Duda, Jeffrey J, Christopher S. Magirl, Jonathan A. Warrick, and U.S. Geological Survey. Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington: Biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal. 2011. Pdf. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2023692486/.
This source is a large, scientific study concerning the effects of the hydroelectric dams built on the Elwha River, published in 2011. As a result of this study, the dams were later removed. Use this source for students to craft an argumentative essay arguing for or against dam removal.
Many high school students will have some prior knowledge of dams, the purpose of them, and how they may impact the environment. Introduce this concept by brainstorming prior knowledge about dams in general and then possibly providing geographic context for the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Students should to be able to make connections between the geographic and environmental impact of dams in their areas. Students should also be able to connect dams to other human-made technologies that impact the environment.
Because this source is a study, it may be useful to collaborate with the science department to extend the learning opportunities, as well as chunk some of the heavy reading. Alternatively, teachers may choose specific sections of the text to focus on for the argument and offer the entire study as a reference for students who want more or different information.
In the early 1900s, developers built two dams on the Elwha River in Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. These dams had several negative effects on the environment and communities surrounding the river, and in the 1990s, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, which paved the way for full restoration of the Elwha River.
Source: https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/history-of-the-elwha.htm
Source: : https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/history-of-the-elwha.htm
- What information is in this report?
- Who would be interested in having this information? Why?
- What types of evidence is included?
- How would this information be useful about whether or not the Elwha River dams should be removed?
ELA Standard
ELA.W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Social Studies Standard
H2.11-12.2. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
- Begin by familiarizing students with the report. A possible way to make these scientific studies more accessible to students may be through reading the abstracts for each article first. After reading each abstract, students take notes on the information they can find in the article. This will help them later when they begin writing their arguments.
- Once students have read each abstract and taken notes, an expert-group jigsaw is a possible strategy for students to read and record more useful information. Each group is assigned an article (chapter) and reads it together, making notes on a graphic organizer, including what they notice, what they wonder, and key ideas they find.
- Once groups have finished their graphic organizers, have them discuss the following questions:
- What is the main claim in this article? How do you know?
- Who would be interested in having this information? Why?
- What evidence is included in this article? Quotes from other researchers? Data? Personal stories?
- What information is something new to you, that you didn’t know before?
- How would this information be useful in a future argumentative essay about whether the dams should be removed or not?
- After discussing these questions, groups determine 4–5 key facts or information found in the article for a Gallery Walk.
- Students conduct a Gallery Walk for the study. Groups will have prepared 4–5 key facts from their articles, and these should be posted virtually or physically in the room for students to then visit and take detailed notes for each article. Remind students that these notes are to help them know where to look for information for their arguments.
- Once the information is collected, students will write their arguments. Teachers may choose a prompt to best fit the needs of their students, but some possibilities are to write a letter to the editor, supporting the dam removal or opposing the dam removal, or to write a full argumentative synthesis essay supporting or opposing dam removal.
- Remind students that while they may do additional research, and we know that the dams were removed, students should not reference any sources about what actually happened after the dams were removed. They should be using the information available in 2011 or earlier for their writing.
- A possible extension for this writing assignment is to research the aftereffects of the removals and write a response from the future to students’ original arguments.
Historic American Engineering Record. Elwha River Hydroelectric System, Port Angeles, Clallam County, WA. 1968. Print. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/wa0603/.