ASK AN EXPERT
An "Ask An Expert" Web site allows you to pose questions to
experts on a particular subject, such as meteorology. Because many of
these experts receive high volumes of questions, they do not always
reply directly via e-mail, but they generally post the responses on the
Web site for everyone to see. They always encourage you to browse
through the site to see if their question has already been answered.
ACTIVITY OUTLINE
Objective You will pose questions related to Chapter 3 to experts you find on the Internet.
Task
Read the chapter, write questions about the topics, look for the
answers on "Ask An Expert" sites, pose questions to the experts, and
search the Internet to look for the same answers. Use the Web sites
below:
Pitsco's Ask an Expert
Ask an Expert database
Class Time 2 class periods
- Read
Chapter 3. In pairs, write three questions that the chapter raises. The
questions should guide toward additional information about the topics
covered in the chapter but should not be questions that can be easily
answered in an encyclopedia. For example, you could find the answer to
"What is the average annual rainfall in Buffalo?" in an almanac or
encyclopedia, but it might not be as easy to find out "Why does western
New York have more cloudy days and higher snowfall than Chicago?"
- Go to the "Ask An
Expert" Web sites that you think would be appropriate for your
questions. Check to see if any of your questions have already been
answered. HPlace a checkmark next to each one you can find an answer
to, and write the answer next to the question.
- Share your unanswered
questions with the class. List the questions on the board, and ask the
class to vote on three questions to ask one of the experts.
- Choose the most appropriate "Ask An Expert" sites on which to pose the questions, and submit the questions.
- Check
the sites over the next few weeks to see if the questions have been
addressed. If they do not get a response, try another "Ask An Expert"
site.
- Search the Internet to
see if you can find answers to the questions. Compare the information
found on the Internet with the answer from the expert. Are the answers
consistent? If not, which source do you trust more, and why?