LPTP+Arlene+Hertzog+and+Meghan+Newhouse


 * Title ** : Our Fragile Planet


 * Authors **: Megan Newhouse and Arlene Hertzog


 * School ****: Moravia Middle School, Moravia Central School District**

We will add a brief introduction here about the LSTA project with a link to all the lessons.


 * Subject and Grade Level: **8th Grade Biology


 * Objectives:**

At the end of this unit, students will be able to: 1. Recognize and analyze both print and video media. a. Determine the message behind a piece of media b. Explain how the author communicated the message through: images, words, color, tone, line, font, voice, music, etc. 3. Describe how views of man-made chemicals have changed over the last century. 4. Define global warming 5. Explain what human activities may be causing global warming and why 6. Describe the evidence used by climate scientists to support global warming 7. Explain how humans are responsible for acid rain and ozone depletion. 8. Give examples of how humans can decrease their negative impact on the environment. 9. Create their own piece of video media with a clear environmental message that uses appropriate images, words, color, tone & music to reach a target audience.

Projector "Chemicals in the Environment" - LSTA "Chemicals in the Environment" Lesson 1 PowerPoint "The Day After Tomorrow" Trailer - found on YouTube "Glen Beck: A Climate of Fear" - LSTA "Global Warming" curriculum "The 11th Hour" Trailer - hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio - found on YouTube "Scare" - The Heartland Institute - found on YouTube "They Call it Pollution" - LSTA "Global Warming" curriculum
 * Materials ****:**
 * PowerPoint:**
 * Book:** "How We Know What We Know About Global Warming"
 * Video Clips:**
 * Computer lab - access for each student**

~12 days (42min periods)
 * Time Needed ****:**

Hook – Stand up if: You think there is snow on the ground outside. (Direct evidence) You think Mrs. Newhouse is married. (Indirect evidence) You think Mr. Obama is president of the USA. (MEDIA) You think man has landed on the moon. (MEDIA) TAKE A STAND: Different sides of the room- Are man-made chemicals good or bad? Ask students why they ended up on their side of the room. Share Unit objectives What is MEDIA? Notes: Define Media Model decoding: Oil painting #1 Scaffolded decoding: Oil painting #2 Decoding PPT Slides showing history of chemicals in media: For the rest of Day 1 and into days 2 & 3 students worked on decoding various slides from "Chemicals in the Environment" At the end of day 3 students took an assessment. The slide for "Monsantoland" was put up on the board and students had to decode it on their own.
 * Lesson Steps ****:**
 * Day 1 - Day 3: Decoding Print Media **

Brainstorm: Ask students to share what images/words they associate with global warming At some point during brainstorming switch the focus to EVIDENCE of global warming to see what they already know Introduce book: "How We Know What We Know About Global Warming" - Who wrote/published the book? Who is the intended audience? Is it credible? Why do you think so? Break students into groups & give each group a photocopied 'topic' from the book (mud cores, ice cores, sea level rising, etc.) Have students take turns reading their topic - then have each group answer questions together about their type of evidence: 1. Where was the evidence from? 2. How was the data collected? 3. What conclusions did the scientists come to? Have each group present what they learned.
 * Day 4: Evidence of Global Warming **

Show students the trailer for "The Day After Tomorrow" Ask students what the movie is about and what //feeling// the trailer portrayed. What images/sounds/colors got that feeling across? Tell students that the media portrays climate change in a variety of ways. Decode three videos: __Glen Beck: A Climate of Fear__ Show each video once without any introduction and then ask students to share what they noticed about the video and what the MESSAGE was. Ask them who Glen Beck is and explain his point of view if the class does not know. Before showing the clip for a second time ask the students to pay attention to the tone of voice, music, speed/pace of clips, images and colors. When the clip is over reiterate the 'message' of the clip and ask students what elements were used to convey this message to the audience. Have them record their individual answers on their own worksheet before sharing as a class. (It may help to have them paired together so they can discuss this part before sharing answers.) __The 11th Hour Trailer__ Before showing this video tell students that there is a big change in the tone/feel of this clip; that the first half is very different from the second half. Ask them to raise thier hand when they notice the change. Show the clip. Have the students discuss and come up with the message for the FIRST half and the SECOND half seperately. Show the clip again, having the students pay attention to the music, tone of voice etc. Again, have them contrast the first half with the second half when decoding & discussing. __Scare__ Again, tell students that this video has a change in it, but it has a different message. Decoding will be very similar to the 11th Hour Trailer. If students don't bring it up, ask them who might have sponsored/produced this video. (The Heartland Institute is an organization for businesses who want less governmental control & fewer regulations.) After playing this message twice, go back through with the sound off and pause at the quotes & scientific claims to discuss some of them. (Ex: "31,000 American scientists agree..." -who is a scientist? Is your dentist a scientist? A psychologist? Why "American"?) __Assessment: They Call it Pollution__ Show students the video and have them silently & individually decode the clip. They have to write down the message and at least three elements that helped get that message across.
 * Days 5 & 6: Decoding Global Warming Videos**

From a homework assignment, students will pick an environmental topic and develop a plan for a video project. Each student will decide on a message to convey, a target audience and what images/text/music will help them convey the message. Introduce students to Animoto by showing them a video and how to create a video. Take them to the library and have them create a folder to save pictures. (Note: pictures must be saved as JPEG format. Bitmap images will not load into Animoto.) Once they have found and saved all of the images they want to use, give them their log-on information for Animoto and let them get started! We gave students three days of library time to work. The first day was just an introduction and image searching. The second and third day were for creating. The fourth day was for JUST revisions. They worked in pairs and watched each other's videos for mistakes and suggestions for improvement.
 * Days 7-10: Student-Created Media**

We watched each student's video in class. The students had to fill out an evaluation for each one and write down what they thought the message was.
 * Days 11 & 12: SHOW TIME!**

I graded each project using a rubric.
 * GRADING:**

Next time I will make students be more specific about thier topic and message. The best projects were things like "Use Reusable Water Bottles" and "Stop Zebra Mussels". A lot of students kept things too vague and got lost in the miriad of 'save the earth' imagery and suggestions for helping the earth.
 * IMPROVEMENTS?**


 * Additional Resources/Background Information ****:** (optional)


 * Email contact ****:** mnewhouse@moraviaschool.org

For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org