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Quagmire

A Simulation Game For Wetland Decision Making

Description

General Assessment

Question	Response
How to develop attitudes?	The role-playing function helps students clarify attitudes and values.
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?	How to write letters to decision-makers. How to make an appearance at a public meeting. How to 'chair' a public meeting.
What important ideas are implied by the resource, but not taught explicitly?	Civic deliberation solves all environmental problems. Compensation payments can make up for habitat loss.
To enhance this resource the following changes would be beneficial:	Change DVD text to include more images, line drawings, letterhead, and paragraph indentation to make it more accessible to weaker readers. The excellent background would be greatly improved by providing illustrations of the many species of wildlife mentioned. Safety notices need to be built into this exercise, such as checking the local tide table, doing an advance visit to survey the marsh to identify potential hazards...

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle	Rating	Explanation
Bias Minimization	Very Good	Letters sketch out most economic interests and other interests of most typical players in marshlands debate.
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions	Very Good	Excellent portrayal of the social, economic and environmental impacts that emerge from this type of development issue.
Respects Complexity	Good
Action Experience	Mediocre
Action Skills	Very Good	Implicity teaches how to write a letter to articulate ecological concerns.
Empathy & Respect for Humans	Very Good
Personal Affinity with Earth	Good	The suggested marshlands Scavenger Hunt is useful and highly empathetic.
Locally-Focused	Very Good	Excellent thumb-nail sketch of wetlands conservation issues across Canada, including the north. This encourages students to make links with the issues in their area.
Past, Present & Future	Very Good	Background notes at the end of the exercise provide a brief yet powerful overview of the threats wetlands have faced from various cultures over time. This discussion includes the Acadian drainage of wetlands in the 17th century, the draining of lakes in BC for farmland in the 1920's and South Africa's challenge to retain wetlands in the face of a fresh water crisis.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle	Rating	Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction	Very Good	Role playing presents many different points of view.
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Learning	Good
Discovery Learning	Very Good	Has excellent tips on making field trips to media outlets to prepare the students for their roles in the simulation.
Values Clarification	Good
Differentiated Instruction	Poor/Not considered	While the stakeholders' letters are written at an accessible reading level, the reading level of the rest of the unit is unintentionally very high; even the Gr.5-8 version uses words like 'haphazardly' which are high secondary level.
Experiential Learning	Good
Cooperative Learning	Good
Assessment & Evaluation	Mediocre	Some limited student-feedback is suggested, but this is focused on evaluating the lesson and not the students.
Peer Teaching	Very Good	One of the best environmental simulations on the web.
Case Studies	Good	Weaker readers may struggle with the text.
Locus of Control	Good

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

Step 1Select a province
Alberta
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 5
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Wetland Ecosystems
- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
- Grade 12
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  - Agriculture Courses
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Sustainable Agriculture
  - Energy & Mines
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Energy & the Environment
  - Wildlife
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Issues in Wildlife 2
British Columbia
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- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Earth and Space Science: Water Systems on Earth
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Life Science: Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Grade 12
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  - Geography
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    - Resources and Environmental Sustainability
Manitoba
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- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions Within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
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    - Water Systems on Earth
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Dynamics of Ecosystems
- Grade 11
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  - Science-Technology-Society
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Current Topics in the Sciences 30S: Science, Technology, Society & the Environment
New Brunswick
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- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Water
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Grade 11
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  - Biology
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Biology 11: Biodiversity
- Grade 12
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  - Environmental Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Connections Among Science, Technology & Society
    - Structure and Functions of Ecosystems
    - Sustainable Development
  - World Issues
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - World Issues 120: Issues Facing the Global Village
Newfoundland & Labrador
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interaction of Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
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    - Water Systems on Earth's Surface
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Science 1206: Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Grade 11
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  - Biology
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Biology 2201: Interactions among Living Things
- Grade 12
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  - Environmental Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Environmental Science 3205: Land Use & the Environment
    - Environmental Science 3205: Water Use & the Environment
  - Geography
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    - World Geography 3200/3202: Secondary and Tertiary Activities
Northwest Territories
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- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
Nova Scotia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions Within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
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- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Science 10: Sustainability of Ecosystems
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    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Biology 11: Interactions among Living Things
- Grade 12
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    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Global Geography: Our Fragile Planet: A Geographical Perspective
Nunavut
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    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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    - Interactions in Our Environment
Ontario
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- Grade 7
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    - Natural Resources
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    - Systems in Action
- Grade 9
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    - Geography of Canada: Human-Environment Interactions
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    - Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems
- Grade 11
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  - Environmental Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Environmental Science (Univ/College Prep.) Scientific Solutions to Contemporary Environmental Challenges
    - Environmental Science (Workplace Prep.) Human Impact on the Environment
    - Environmental Science (Workplace Prep.) Natural Resource Science and Management
- Grade 12
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  - Geography
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Canada & World Issues: A Geographic Analysis - Human-Environment Interactions
    - The Environment & Resource Management (Univ/College Prep.) Understanding and Managing Change
    - The Environment & Resource Management:Human-Environment Interactions
  - Geography (Applied)
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - The Environment & Resource Management: Human-Environment Interactions
Prince Edward Island
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Interactions Within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Water Systems on Earth
- Grade 10
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Science 421A: Sustainability of Ecosystems
    - Science 431A: Ecosystems
Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 5
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  - Science & Technology
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Living Things
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Applied Science & Technology:The Living World
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    - Science and the Environment: The Living World
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    - Science & Technology:The Living World
Saskatchewan
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Science 7: Life Science: Interactions within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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  - Science
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    - Science 8: Water Systems on Earth
- Grade 10
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    - Science 10: Life Science: Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Grade 12
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  - Natural Resources Courses
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Wildlife Management 30: Overall Expectations
Yukon Territory
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- Grade 7
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    - Ecosystems
- Grade 8
  - Step 3Select a subject
  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Water Systems on Earth
- Grade 10
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  - Science
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Life Science: Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Grade 12
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  - Geography
    - Step 4Relevant matches
    - Resources and Environmental Sustainability

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Quagmire

A Simulation Game For Wetland Decision Making

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Description

General Assessment

Sustainability Education Principles

Pedagogical Approaches

Relevant Curriculum Units

A project of

with support from

Quagmire

A Simulation Game For Wetland Decision Making

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Print this Resource

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Description

General Assessment

Sustainability Education Principles

Pedagogical Approaches

Relevant Curriculum Units

A project of

with support from