The MEL Activities
Climate Change MEL
The Climate Change MEL asks students to weigh the connections between evidence and alternative explanations about the causes of current climate change.
Below are links to a series of activities that will help students use the Climate Change MEL and learn more about fundamental scientific principles related to climate and weather.
- Climate Change Model Plausibility Rankings
- Climate Change MEL – Diagram
- Climate Change MEL – Evidence Texts
Fracking MEL
The Fracking MEL asks students to weigh the connections between evidence and alternative explanations about the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on moderate-strength earthquakes.
Below are links to a series of activities that will help students use the Fracking MEL and learn more about fundamental scientific principles related to earthquakes.
- Fracking Model Plausibility Rankings
- Fracking MEL – Diagram
- Fracking MEL – Evidence Texts
- Fracking Introduction
Moon MEL
The Moon MEL asks students to weigh the connections between evidence and alternative explanations about the formation of the Moon.
Below are links to a series of activities that will help students use the Moon MEL and learn more about fundamental scientific principles related to the Moon and its formation.
Wetlands MEL
The Wetlands MEL asks students to weigh the connections between evidence and alternative explanations about wetlands as a natural resources.
Below are links to a series of activities that will help students use the Wetlands MEL and learn more about fundamental scientific principles related to the role of wetlands.
Supplements to the MEL
The Explanation Task is part of each MEL Activity. In this task, students provide written explanations for the arrows they drew on the diagram. The following rubric may be used to score students’ written explanations.
This Plausibility Ranking Task (PRT), which may be completed prior to using any MELs, helps students to understand the role of evidence in supporting or refuting models.
The Critical Evaluation Task (CET) asks students to consider the flaws in arguments presented in favor of and in opposition to recycling. It may be completed done prior to and after use of any and all MELs in order to assess students’ ability to be critically evaluative.