Artificial Environment in the Community:

Man's Focus on Manipulating the Life space - A Thematic Unit

Lesson Plan #: AELP-INT0113

index  - stem initiative  -  cati  -  int0113

Date: October 27, 1999 

Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

• Interdisciplinary
• Philosophy
• Science
• Social Studies

Duration: An on-going investigation throughout the school year.

Description: Throughout the centuries, MAN has struggled to conquer Nature with his inventions and technological development. As a result of his 'newly acquired' ability to dominate his surroundings, MAN has intruded the most-remote corners of natural settings, worldwide. As a result of this incessant assault upon NATURE, MAN has plowed the land, bulldozed hills and mountains, cut down the forests, and paved over earth's surface. He has erected skyscrapers, landscaped the topography, and planted nursery-grown shrubs and trees -- everywhere; all in an attempt to reconfigure the character of our global lifespace -- in his image!

Goals: As a result of this school year-long investigation, students will demonstrate an understanding of:
1) the history of MAN's technological development,
2) the history of MAN's application of developed technology to the task of altering the natural landscape,
3) the results of MAN's folly,
4) the negative effects of MAN's attempts to alter the natural landscape upon social (human-made) environments.

Objectives: Students will:

1) research the history of MAN's inventions and the application of these 'social artifacts' to diverse tasks,
2) discuss MAN's inventions with guest speakers in the classroom and with site guides,
3) create MAN's INVENTIONS bulletin board displays,
4) develop audiovisual and/or oral reports that focus on MAN's inventions,
5) research ways that MAN has used his inventions to alter nature's landscape in both a positive and negative manner,
6) identify/report on local & area examples of MAN's effects upon nature,
7) create MAN & ENVIRONMENT bulletin board displays,
8) discuss MAN's impact upon NATURE with guest speakers in the classroom and with site guides,
9) visit selected natural and social environments to observe MAN's impact,
10) collect field-based data on film/video tape,
11) debate Man's impact upon the life space.

Materials:

1) Community resource people,
2) community resource sites,
3) still photography/motion picture cameras and/or video tape equipment,
4) maps of local natural and social environments,
5) reference materials (print/nonprint and software),
6) supplies to construct bulletin board displays,
7) examples of MAN's technological development (social artifacts).

Procedure:

Social studies and science teachers will design interdisciplinary, thematic units of instruction that:

1) introduce students to MAN's inventions throughout history,
2) encourage students to conduct historical research,
3) enable students to collect data in the school and at field-based sites,
4) expose students to MAN's efforts to alter/manipulate the natural landscape (for good or ill),
5) enable students to interact with community resources (people, places, things, events, and processes),
6) involve students in critical thinking and decision-making activities in the classroom and at field-based sites,
7) encourage student to work cooperatively in the creation of 'creative audiovisual presentations',
8) make personal judgments about the long-lasting effect(s) and esthetic value of MAN's attempts to physically alter the lifespace.

Assessment: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding and abilities by:

1) discussing MAN's inventions,
2) displaying graphic data (motion pictures/photographs, slides, videos),
3) creating bulletin board displays,
4) writing reports,
5) discussing MAN's inventions and his attempts to alter the lifespace with community resource people,
6) reading about the application of MAN's inventions, related processes, and the consequences of these actions,
7) debating the pros-and-cons of MAN's actions re: altering the lifespace.