily answered.

Teacher Page

Teacher Page (Notes):

- Encourage students to critically analyze the information they find and evaluate the credibility of the sources.

- Provide guidance and feedback during the research process to ensure students stay on track and address the objectives.

- Facilitate group discussions and encourage respectful and inclusive collaboration.

- Address any questions or concerns students may have throughout the WebQuest.

- Provide additional guidance and support to students during the WebQuest process.

- Offer assistance in accessing and navigating the provided resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISTE:

- Empowered Learner, Knowledge Constructor, Creative Communicator and Global Collaborator.

 

1. Empowered Learner - Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences. Students:

 

a. Articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.

 

b. Build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.

 

c. Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways

 

3. Knowledge Constructor - Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others. Students:

 

a. Plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

 

b. Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.

 

c. Curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

 

d. Build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

 

6. Creative Communicator - Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students:

 

a. Choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

 

 c. Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

 

 d. Publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

 

7. Global Collaborator - Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. Students:

 

b. Use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

 

 c. Contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

 

d. Explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

 

 

SAMR:

 

- Substitution: Students access online resources to research the Aral Sea disaster.

 

- Augmentation: Students collaborate using online platforms to discuss their findings and interpretations.

 

- Modification: Students create a digital presentation to analyze the impacts and rehabilitation efforts.

 

- Redefinition: Students produce a video or multimedia project to raise awareness about the Aral Sea tragedy and promote sustainable solutions.