Digital Communication Tools

Chapter 3: Using the Internet

Additional Activities

Healthy and Fit

Objective

Materials

Procedure

1. Work with other students on a team to create a health and fitness guidebook or oral panel presentation. Have each person choose one of the following topics to research:


1. Exercise
2. Diet
3. Emotional health
4. Staying healthy
5. Nutrition
2. Use Internet search engines to find current information that applies to your age group. If there is a current fad, like a popular diet or fitness craze, look it up and find out its pros and cons.
3. Take notes on what you find. Include categories such as Myth Busters and Things to Remember. Include documentation that explains where you got your information.
4. Reconvene with your group. Take turns sharing the information you found. Try to answer all of the questions below, and create additional questions that match your interests:


1. How much exercise do government agencies or medical experts recommend teenagers get every week?
2. What kinds of exercise are recommended?
3. What are good strategies for coping with stress?
4. How are friends important for staying healthy emotionally?
5. What are the top ten actions you can take to safeguard your health?
5. Give feedback to each team member and refine your part of the report. Work with the rest of the team to create a guidebook, or present your findings to the class in a panel presentation.

Extension

Safe Travel

Objective

Materials

Procedure

1. Work with a partner to create a plan for a report on road safety. Narrow your focus to one type of vehicle: automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, or skateboards. In addition, include one or two of the following topics: speeding, seatbelts, safety features, helmets, and laws. Decide whether you want to limit your study to your state or to compare your state to others in the country.
2. Create a set of research questions.
3. Use an Internet search engine or government sites, such as the National Transportation Library Auto Accident Statistics at http://ntl.bts.gov/faq/autoaccstat.html and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http://www.nhtsa.gov/, to find information to answer the questions you created.
4. Summarize your findings in a brief report and present to the class.

Extension

Species in Danger

Objective

Materials

Procedure

1. Work with a partner or small group to identify a region on the world to focus on. Then choose what kind of environment to consider, such as marine, desert, forest, or grassland.
2. Access a search engine and key in the name of your region, the type of environment, and the phrase “endangered species.” For example, one search phrase could be “South America marine endangered species.”
3. Choose one of the plants or animals that you find through this process. Return to the search engine and conduct a search to learn more about this plant or animal. Gather and record the following information:
1. Where the animal or plant is found
2. Where it fits into the food chain (what it eats; what eats it)
3. What factors caused it to be endangered
4. What current programs, if any, are trying to improve its viability
5. What people can do to protect it
4. Use maps and photos to illustrate your findings and present your report to the class.

Extension