Related subject area: Science

Overall problem: Which activities (if any) should be restricted around the coral reefs of Kailua Bay to insure their lasting protection?

Relationship of problem in this lesson to overall problem: In order to understand the Executive Order in the mission request letter, students need to understand what governments have to do with the coral reefs problem. During this lesson students participate in collaborative role-playing and will develop a conceptual understanding of the efforts by the government at the different levels to preserve coral reefs.

Estimated time required: 1 to 2 class periods

Student outcomes/objectives:

• Students will be able to define what an Executive Order is.
• Students will be able to identify the efforts of the government to preserve the coral reefs at the Federal level.
• Students will be able to identify the efforts of the State government to preserve the coral reefs.
• Students will be able to identify the efforts of government agencies including NASA to preserve the coral reefs.

Prerequisite skills or knowledge:

• Basic internet skills
• Basic reading and writing skills

Teacher preparation:

• Print Student Journal /Activity sheets for these activities.
• Bookmark appropriate websites for students.

Student reflection and assessment: Student reflection activities  |  Assessment

Education standards supported by this lesson:   

National Science Education Standards | Project 2061 Benchmarks

National Standards for School Mathematics | National Technology Standards | National Geography Standards

Cross-curricular connections to National Education Standards for this lesson:

math | technology | geography

FRAME the lesson by reminding students about the Executive Order (EO) in the mission request letter.

Ask students to remember the mission request letter and refer students to find it in their journal.

Ask what is the overall problem that we have been investigating?

Prompt students to find the Executive Order (EO) in the mission request letter

• Circle the Executive Order
• Underline the sentences for the EO in the mission request letter

Ask which words in the letter they are having difficulty with.

Ask what the purposes of EO were and what government has to do to preserve the coral reefs?

Inform students that they will be learning about the reasons why the Government established the EO and what efforts they undertook to preserve coral reefs

Sample student responses:

• Evaluating the state of coral reefs in the Kailua Bay

• Read Mission Request Letter

• Circled words may include: December 2000, President Clinton signed the Executive Order
• Underlined sentences include from line 3 to line 10

• Possible student’s responses: Natural Stress, Executive Order, Reserve, Jurisdiction, Ecosystem, CRTF, Department of Commerce, Department of Interior, Restrictive, Detrimental, CRS, Restrictions. 

Possible students responses:

• To take steps to protect, manage, research, and restore the coral reef ecosystem
• Establish the Coral Reef Task Force(CRTF) and establish the reserve for the Northwestern Hawaiian Island area