3.5 Applying what you have learned

Applying what you have learned

Your task

✓ Evaluation ✓ Communication

Learning focus

• Present arguments supporting them with evidence. • Listen and respond to what others say and show you understand the issues.

Developers are planning to build a hotel and leisure complex in an isolated but beautiful location near your town. There is to be a public meeting chaired by your teacher to decide whether to go ahead with the development. You will play a role arguing for or against the following statement:

‘We believe that the Lakeside Development will have a positive impact on the local community.’ Approaching the task Look again at the site plan from Topic 3.1. The shaded area is the designated area for the development.

COAST TOWN FOREST LAKE SEA

Map of planned development SITE OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT HOTEL

Here are some further details about the development: • The hotel will provide 50 jobs for local workers. • The lake contains one protected fi sh species. • The lake is currently used for family days out, picnics and swimming. There is free parking. • Traffi c will increase by about 25 per cent across the town and region. There will be new bus routes. • No new schools or medical facilities are planned. 1 a) Note down reasons for and against the development. Then share these in a small group.

Vocabulary public meeting: an open meeting at which local people give their views on an issue concerning themSample Pages

b) Your teacher will allocate you one of these roles: • Owner of hotel and leisure chain (from outside area) • Local businessperson (for example, shop owners) • Local schoolteacher

• Local farmer or farmworker • Fisherman/woman

• Taxi-driver

• Young, unemployed person • Environmental campaigner • Parent/carer of child(ren) who live near lake.

2 Once you have been given a role, create a role-card that provides the following details: • Your name, age and role • Your perspective on the development (for/against) • At least two pieces of supporting evidence (such as a statistic, a personal experience, a quotation from a report). The evidence can be taken from sources in this chapter or from your own research. You can make up some information yourself.

3 Take part in the public meeting in role. Speak and give your views demonstrating your speaking and listening skills as well as presenting good arguments.

Read through the ‘Checklist for success’ for advice on giving a successful presentation.

Checklist for success ✔ Speak clearly and include the key points you wish to make. ✔ Vary the tone and pitch of your voice to stress key points. ✔ Listen carefully – you may want to refute what someone says. ✔ Do not interrupt or shout out: show respect to whoever is speaking, even if you disagree. Refl ecting on your progress After the public meeting has ended, refl ect on your experience and make notes on the following: • What were the key arguments? • Who was most/least convincing? Why? • What was the overall outcome or decision (if there was one)? • How did you perform personally? Did you make your points convincingly? • Regarding the development of isolated places, what is your perspective now? In what ways has it changed, if at all, from the beginning of the chapter?

Language support When presenting an argument, it is helpful to stress your idea and use causal connectives to support it. Introductory phrases such as ‘I strongly believe that…’ or ‘My main argument is that…’ Key terms tone: the sound of your voice, which conveys your feelings, for example angry, uncertain pitch: how high or low the sound of your voice is refute: argue againstSample Pages can be followed by: • links such as ‘because’, ‘so’, ‘in order that’ within the same sentence • phrases such as ‘As a result of…’, ‘As a consequence of…’, ‘Due to…’, at the start of subsequent sentences.

Check your progress

Beginning Developing Growing in confi dence

• I can understand the main points in a source. • I can explain what basic data measures show.

• I can identify the author and the main purpose of a source.

• I can identify the main argument in a source. • I can give my view about an issue in a debate situation. • I can comment on different perspectives on an issue in different sources.

• I can explain how graphical and numerical data supports an argument. • I can comment on a range of elements from a source such as author, purpose, perspective and evidence. • I can explain the structure and evidence used in a source.

• I can present an argument supporting it with evidence. • I can compare the ideas and evidence from two different perspectives on an issue.

• I can analyse how graphical and numerical data can be convincing and fl awed.

• I can evaluate a range of factors in a source to judge how credible it is. • I can comment on the effectiveness of an argument, referring to a range of factors. • I can demonstrate persuasive skills, presenting an argument logically.

Next steps Research the effect of visitor numbers on a range of well-known locations, for example how the numbers climbing Everest have affected the landscape and environment. You could also do some historical research sourcing images that show how a specifi c place has grown and developed over time. You could write your own set of tourist rules for anyone visiting a site of special interest. Think about what you could comment on, for example shopping, travel, respect, litter, noise, and so on.Sample Pages