Classroom Activities
Once the students build a conceptual framework of the content material, through a series of structured lessons and assessments, my students and I will embark on a process-oriented excursion. We will engage in a "seminar style" learning format where students become participants and the teacher assumes the role of a facilitator. The following classroom activities are prototypes of instructional maps to help us navigate through the abstract realm of interpretation and experiential world of activism.
Lesson 1: Plastic Nation
Purpose
How much plastic packaging does an urban high school student encounter in a week? The goal of this activity is for students to determine the quantity and quality of plastics within their lifestyle.
Materials
Composition Notebook
Human Footprint (see Teachers Resources)
Scale
Directions
After viewing and discussing "The Human Footprint" by National Geographic, the students will weigh (employing SI Units), classify, and tabulate all of the plastics that they utilize during the course of a week. In addition, the students will identify the chemical composition of the products contained by the various packages.
Evaluation
The final product must be a weekly (7 days) plastic consumption table or chart that categorizes daily utilization of plastics. Also, a glossary of common additives and preservatives must be created.
Lesson 2: R 3 (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
Purpose
How effective is the plastic recycling process in your community? The goals of this activity are for students to identify the distinct stages of the plastic "life cycle" and to evaluate the effectiveness of plastic recycling in their home, school, and community.
Materials
Composition Book
Koyanisquatsi (see Teacher Resources)
Internet
Directions
After viewing and discussing Koyanisquatsi, by Godfrey Reggio; observing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (in real time); visiting a mega market (e.g. Walmart); and touring a local recycling center, the students will research, develop, and propose a consumer friendly labeling and recycling system for plastics.
Evaluation
The final product must convey understanding, technical precision, and consumer value. Proposals must be presented on standard science fair poster board.
Lesson 3: Children of the Sun
Purpose
How can a high school science class contribute to the environmental movement? The goal of this activity is for students to produce an Earth Day edu~concert, to inform the community about the mounting environmental and human health concerns associated with plastics.
Materials
Composition Book
Indigenous Drums and Percussion Instruments
Paper or Plastic (see Student Resources)
Directions
After reading and discussing "Paper or Plastic," by Daniel Imhoff; and studying African, Brazilian, and Caribbean drumming with a guest artist, students will analyze verses from selected Spoken Word Performance Artists—the classical African American griots—facilitated by a poet activist. Subsequently, the students will create an original piece of choreographed spoken word poetry (in concert with an world percussion ensemble) to express the urgency of the plastics crisis.
Evaluation
The final product must reveal the essence of Imhoff's perspective, infusing powerful musical imagery into a sequence of excerpts. Similarly, the spoken word choreography must reflect the social, political, and spiritual nature of the issue. Children of the Sun must connect to the lives of the participants and capture the imagination of the world via MySpace, YouTube, and other electronic venues.
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