Introduction
Hello and welcome to your base of operations, environmentalists!
As time passes and societies grow, so does the disregard and disrespect towards the environment and its needs. Our desire to achieve further development and progress has led us down this path where nature, its species and ultimately the world are in danger. Fortunately, there is still hope, as today you will go on a fun online exploration to discover some of the consequences of the human action on the environment.
By the end of this mission you will not only understand more about these dangers but you will also be able to use the vocabulary learnt in your writing and speech.
Task
Your goal is to:
Identify all the 9 environment related words hidden behind the riddles;
Explain, by your own words, what each disaster means;
Create 4 sentences with each one containing one of these words.
Choose one other environment related word you found during your exploration not present in the list and build one riddle for it.
Tip: Focus on the main parts of each link.
Process
ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
1 - For many centuries I was part of nature’s rhythm,
but humans have made me stronger than ever.
My influence is felt everywhere:
In some places I bring more water, while in others I make it disappear.
Every time you burn oil, you make me grow stronger,
and in return I make you feel as if you are in a greenhouse.
I do not arrive in a single moment,
yet the entire planet feels my effects.
What am I?
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1131132
https://www.climate.gov/ghg/what-are-greenhouse-gases-and-why-do-they-matter
https://iere.org/how-do-fossil-fuels-impact-the-environment/
2 - I rise from human progress,
carried by many things, including ash.
I am both visible and invisible at the same time,
slowly weakening the balance of life around the planet
and making ecosystems struggle beneath my presence.
If humans remain exposed to me for too long,
I can cause diseases and conditions
such as asthma and heart failure.
Humans create me constantly,
yet few realise how far I can travel.
What am I?
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/biology/major-threats-to-biodiversity-and-conservation/
https://iere.org/how-do-humans-affect-the-environment/
https://maweb.org/which-pollution-is-the-most-dangerous/
3 - I spread silently across the Earth,
not through water or fire,
but through absence.
Humans accelerate my growth
through careless use of the land,
though my damage often takes years to fully appear.
No green thing grows under my watch,
and little life remains where I stand.
Every year on June 17,
the world is reminded that I continue to spread.
What am I?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG9y_QvermQ
https://www.wri.org/insights/causes-and-effects-soil-erosion-and-how-prevent-it
https://www.rainforestconcern.org/understandingrainforest/deforestation
https://earth.org/95-of-the-earths-soil-on-course-to-be-degraded-by-2050/
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
4 - I am not a law,
yet the future of the planet depends on me.
I ask humanity to live wisely in the present
without stealing from those who will come next.
In 1987, a report called Our Common Future
helped give shape to the principles behind me.
Governments discuss me,
scientists defend me,
and ordinary people can support me through simple daily actions.
What am I?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GGyroh7poo
https://www.are.admin.ch/en/1987-brundtland-report
5 - In some places I arrive with sunlight,
while elsewhere wind, water or heat make me stronger.
Geography shapes the form I take,
because different regions of the planet call upon me in different ways.
I move silently through modern cities,
travelling through cables, batteries and engines,
helping new vehicles travel without smoke.
Many believe I may one day reduce humanity’s dependence
on the fuels of the past.
What am I?
https://www.energy.gov/topics/solar-energy
https://greenbusinessbarbados.com/which-areas-are-most-suitable-for-wind-power.html
https://carsbibles.com/what-type-of-energy-do-electric-cars-use/
6 - I return what human destruction often removes.
Where land once stood empty or endangered,
I slowly invite life back again.
Through me, the atmosphere can breathe more easily,
as more carbon dioxide is absorbed
and more oxygen released into the world.
Scientists consider me one of nature’s strongest allies
against the changing climate,
yet I do not require advanced machines or complex technology.
From governments to ordinary people,
anyone can help me grow.
What am I?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZHbZZCIxzg
https://iere.org/how-trees-help-the-environment/
NATURAL DISASTERS
7 - I do not rise from earthquakes like a tsunami,
yet water is still the weapon through which I threaten human life.
Streets disappear beneath me,
homes drown in my presence,
and entire communities are forced to escape my advance.
Countries close to sea level,
including the Philippines,
know my power all too well.
Among the ten natural disasters you will investigate,
I stand in the ninth position.
What am I?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9vPv-T51I
https://earthhow.com/natural-disasters-types/
https://earth.org/environmental-issues-in-the-philippines/
8 - In the right conditions, I can continue for weeks,
consuming everything left in my path.
Heat gives me strength,
wind helps me travel,
and even the air itself can carry my destruction forward.
I move through forests using more than one mechanism,
spreading across the land faster than many can escape.
Long periods without rain
make my arrival far more likely,
turning dry landscapes into perfect fuel for my growth.
What am I?
https://firerisk.io/fire-risk-assessment/what-are-the-four-ways-fire-can-spread/
https://www.who.int/health-topics/drought/#tab=tab_1
9 - For long periods, I remain unnoticed beneath the surface of the world.
Pressure grows silently where massive sections of the Earth meet and resist one another.
Then, in only a few seconds,
that tension is suddenly released.
The planet trembles,
buildings sway,
and people search for shelter beneath whatever can protect them from above.
What am I?
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-home/what-to-do-when-disaster-strikes.aspx
https://www.usgs.gov/science/science-explorer/natural-hazards/how-the-earth-moves
Evaluation
This activity will not be evaluated.
Answers:
1 - Climate Change
2 - Air pollution
3 - Desertification
4 - Sustainability
5 - Renewable energy
6 - Reforestation
7 - Floods
8 - Wildfires
9 - Earthquakes
Conclusion
By the end of this WebQuest you will be able to identify several environmental related words. You will also be able to use them in sentences and understand and distinguish their meaning.
Based on what you learned you are now more prepared to help heal the environment and save our planet.
Credits
The following resources were used to create this WebQuest:
- Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2njn71TqkjA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG9y_QvermQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GGyroh7poo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45dT2qdG6IE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQwZwKS9RPs
- Internet Articles:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1131132
https://www.climate.gov/ghg/what-are-greenhouse-gases-and-why-do-they-matter
https://iere.org/how-do-fossil-fuels-impact-the-environment/
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/biology/major-threats-to-biodiversity-and-conservation/
https://iere.org/how-do-humans-affect-the-environment/
https://maweb.org/which-pollution-is-the-most-dangerous/
https://www.wri.org/insights/causes-and-effects-soil-erosion-and-how-prevent-it
https://www.rainforestconcern.org/understandingrainforest/deforestation
https://earth.org/95-of-the-earths-soil-on-course-to-be-degraded-by-2050/
https://www.are.admin.ch/en/1987-brundtland-report
https://www.energy.gov/topics/solar-energy
https://greenbusinessbarbados.com/which-areas-are-most-suitable-for-wind-power.html
https://carsbibles.com/what-type-of-energy-do-electric-cars-use/
https://iere.org/how-trees-help-the-environment/
https://earthhow.com/natural-disasters-types/
https://earth.org/environmental-issues-in-the-philippines/
https://firerisk.io/fire-risk-assessment/what-are-the-four-ways-fire-can-spread/
https://www.who.int/health-topics/drought/#tab=tab_1
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-home/what-to-do-when-disaster-strikes.aspx
https://www.usgs.gov/science/science-explorer/natural-hazards/how-the-earth-moves
Teacher Page
WebQuest Title: Saving the environment through vocabulary - 11.º Grade.
This WebQuest was created for 11ºth grade english students and is integrated in the thematic area "O Mundo à Nossa Volta: Ameaças ao ambiente; Questões demográficas; Questões de bioéticas; Intervenção cívica e solidária." . The aim is to introduce the theme in an original way, allowing students to first explore the theme by themselves before diving into it.
Goals:
Introduce the environment theme in an original and fun way;
Allow students to expand their environment related vocabulary;
Develop students hability to research and select information;
Develop students hability to use TIC;
Promote competences of colaboration, group work and critical thinking.
To do this activity students will need:
Phone, computer or tablet with acess to the Internet;
Acess to the class's Padlet