
SIFMA Foundation
Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
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This lesson will allow students to evaluate the costs/benefits of the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River in China. The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to look at a complex issue from differing viewpoints and to reach a decision on its merits after examining multiple points of view
Within the next seven years, life along the Yangtze River in China will change. Millions of people will be displaced. Ancient artifacts will disappear and the environment will be altered forever. At the same time, however the Chinese will increase their capacity to produce electrical power in the area, and they will gain new ability to control damaging floods. Also, some say air quality will be improved with the increased use of electrical power. Is this new project an appropriate one for the Chinese to undertake? What are the costs and benefits of this new dam and who is affected by the decision made?
In groups of four, students will work to research and evaluate this project. Each student will assume one of the four roles listed below. Select your role; then read the information about your role and the perspective you will bring to your group's preliminary decision.
The students are now returning to their original group to share what they have learned. They will need to listen to differing points of view about this project and then discuss/decide how they as a group would vote on this project if they could. Please use the following process:
Note:
I think this activity should take four days to complete.
Once the activity is complete and you are ready to have a class discussion (and perhaps a class vote online), you could use questions/activities such as these:
Evaluation tools would be the handouts the students complete within their roles, the handout used by the jigsaw groups to combine and analyze the information from the various roles, and the cost/benefit analysis sheet.
SIFMA Foundation
Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Grades K-2, 3-5
Grades 6-8, 9-12
Content Partner
Grades 9-12