Project Overview:
In a Citizen Journalism Project, students in 10-12 grades
will look at an issue gripping the north central community in 2013, “Fairness
at Patriot Coal.” Patriot Coal is just
one of several hundred coal companies that have been active in north central
WV. In July of 2013, Patriot Coal filed
for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Federal Court.
This bankruptcy would permit the company to reorganize and discharge
debts and restructures others. The
company is seeking to be released from their retirement benefits owed to
employees. This is a powerful subject
that impacts not only employees of Patriot Coal, but also other mining
companies as well.
Students will explore the
historical coal production, history of unionization and the United Mine Workers
of America (UMWA), the use of coal including its use to generate power, and
finally the fiscal responsibility of a particular company to its employees.
The final product of this assignment will be a 5-7 minute
video which will support the students interpretation of “Fairness…..in the coal
field.” Students will be encouraged to
look beyond the issue facing retirees and employees of Patriot and explore the
consequences of this legal action upon the industry as a whole and the future
of coal in their lifetime.
Students will develop a comprehensive bibliographic
identifying resources access for the project, which will be formatted in APA
format.
Students will be broken up into groups to identify
individual components. Those groups will
focus on: 1) historical data, 2) UMWA today, 3) coal and is effect on community, 4) fossil
fuels and the EPA, 5) Coal, 2033 where
will it be?
Resources may include:
The West Virginia Coal Project, http://wvcoalproject.blogspot.com/2011/06/coal-lesson-plans.html. The lesson plans offered through this project
are diverse and are geared towards multiple levels of students.
West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health & Safety http://www.wvminesafety.org/wvcoalfacts.htm
Fighting for Fairness at Patriot http://www.fairnessatpatriot.org/background/
United Mine Workers of America http://www.umwa.org/
Wikipedia, United Mine Workers of America http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Mine_Workers
Frank & Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center on the campus of
Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College, 1201
Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV http://www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife/
Video, King Coal
Media Tools:
Students will actively participate in a class centered blog
to share information between participants which will include links to resources
they identify such as photographs, videos, websites, and other images. The core structure of the blog will include a
link to Purdue Owl and Son of Citation to help students make appropriate
choices in citing works.
Students will utilize Google docs, Google Blogger, Google
Presentation Software, and Dropbox.
Internet access is required.
Students will also have access to video equipment, audio recording and
transcription equipment, and laptops dedicated to this project.
This is outstanding! A topic worthy of digital citizenship! What kind of historical data would students analyze for this? I think interviewing community members effected by the Patriot Coal Bankruptcy would be appropriate tool I'm very excited to see the final version!
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