Scenario #4: Kate's Investigation of the Bermuda Triangle
(Sub-section of Double Entry Journals and Learning Logs)
Kate (a pseudonym) is a middle school student. She is fascinated by stories about the Bermuda Triangle, but she has read that some scientists think the triangle is a hoax. Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist? She begins by reading Charles Berlitz's The Bermuda Triangle, one of the first popular books on the subject. After reading several chapters, she writes in her learning log: "I really liked the author's style of writting (sic). He had interviews with people that had experiences in the triangle and with people who thought they knew why the disappearances happened. The bad thing was no one had proof." I read Kate's learning log and suggest she view the video The Bermuda Triangle, one of the episodes from the PBS Nova series. In the course of comparing and contrasting the book with the video, Kate can address one of the objectives from the information skills chart: "Distinguish among fact, nonfact, opinion and propaganda." Kate views that tape and revises her evaluation of Berlitz's information. She shares her observations with me during a conference: "He's not much of a scientist. Many of his facts are wrong. Maybe he wrote the book to make money. I guess I need more about the Berlitz's background. Is he trained as a scientist?" I agree with Kate: "This is a question worth researching. And how about consulting a third source? The library has a copy of The Bermuda Triangle, one of the books in the Opposing Viewpoints series published by Greenhaven Press. Perhaps you can rate the two books and the video according to their factual accuracy. Which source does the best job proving that the Bermuda Triangle does/does not exist? Why? This activity might be a challenge for you, but I think you'll find it interesting. Schedule a conference if you need help." Finally, I ask Kate to summarize the ideas shared during our conference in her learning log so that she has a record of our conversation.
Part of the secret of facilitation is to find just the right moment to pose a challenging question. Kate's comment of Berlitz's lack of concrete evidence naturally leads to a question that asks Kate to distinguish among fact, nonfact, opinion, and propaganda. Her later comment on Berlitz's motivation for writing the book leads to a question about the author's purpose, motive, and audience.