The editor makes a good point – helping students connect science to real issues can help to dispel the “why are we doing this” question.
For example, every part of the country has its real challenges from storms and other disasters (both natural and human-enhanced). Use “severe weather” as a keyword in SciLinks for some additional information and teaching suggestions. The author of Hurricane Katrina: A Teachable Moment suggests Bernoulli’s Principle and Storms and Storm Surge: A “Rising” Concern Among Coastal Residents.
Students who watch a lot of “reality” television may not see many examples of constructive conversations. The authors of Socratic Seminars in Science Class show how students can discuss open-ended questions about a text–not as a free-for-all shouting match, but with a structured format for higher-level thinking and sharing of points of view. (I wonder if this could work at a faculty workshop or school board meeting?) They suggest resources such as National Paideia Center and the Ethics Primer.
Most students see the relevance of learning about the environment. Since languages other than English is the reality in many schools, look for resources such as EcoTipping Points that have a Spanish version Los Puntos de Inflexión Ecológica.
Using Issues-Based Science in the Classroom has an “inquiry continuum.” Also consider the article EQUIPping Teachers in the April 2009 edition of TST for another discussion of an inquiry continuum (pre-inquiry, developing, proficient, and exemplary.
Check out the Connections for this issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, and other teaching suggestions.