Phase+1+-+Brainstorming+and+Vision

=Brainstorming and Vision =

__Objective__:
 This lesson will introduce students to MindMeister, a collaborative mind mapping tool. Students will collaborate to develop an understanding about one of the principles called out in the Earth Charter. As they develop this understanding around this principle, they will elaborate on thinking by embedding digital resources that support their understanding and establish which principle is most timely and vital to them. This collaborative mind map will be utilize as a tracking tool for gathering research and evidence as ideas emerge and connect to one another.

__Engage__:
 Provide each students with a copy of the [|Earth Charter Mission Statement.pdf]. Ask students to discuss the principles outlined in the mission statement:  Ask students to discuss the following:
 * Care for the community of life
 * Ecological integrity
 * Universal human rights
 * Respect for diversity
 * Economic justice
 * Democracy
 * Culture of peace
 * What are the principles outlined in the Earth Charter Mission Statement?
 * Are their others?
 * Which ones are important to you?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Which ones are not as important?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Next, students should come to a begin to come to a consensus around the order of importance that each issue should be valued. Have them rank and each principle and provide justification. Justification may come from a personal belief or a recent news story. There are no right or wrong answers and personal beliefs and values should be encouraged. This will allow for this project to be more personalized to students and create a sense of urgency around a call to action.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">__Explore__:
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Have students log-in to MindMeister and begin mind mapping about the principle they have chosen to be the MOST important. Mind mapping should not be done individually. Remind students to utilize powerful words and phrases to define their principle. You may want to provide students the following questions to consider as they begin responding to some of the following questions in the mind map: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> In addition to writing words and phrases, encourage students to add links to other websites, videos, or attach documents to expand their thinking about the principle they value most. You may want to share this sample collaborative mind map around "creating a culture of peace" with students before you begin this lesson.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What does _ look like?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Where is _ this happening in the world?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Where isn't _ happening and how did this occur?
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">How can you help promote _ in your life?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">__Explain__:
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Once students have completed work on the mind map, they should develop a short presentation to share with the class. In order to prepare for this presentation, have students go to their wikispace page and synthesize their understanding of the principle they have researched on so far. Students should consider describing the process of learning, for example, where they began with their ideas and where they ended up. In addition, they could describe articles in the news or resources that they found helpful as they began to map out their ideas.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">__**Evaluate**__: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Throughout Phase 1, the teacher should be checking in with students and monitoring work on the web 2.0 tools (mindmeister, wikispace, etc). The mind map is a collaborative project and should evaluated as such. A sample rubric is available from Rubistar.