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=Welcome to The "Strange Days on Planet Earth" Wiki! = Mrs. Wilkening's Science Class

(Images obtained from [|NASA])[[image:361990main_Sondrestrom_800-600.jpg width="400" height="300" align="center" caption="Sondrestrom Glacier in Greenland "]]
 We will be viewing and discussing the following videos in the periods listed.
 * 1) You will be assigned to a group in your period.
 * 2) Your group will work together to create and post a response about the video on your wikipage.
 * 3) Your group must thoroughly cover all of the discussion points listed on your page in detail. Other people who read your page will understand what the video was about without viewing the video.
 * 4) Once all of the groups have posted their responses, each student will individually chose another video to read about.
 * 5) Each student will then write a one page reflection about a different video. It will be based upon the information read in the wikipages for that video. This will be handed in to class on a piece of paper.
 * 6) The requirements for the individual reflection are attached below.





Video Information
obtained from: [|Strange Days PBS Website] **__Predators (Pd 1)__** “Deep in the wilds of Venezuela, the natural order is being turned inside out. Miles of verdant forest and savannah have given way to small and scattered islands. Some of these islands are now overrun by bands of voracious howler monkeys, a glut of iguanas and hordes of ravenous ants. What is driving this bizarre transformation? A team of scientists believes that life here has run amok in large part because its top predators are gone. Similarly, the majestic wilderness of Yellowstone National Park is also showing signs of change that some scientists trace to the depletion of natural predators. Familiar and revered forests have vanished. Researchers are linking these forest losses to the expulsion of the gray wolf some seventy years ago. In Venezuela and around the world, experts are learning that predators seem to play a crucial role in the structure and function of entire ecosystems. When the predators disappear, the consequences can be dramatic. If predators are so vital, should they — and can they — be brought back?” “Detectives usually break mysterious cases when they first see the connections among seemingly unrelated clues. Consider these: Dust clouds are building high over the Atlantic. An entire population of caribou is declining, their numbers dwindling, while in the oceans, other species are being pushed to the limits of their physical survival. A respiratory illness, once uncommon among children in Trinidad, is now widespread. Amazingly, many scientists now believe these disparate phenomena may be linked to global climate change.” **__Invaders (Pd 3) __** “Alien species of plants and animals have invaded every continent. They have enormous powers; they spread disease; they devour our buildings. Some are destroying the very land under our feet. Think of them as the first wave of an assault that could drive the greatest mass extinction since the end of the dinosaurs. What is causing this invasion, and what can we do to stop the rising tide?”
 * __The One Degree Factor (Pd 2)__**



“Our massive demands on the ocean’s bounty impacts life far beyond the shoreline: bushmeat hunting is on the rise in Ghana while in Namibia; fishing grounds struggle to recover as putrid fumes explode from the ocean depths and poison the waters; and radical new fish farms are sprouting up from Puerto Rico to Canada. Across the globe, all life is feeling the effects of overfishing. Can we protect fish in time to safeguard the ocean, life on land and ultimately ourselves? Find out how we all can make a difference.” “Something is amiss in our global world water supply: Striped bass are succumbing to flesh-eating bacteria in Chesapeake Bay; seabird chicks are starving in Hawai‘i; coral reefs are weakening under a growing assault of invisible contaminants and an increasing variety of aquatic animals are showing signs of developmental disorders. Experts and citizens are racing to find clues to the causes—and the solutions. Find out how we all can make a difference.”
 * __Dangerous Catch (Pd 4)__**
 * __Dirty Secrets (Pd 7)__**