During our study of the Southeastern States our class has read several  current newspaper articles about the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse of North Carolina's Outer Banks being moved. We became curious...
 

    -Why was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse being moved?
    -Why didn't some of North Carolina's Outer Bank citizens want it moved?
    -How do you feel about our government spending $10 million to move the tallest lighthouse in the United States?

• Read newspaper and magazine articles, explore learning center resources, and search the internet to discover why the Hatteras Lighthouse needed to be moved.
• Formulate an opinion, based on your assigned role and facts found, and defend this position.
• Produce an editorial to be sent to an Outer Banks newspaper, a presentation for an Outer Banks town meeting, a written and/or illustrated journal of the lighthouse moving project, or any other persuasive product that you have discussed with the teacher, that will include your opinion of whether the lighthouse should or should not be moved, backed up with facts you have researched.
• At a minimum, analyze the geographical, ecological, historical, and cultural effects and concerns related to the roles assigned.  You may also delve into the areas of related oceanography issues, mathematical graphing and charting of the erosion, lighthouse designs, coast guard procedures involving lighthouses, legends and novels about lighthouses, architecture of lighthouses, etc. as appropriate for your product.
• You are to articulate your personal insight as defined by your assigned role as an Outer Bank citizen.
• A summary of your opinions and supporting facts must must be created as part of your persuasive product.
• A persuasive message, journalistic account, or other product of an authentic nature is to be crafted.
• Be creative and have fun as you process and transform the information you have gathered into an authentic, persuasive product.

Official National Park Service sites  with information on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse relocation project  and preservation options and reports.

Links to photographs North Carolina lighthouses.

Stunning photographs of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse  with a brief description and history, also links to other U.S. lighthouse photos.

How the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built.

Lighthouses and lifesaving stations of North Carolina  with link to Outer Banks map.

Information on how nature and man have affected the North Carolina coastline  and link to a book list.

The attempt of an injunction to stop the moving process.

Official site of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society.

History of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, including saving the lighthouse.

Lighthouse photos of the moving process.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse move highlights, with links to Outer Banks News Articles.

View quilts made from designs of famous lighthouses.
 
 

1.  Class will continue these areas of study as "Learning from Lighthouses" is introduced:
     -  Social Studies:  Southeastern United States, Citizenship in Local Government
     -  Science:  Oceans, Simple Machines
     -  Language Arts:  Reading books/novels about oceans, southeast, lighthouses,    pirates shipwrecks, regional legends, etc.  Related spelling, vocabulary and writing activities.  Persuasive writing (ISAT).

2.  As part of current events, class reads current news articles about the National Park Service moving and preserving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  Curiosity and questions about the controversy surrounding this decision evolve from the students during class discussion.

3.  Students are assigned or choose role of different citizens and form like cooperative learning groups.  Roles:
     -  Save the Cape Hatteras Light House Committee member living in Bruxton, NC.
     -  Outer Banks Lighthouse Society member living on Ocracoke Island, NC.
     -  Fifth generation Bruxton, NC citizen who loves the historical lighthouses and other structures in the area.
     -  Citizen of Ocracoke Island, moved to the Outer Banks two years ago, weekend ecologist and naturalist, profession: oceanographer.
     -  National Park Service employee of Cape Hatteras Seashore for last 20 years.
     -  Tourist from Illinois who plans to visit the Outer Banks next summer and is seriously considering investment in vacation property.

4.  Students use Learning Center resources and computer internet resources to gather information appropriate for the role they are playing.

5.  Students will use the information obtained to form an opinion as to being for or against the preservation effort to move Cape Hatteras to a new location.  This opinion should be able to be supported with at least 3 facts and appropriate details, and should reflect the role they are playing.

6.  Students will write a persuasive paper using ISAT guidelines.

7.  Students will use the persuasive paper and additional information obtained to create  one of the following authentic products:
     -  Editorial or Letter to the Editor of an Outer Banks newspaper.
     -  PowerPoint or HyperStudio presentation for a town meeting, held somewhere in the Outer Banks.
     -  Journal of the events leading up to this move including your opinions backed by facts and details, emotions, and possibly illustrations, graphs, charts.
     -  Any other persuasive product, approved by the teacher, that includes criteria listed in evaluation rubric.

8.  Groups will determine how to present and share their product in the most authentic way possible.

Students will be evaluated by a rubric that will assess to following:
Research skills, individual persuasive writing skills, group interaction, authenticity of group product as it relates to roles played, authenticity and creativity in presenting group project.
 

Grading Rubric