Opinion Writing about the Periodic Table...Who Knew?

This year, we have integrated writing instruction into the content areas in sixth grade. We structured this by thinking in terms of three. Three grading periods, three content areas, and three types of writing. Next week, I will be working with science teachers about how they will weave opinion writing into their unit on matter, elements, mixtures and compounds. Because I did not initially see the connections between the periodic table and writing editorials, I called a few of my chemistry-oriented friends on Friday afternoon, then spent some time researching their ideas to see if there would be enough information. "What are some debatable topics that are within intellectual reach of eleven year-olds?" I asked them.

If anyone reading this has other ideas, please, please share them, but here are some of the ones that we came up with. I am also including some of the resources and articles that I found to go with them so that we can develop text sets. Please feel free to use these, but also feel free to share additional resources that you might have!

• Fluoride and whether it belongs in public water.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/abc11_investigates&id=8887007 up to 2:09

http://www.livescience.com/37123-fluoridation.html

http://fluorideinfo.org/

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/fluoride_water.html#

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feel_better/things/fluoride.html?tracking=K_RelatedArticle

http://app.discoveryeducation.com/search?Ntt=fluoride+water

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/22/portland-fluoride-water/2350329/

• Whether farmers should use organic fertilizers (it's a little hard to find con articles about this subject!)

http://westsidegardener.com/guides/whyorganicfertilizer.html

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Chemical_Fertilizer_vs_Organic_Fertilizer

http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/ckb/agronomy-wheat/organic-and-inorganic-fertilizers.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ3_8HV3xzo

• Chlorine vs salt water pools (again, the trend is definitely toward salt water pools, but there are GREAT opportunities for close reading within this topic!)

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-02-05/entertainment/0902030478_1_chlorine-gas-pools-saline

http://www.ocala.com/article/20130621/ARTICLES/130629957?p=4&tc=pg

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/29/saltwater-pools-is-the-water-fine/?page=all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtXv-l2gZzA

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130809/ARTICLES/130809651?p=2&tc=pg

I also collected a few articles about what sorts of materials physicians and dentists should use for joint replacements and dental fillings, but I am still processing about whether these are debatable topics. I need to call a couple of my doctor friends. 

Perhaps the most insightful call was with a friend who has her doctorate in a field related to sustainable living. She has just eliminated her lawn in favor of pachysandra and suggested debating the pros and cons of lawns--she ran off several reasons to make me think about ground covers other than grass. She also suggested researching about composting, fracking, and fertilizers. Until yesterday, I knew nothing about fracking. What a hugely debatable topic that is!

As we continue our path along integration, I'd love to hear other experiences, and again, my plea is out for debatable topics that relate to elements and compounds.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,