Art, Design, and Biology

Introduction

“Environmental protection doesn’t happen in a vacuum. One can’t separate the impact on the environment from the impact on our families and communities.”

― Jim Clyburn

Ms. Ponder, “why do we hear sirens all day every day?” an eighth grader asked me during a fire drill at school. My students are accustomed to hearing ambulances, firetrucks and police sirens all day in their communities. According to Chicago health experts, the loud and frequent sirens can lead to potential hearing damage, increased stress, anxiety, depression, and negative impacts on sleep and overall well-being¹.

This interdisciplinary unit designed for my environmentally conscious 3rd through 8th grade level performing art students. I intend to engage my students academically and environmentally. It is important to provide relevant learning experiences that invite my students to develop their own understanding about what is going on around them through close observation of art, nature, and play This unit has three components dedicated to art, design and biology. The first part of this unit will include lyrical abstraction providing my students an opportunity to engage with environmental themes on a more emotional and subjective level. The second component of this unit will expose my students to environmental racism and exploring the benefits of nature and how plant anatomy enhances the quality of life. The final component will involve design and the use of Legos. Legos will be used for open-ended design challenges that require students to think critically about designing sustainable communities. Exposing my students to this multi-tiered unit will require collaboration, communication skills that are essential for creative problem-solving and creative expression.

Student activities will include but are not limited to visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, The DuSable Museum of African American History, community nature tours, building communities with Legos and close looking and sketching of abstract art. Since I teach students from kindergarten through 8th grade, activities are varied and differentiated in order to accommodate all cognitive and developmental levels. 

Environmental racism focuses on the disproportionate exposure of Black communities to environmental hazards and the lack of access to environmental benefits.  This interdisciplinary arts and science unit, will introduce my students to Black activists, performing and visual artists who play a significant role in raising awareness and challenging environmental disparities. My students will also learn terminology such as social disparities, community resilience, urban planning and doughnut economics through the use of Legos, urban sketching and close observation as a social science research tool. 

Environmental racism is a term used to describe the disproportionate exposure to pollution, gun violence, toxic and hazardous waste in low-income minority communities due to the inequality of environmental policymaking and laws². It is disturbing to realize that my students are most likely to be exposed to lead poisoning compared to other ethnic groups.  Empowering my students to participate in decision-making and advocate for their own environmental rights is essential to their long-term wellbeing and serves at the core of this  .