PolarTREC Reflection Journals

Overview

Students will independently explore the PolarTREC expeditions, and reflect on the scientific questions, discoveries, and outcomes of the work that is or has been done.

Description

Students will visit the PolarTREC website at www.polartrec.com, where they will find a teacher who is in the field presently, or was already in the field. You may select one expedition, a group of expeditions (like only Antarctic), or leave it open to the students to select an expedition that piques their interest. Students will read the teacher's journal entries covering one week of activities in the Arctic or Antarctica.

The assignment is to write a reflective journal entry responding to the following questions: 

1) Write the name of the teacher, expedition name, and the dates that your entry covers.

2) Write a summary of the things that the teacher and the other scientists have done during that period.

3) Write about at least two "discoveries" —something that either you, the teacher, or the scientists learned.

4) Write about at least one question or "wondering"—a question that you had or something that you wondered about while reading the teacher's journal.

Possible Extension:

Post one question to the teacher - Be sure to put your name at the end of your post so
that they will know who you are! Print out the post with the teacher's reply, and includeit in your assignment.

Resources

PolarTREC website: www.polartrec.com

Credits

Created by Misty Nikula, and modified by Kristin Timm.