SKILL: RECOGNIZING BIAS Read the following statements, and then answer the questions. a. Chinese goods such as porcelain, jade, and silk were much more valuable than the goods brought over for trade by the English. b. The English, Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish all tried to tap into the riches of China between the 1500s to the 1700s. c. The Chinese were reluctant to do trade with the Portuguese because the Portuguese were little more than pirates. d. The Dutch seized the island of Taiwan in 1684 to use as a base for trade with China. What is it about the statements you selected that indicates to you that they are biased

Today, you will begin a project that asks you to investigate some of those agencies in our own government, and how they have provided aid during either a recent or historical crisis. you will conduct research to identify how government crisis agencies intervened and provided aid during a specific emergency. examples of these government agencies may include the cdc, emergency alert system, the center for infectious disease, the national center for emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases, or the national center for immunization and respiratory diseases. you may choose to research a historical crisis or a more recent event, such as hurricane katrina. in order to make sure your research is from valid sites, study at least five government (.gov), non-profit organization (.org), research (.net) and/or military(.mil) web sites. other places to check would be your local health office, the local police crisis intervention teams, and your nearest library or fire station. keep a list of all the sources you have found. take detailed notes on each of the agencies. select the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, and/or concrete details. as you conduct your research, you will need to be able to determine whether each is a primary source or a secondary source. you should incorporate at least one example of each in your research. primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event--original sources of information that were created at the time an event occurred. primary sources may include diaries, letters, treaties, speeches, song lyrics, poems, photographs, recordings, and newspaper articles. secondary sources contain the analysis and evaluation of a collection of information; secondary sources use a variety of information to draw a conclusion about a historical event. secondary sources are often written by people who have studied primary sources and wish to share their conclusions. examples of secondary sources include books, journal articles, and models based on evidence collected. directions for this project, you are writing a formal essay, educating fellow students on two government crisis agencies that have assisted during a time of emergency. after finalizing your essay, you will create a short presentation to share with others. the essay must be at least five hundred words in length. the first paragraph should introduce the importance of having a prepared crisis response plan, and the specific crisis event you will be discussing. the two body paragraphs must inform your audience of the history of the government agencies that intervened in the specific crisis you are writing about, and how exactly they provided support and aid to people. cite specific textual evidence from your sources that will support the development of these paragraphs. the conclusion paragraph needs to address a claim or counterclaim for the future funding of governmental aid agencies. include any discrepancies you may have encountered in your research. you may create your own graphics to display, or you can refer to those you found in your research. finally, you must edit your paper and prepare to publish your findings. if you want others to read your paper, you must first be willing to reread and change information that is not clearly stated. the following checklist may you as you edit and clarify your writing: go back and add detailed and precise language in each paragraph. for this type of mini-research project, you will need to use transitions to you link the main paragraphs with one another and the conclusion. effective transitions will create cohesion and clarify the relationships among the ideas that you have included. make sure you have used several transitions. check for varied sentences. if all your sentences are simple, try using a complex or compound sentence. ask a friend or classmate to read your paper and point to sections that may need to be rewritten for clarity. reread the expectations for your project. did you include all the information? does your introduction and conclusion meet the requirement of this assignment? prompt write a formal essay educating fellow students on two government crisis agencies that have assisted during a time of emergency. after finalizing your essay, you will create a short presentation to share with others.