Jefferson HS
Ms.
Hayes's Lessons and Projects
Teacher Resource Page — Black Mesa
Mini-Webquest —
Black Mesa
The Effects of Peabody Energy Corporation on Black Mesa 2
expanded webquest created by Sara Hayes
Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion
Background
The land, it has been changing, all because of the constant quest for more energy. Peabody Energy came to Black Mesa Arizona to strip its vast mineral resources to answer this quest. Since the mid-1960s, a never-ending nightmare has visited the land and the people who live there, the Dine'h and traditional Hopi. No one and nothing are taken into consideration. All that matters is the money to be made from the rich deposits of the low sulfur coal, a cheap form of energy. Nothing is said of the destruction to the land and its effects upon the People. Is this right? Is there a future for those who live there, or will they see their sacred lands destroyed in the name of progress?
This webquest meets the California Language Arts Content Standards for both research and technology, and writing historical investigation reports.
Note the black areas on this photograph to see how
widespread
Peabody Energy's strip mining is on Black Mesa.
The purpose of this mini-webquest is two-fold. The first is to introduce you to the use of the internet which will be used in another project later in the semester. The second is to give you a chance to complete research about something relatively kept out of the news, the effects of Peabody Energy on Black Mesa, the home of the Dine'h and traditional Hopi. You will be responding to this topic in a short argumentative paper with documentation that will be written with the other members of your group.
You will have three days in the computer lab to complete your research so use your time wisely.
1. You will be assigned to a small group (3 to 4 students) to complete this webquest.
2. Please note the following before beginning your research. Be sure to record the following information about each site you visit so that you will be able to provide the necessary information for your references page. You will need the author (webmaster) of the page, the latest date present on the page, the date you visited the page, and the url. So, the first thing you should do is write this information down before reading and / or taking notes.
3. You should organize your notes according to the following topics:
- history
- effect on the land
- effect on Diné
- effect on traditional Hopi
- the Navajo (N) Aquifer
- the Coconino (C) Aquifer
- Peabody Energy
- Mohave Generating Station
- solutions for the future
4. For a general background about Black Mesa, visit The Black Mesa Syndrome: Indian Lands, Black Gold. Read this information available at this site carefully, and take good notes. Do not copy the information. Try to summarize it or paraphrase it unless you intend to quote something in the final product. Everyone should read the information at this site.
5. The following are only a few representative sites of those available on the internet about the effect of Peabody Energy on Black Mesa. Each group member should choose at least three of the web sites below to determine this effect. The chosen sites should be different from those visited and studied by other group members. Read each one carefully, and take careful notes.
6. Consult at least five outside resources other than those listed above, three of these sources not coming from the internet. Some of the possibilities are listed below:
- Cry Sacred Ground by Anita Parlow
- Diné: A History of the Navajos by Peter Iverson
- "Gathering Clouds" by Sean Patrick Reily in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, June 6, 2004
- Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona—2002-03, US Geological Survey Open-File Report 03-503
- Fire on the Plateau: Conflict and Endurance in the American Southwest by Charles Wilkenson
- The Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute: An American Tragedy by David M. Brugge
- The Wind Won't Know Me: A History of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute by Emily Benedek
7. Meet with your group members and discuss the information you have found. Your first task is to write a brief argumentative/persuasive essay that presents your group's point of view regarding the effect of Peabody Energy Corporation at Black Mesa. This essay should reveal the group's collective thoughts from the research as well as provide documentation to support the point of view given.
The primary goal of this assignment is to interpret and asses the validity of the information gleaned in your research, then form opinions about the effect of Peabody Energy on Black Mesa and its inhabitants, the Dine'h and traditional Hopi. What does the future look like if Peabody continues its strip mining in the area? What specifically are the effects? Is what is happening there a result of technology gone awry? Has the demand for electricity caused all to lose sense of what is really important? These and other questions will arise in your investigation. Of course, all opinions and interpretations should be supported by hard evidence found in the research part of this assignment. Once you have taken your notes, your first task is to write your paper, four to seven pages in length. The finished product should include the following: a title page, your essay, and a reference page.
Should you need to refer to the correct format for your references page as well as documentation for quotes used in your paper, please visit the following link:
Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format8. The final part of this project involves creating a Power Point presentation that will be used to augment your group's oral presentation. If you have never created a Power Point presentation before, please visit Creating a Power Point Presentation. Here you will find an easy explanation as well as tips to help you create yours. If you think you need more, a search on Google should help you find more information. The following are the requirements for the Power Point portion of your presentation:
- A title page, including the title of your report, the names of your group members (last name first, first name)
- At least one slide for each of the topics listed in the third step for this process
- Inclusion of documentation for any statistics and/or graphics used on the page where they are used
- One slide to present your solutions
- A minimum of bells and whistles on each slide, only using what is necessary for the effect you intend to create
Remember the Power Point presentation is meant to augment your oral presentation. The oral presentation should expand on the ideas presented. You should also be prepared to respond to questions from the audience.
Your group's finished project will be graded according to the following rubric located at the link below:
The future for Black Mesa and those who live there, the Dine'h and traditional Hopi, is uncertain as Peabody Energy continues to use the N-Aquifer to slurry its coal. The drought in Arizona makes things even more perilous. Presently Peabody Western Coal has closed the Black Mesa mine yet their attempt to acquire a Life of Mine permit is still in process. Current news articles have presented information that the Mohave Generating Station, the power plant that Black Mesa Mine coal fuels, will be closed temporarily so that it can make the necessary changes to meet environmental standards for operation. Future actions can be taken to lend a voice to protecting these sacred lands. With the information learned from this webquest, knowledgeable letters can be written, supporting those at Black Mesa and their quest for survival. You may want to seriously consider writing them to help. Those to be contacted can be found in some of the web sites you have visited.
Jefferson HS
Ms. Hayes's Lessons and Projects
Teacher Resource Page — Black Mesa
Mini-Webquest — Black Mesa
graphics from Silverhawk's Creations (August 23, 1999), and from BoPeep@hoganview.com (January 29, 2001)
copyright © S. Hayes, March 22, 2001
updated 30 November 2005