Date: February 8, 2000

Grade Level(s): 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

• Interdisciplinary
• Social Studies

Description: Students study the theory that social development must occur at a rate that can be supported by nature or such development will result in negative effects upon nature and upon the built environment.

Goals: As a result of studying examples of sustainable development, students will: 1) understand that the 'carrying capacity' of nature, in any given area/region/place, will effect the quality of man's lifestyle (e.g., food supplies, usable water supplies, soil types); 2) appreciate the natural resources that can be found in any given area/region/place and ways that these resources improve the quality of life for human inhabitants; 3) understand the need for inhabitants of built environments (cities, neighborhoods, towns, villages) to embrace 'stewardship' practices that guarantee available resources for future generations.

Objectives: Students will: 1) define selected vocabulary and incorporate into writings and presentations; 2) read about 'carrying capacity', natural resources, built environments, culture traits; 3) write about 'carrying capacity, natural resources, built environments, culture traits; 4) use globes and maps to locate natural resource areas, built environments, natural environments, etc; 5) build model communities - representing types of architecture, areas of economic activity, open spaces, residential zones, etc; 6) create bulletin board displays, 7) research selected topics, 8) question guest speakers, 9) use a variety of print/nonprint and Internet resources; 10) conduct oral history interviews; 11) work cooperatively in groups; 12) use motion picture cameras and videotape equipment to collect data.

Materials:

• 8mm/16mm motion picture cameras and film
• videotape equipment and tapes
• audio tape recorders and tapes
• globes and maps
• print resources (books, magazines, newspapers)
• audiovisual presentations (films, filmstrips, still photographs, slides, audio tapes, videos)
• community resources (people, places, things, events, processes)

Students will visit local/area places & sites in order to gain first-hand knowledge regarding topics/situations related to Sustainable Development .
Audiovisual presentations will be used to introduce/expose students to issues related to 'carrying capacity', culture traits, lifestyles, natural resources, and built environments on a (distant) global scale.
Interacting with community resource people, students will acquire information pertaining to Sustainable Development issues/topics and policies in the local community, and will conduct research activities at field-based sites.
Guest speakers, print materials, Internet resources, audiovisual presentations, 'television-in-the-classroom' presentations, etc. will introduce students to types of built environments, on a global scale, and discuss/depict the impact of natural environments on human activities and lifestyles.
As a result of these activities, students will become advantaged , better informed about contemporary and historical issues and events in their lives/in their community - as a result of varied experiences and access to knowledge/skills acquisition, application, reinforcement (repeated application), and refinement (mastery).

Assessment: Students will demonstrate their ability to: