3. The Mission
You are the chairperson of the
Federal Energy Commission. Our
Congress has passed a law that
requires your commission to explore
the safety and reliability of nuclear
power plants. You will need to
develop a proposal to support or not
support the expansion.
4. The Focus
In order to get started, you will need to
research the safety issues regarding the
use of nuclear power plants in populated
areas of the United States and make a
determination whether or not the U.S.
should expand the use of nuclear energy.
5. Essential Questions
• Use the following questions to guide your research.
• 1. How well does nuclear power work in other
countries like France and Japan?
• 2. What is the safety record of nuclear power
plants?
• 3. How well have the current nuclear power plants
in the United States performed? Have there been
any significant problems?
• 4. Do the risks of operating nuclear power plants
out weigh the benefits?
6. Begin Your Internet Research
• Consulting different sources about your topic
requires the use of critical reading skills to
help determine the reliability of each source.
• Identifying an author’s main points and
evaluating supportive evidence is an
essential task in verifying the importance
and validity of an author’s argument.
Complete the following assignment and turn
it in with your research notes before you
begin writing your 2-3 page proposal.
7. Nuclear Energy Risk or Opportunity?
4 min illustrated and informative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7LO8lL4Ai4
8. Why we should stop using nuclear energy
In a Nutshell 4 min Excellent
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYbgyL5n1g
9. Where do we store nuclear waste?
3 min good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkt95IhNqjU
10. What does nuclear fallout do to your body?
4 min
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYJ-FiRWY0c
11. 3 Reasons Nuclear Energy is Awesome
4 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVbLlnmxIbY
12. The Danger of Old Nuclear Power Plants
2 min
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiGuHzJ8VKk
13. Evaluation of Sources Assignment
In order to complete the research
requirement, you will need to read and review
8-12 of the following internet sources and
take notes. As you read your sources
carefully, use the essential questions that
have been provided to gather relevant
information about your topic. After reviewing
your 8-12 sources, select three of them and
provide a thorough analysis of each by
completing the following questions.
14. As you read your internet
articles, look for supportive
evidence. Do not accept the
author’s argument or point of
view unless strong supporting
evevidence is provided.
16. Evaluating Sources Assignment
Select three articles and answer 5 of the 9 questions for each article.
• 1. Is there a message or main idea presented in the text?
What in the text led you to that conclusion?
• 2. Is the author trying to convince the reader of
something? What? How do you know this?
• 3. If the author is comparing something, what is being
compared and what makes the comparison effective?
• 4. Has the author used any words, phrases, or sentence
structures to create a particular effect or convey a
meaning? Explain and give examples from the text.
• 5. Does the author use any words that may have more
than one meaning? Identify the words and their multiple
meanings.
17. • 6. Read between the lines and select a point that you
think the author is making without directly saying it. How
do you know you can infer this meaning from what the
author is saying?
• 7. Is there anything missing from the text that you
expected to find? Why might the author have left that out
of the text?
• 8. Do you have any reason to question the validity or
reliability of the author’s supporting evidence? Explain
your concerns about the evidence presented by the
author.
• 9. Does the author make a claim that is supported by a
source that is considered credible by the academic
community at large? How do you know this?
30. Nuclear Power is Safe
•http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/
2011/07/23/nuclear-power-is-
extremely-safe-thats-truth-
about-what-learned-from-japan/
31. Using Graphs and Charts
as Primary Sources
Use the following slides as
primary source information
and evidence to support your
arguments. Take careful notes
so you can use the data as you
write your paper.
43. Write a Proposal
Use your notes to write a two or
three page proposal to
recommend whether or not
nuclear power plants are safe to
operate in the U.S. Provide
specific information to support
your proposed ideas with clearly
articulated arguments and
sufficient evidence.
43
44. Your Proposal
• Define the
issue/problem
• Outline the details of
your argument
• Cite supporting
research
• Project possible
roadblocks
• Specify contingency or
back up plans
44
45. Evaluate and Verify Research Sources
• Internet sources will vary greatly in accuracy
and reliability
• Consider the expertise and reputation of each
website
• Compare facts and information of different
internet sources
• Select information that is supported on
several reliable websites
• Question or refute information that lacks
consistent support
46. Develop a Writing Plan
• Determine what your
main point will be, and
write a topic sentence
that provides focus for
your essay.
• Choose several main
ideas that support your
topic sentence.
• Sort your information
into supporting details
with facts and
examples.
46
49. Details Must Support the Main Ideas
Provide specific
facts, examples,
and reasons for
each main idea
in the body of
your essay
50. Prepare to Write
•Use your outline and
write a five paragraph
essay on your topic.
•As you write your rough
draft, it will be very
important to use special
words that enable you to
transition smoothly from
one idea to the next.
50
51. Transition Words
As you view these
words, select the words
that help you make
transitions smoothly
from one idea to the
next.
• as a result
• such as
• for example
• nevertheless
• for that reason
• finally
• at this time
• therefore
• furthermore
• in addition
• in conclusion
• as well as 51
52. Review, Edit, and Rewrite
1. Re-read your essay several
times.
2. How can you improve your
sentences to communicate more
clearly?
3. Are your main ideas supported
by examples and details?
4. Exchange papers with another
student and read each other’s
essay out loud.
5. Make final corrections and write
the final draft of your polished
essay. 52
53. Once you have completed your independent
research and written your paper, you will
demonstrate your knowledge of the topic by
creating a PowerPoint that illustrates the main
points of your research. Begin your powerpoint
by stating your topic and presenting your main
points with supporting evidence.
Convert your Knowledge
into Action
53
54. Creating Your PowerPoint
•Use some of the following slides or
find your own on the internet to
create an illustrated PowerPoint
presentation about your research
topic. Change the images and content
as needed. Use a minimum of ten
slides with illustrations and text.
