Activity 3
In search of sustainability in my town
Grade level: 6th grade
School subjects: Science, English
EE objectives:
· awareness,
· knowledge,
· state of mind.
Objectives:
· Recognize sustainable and non sustainable elements in my town.
· Observe and analyse my town with sustainability indicators.
· Use all your senses to analyse an area.
Teaching strategies: affective approach, experiential learning
Duration: half a day
Required material: creative journal with observation sheet (prepared during the preceding activity), binoculars, road map of the city of Dieppe (available at city hall), Annex A (bus itinerary), Annex B, C and D (a copy for each student) and E (legend – to be cut before activity).
Procedure:
Preparation
· Determine a route to follow in the city. Identify places to visit by bus and while walking.
· Tell students that they will now go outside to analyse and observe the city of Dieppe. They will use the observation sheet that they prepared to write down how the city is sustainable and to identify elements that need improvement.
· Divide students in teams of two and distribute the bus itinerary to each group (Annex A).
Realization
· Leave the school in a school bus. Take Centrale Street, where students can start observing and collecting information. They can use the binoculars to identify elements of sustainability that they notice in the neighbourhood.
· Arouse students’ curiosity all along the route to help them in their observations. Do you think that…? Why? How?
· Get off the bus at Champlain Place and walk around town so students can complete their observation sheet. Invite students to also take notes. See the itinerary in Annex A.
· Take the school bus at the Ultramar gas station on Champlain Street and go to the area where we will do the solo. A solo is a calm moment of solitude that helps better observe the environment.
· Identify a secure and calm area (at the entrance of the trail system) and bring students together to prepare them for the solo (see Annex B). Ask students to sit down and listen carefully.
· Read them the story from Annex C. Afterwards, invite students to choose an area where they are by themselves (about 6 meters from the others) and to answer the questionnaire from Annex D. They also do a reflection in their journal.
Integration
· Back in the classroom, ask students to share the aspects of the city that they observed as well as the reflection they made during the solo.
The following activities can be made according to the teacher’s preferences:
· Ask students to draw symbols representing sustainability and non sustainability aspects that they identified on their observation sheet. These symbols will be placed on a map of Dieppe to show the situations and facts observed by students.
· Put up the city of Dieppe road map and invite the teams to place their symbols, the facts and situations observed on it. See examples in Annex E.
· Invite students to add, in their journal, new sustainability aspects in their conceptual diagram of the city done in Activity 1.
· In their journal, ask students to write their impressions, reflections and ideas about their observations during the field trip. How do you see the city now?
Annex A
Itinerary
1- Take the bus at Anna-Malenfant school.
2- The bus takes the following route: Centrale St., Thomas St., Gauvin St., Acadie St. and Champlain Place.
3- Get off the bus at Champlain Place.
4- Walk on Paul St. to the intersection of Champlain blvd.
5- Walk on Champlain blvd to the Acadie St. intersection.
6- The bus will pick us up at the Ultramar gas station.
7- The bus will drive to
Acadie St. at the entrance of the trail
system. Do the solo here.
8 - Take the bus on Acadie St. to return
to school.
Annex B
What is a solo?
A solo is an activity of solitary contact with the environment, during which all senses are used to observe the environment. It’s a calm activity that has the objective of prompting our thoughts and stimulating our environmental sensibility. We observe our surroundings with our eyes, nose, ears and fingers. The solo is usually done at the end of an outdoor activity. A solo can last from 10 to 15 minutes.
During a solo, students can also be asked to do short activities especially at the beginning when they are not used to this kind of experience. For example, you can ask them to note their first impressions of the area where they are and to draw a map of that area. The student can be drawn to a particular object, observe it, touch it, smell it, take contact with it, give it a name. Students can also listen to different sounds first far from them, then closer. Students can write or draw.
After the solo, it is recommended to ask each student to express their feelings or thoughts during this moment of solitude.
Annex C
Short story
Short S - solo
The 5th Incredible
Maybe you know the story of the 4 Incredibles. It’s the adventures of 4 astronauts that were exposed to cosmic radiation. They acquired super powers and became the following characters: M. Fantastic, that acquired a superhuman elasticity, the Invisible Woman, capable of becoming invisible, The Torch, with pyrotechnic capabilities and The Thing, that transforms into a giant rock. Already, to the eyes of the World, they have become a family: The 4 Incredibles.
But did you know there exists a 5th Incredible? It’s a young teenager who developed really sharp sensory abilities. He is able to see through walls, hear inaccessible sounds and he can smell really subtle odours. His name is Sensitive Sam and nobody knows about his powers. The first time he noticed his powers, he was just walking in his city.
Sam was walking in his city observing his surroundings. The city was really active as usual. Cars went by really fast. Traffic was suffocating. The smell of gas was obvious and blended with the smell of restaurants. The noise of cars, trucks and construction was annoying. Sam continued walking and looked at the buildings along the street. They were all grey and blocked the view because they were so tall and invading. People around him looked stressed and detached. Sam thought that his city was like every other city.
He had been walking for a long time when he decided to sit on a bench. The bench was close to a telephone pole and was surrounded by papers, coffee cups and cigarette butts. He sat down and closed his eyes for a few minutes.
Suddenly his ears started to heat up and his hearing became really sharpe. He heard strange noises. He recognized a particular sound: birds singing. The song of the birds came from a forest behind the buildings. What a lovely melody! Sam also heard the flow of a river. It must have been the river that his grandparents were describing the other day. That river was part of the city before. It was beautiful and full of fish. But the bridge’s construction destroyed the marvellous river.
All of a sudden Sam’s nose started tingling. He took a deep respiration and noticed fantastic odors. He smelled millions of flowers. These flowers were in the community park in the neighbouring city. Sam thought and realised that his city didn’t have any parks. He was a little discouraged.
Sam opened his eyes and they became a deep red. He looked in front of him and realised he could see on the other side of the buildings. He saw a ray of hope when he saw people installing solar panels on a nearby building. Further, in another part of town, he saw a Farmer’s Market. He looked inside and saw fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms.
Sensitive Sam asked himself if his town was not starting to make small steps towards sustainability.
What do you think? Is the city of Dieppe becoming sustainable?
Are your senses as sharp as Sam’s? I’m proposing an experience where you will have the occasion to test the quality of your senses and to observe your city. It’s called a solo…
Annex D
Questionnaire
(one copy per student)
1) Answer the following questions. Write down your answers on this sheet and put it in your journal:
i) What are your first impressions of this area? Draw or write.
ii) How do you feel here? Explain.
iii) Are there sustainable or unsustainable aspects here? Explain.
iv) Does this area have a positive or negative impact on people’s health? Why?
v) Would you like to change something here? What (give an example)?
vi) What action could you undertake to make your city more sustainable? Explain.
2) Give this area a name.
Annex E
Symbols - legend
(a few examples)
Sustainability aspect : SocialSocial meeting places / Sustainability aspect: Environmental
Community gardens
Sustainability aspect: Cultural
Buildings with cultural characteristics / Sustainability aspect: Health
Health-food restaurants
Sustainability aspect: Economy
Solar panels / Unsustainable aspect: environmental
Greenhouse gas emissions