Lesson Plan #: AELP-ENV0204

Landscape Modifications: Designing Man's Vision of a Global Environment

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Richard Oakes Peters, Ed.D.
Email: docdk39@hotmail.com
School/University/Affiliation: Augusta State University (GA)

Date: February 14, 2000

Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

Duration: 3 weeks

Description: A study of landscape modification (the reconfiguration of the physical attributes of the natural environment, by man, as he uses the surface of the earth).

Goals: As a result of studying local-area-state-national-global examples of landscape modification, students will:
1. understand ways that Man has altered/changed natural landscapes (topography).
2. understand reasons why Man has altered/changed natural landscapes.
3. understand the positive/negative effects of Man's landscape modification efforts upon nature.
4. understand the effects of landscape modification upon Man's built environments.
5. understand policies/procedures by which landscape modification efforts can be managed - for the mutual benefit of Man and Nature.

Objectives: Students will:
1. read about Man's efforts/accomplishments to reconfigure nature's landscape (e.g., construction, highway networks, housing, recreation, landscaping/gardening).
2. write about Man's efforts/accomplishments to reconfigure nature's landscape.
3. discuss Man's efforts to reconfigure nature's landscape with guest speakers in the classroom and with resource people at field-based sites.
4. collect artists' drawings/paintings and b&w/color photographs that depict Man's efforts/accomplishments to reconfigure nature's landscape, and create bulletin board displays.
5. write about Man's efforts to reconfigure nature's landscape and ways that these accomplishments have actually improved the landscape (e.g., land reclamation, removal of natural litter and debris from rivers and streams, dam construction, reforestation).
6. tour field-based sites to observe local/area efforts to reconfigure nature's landscape and collect data on film/video tape -- later to be incorporated into visual presentations.
7. create/conduct a community awareness campaign (re: local/area efforts to reconfigure nature's landscape).

Materials:

Vocabulary:
 1. clearcutting - to demolish all trees in a given geographical area/region regardless of age or type(s).
2. stripmining - to dig or wash away the topsoil and underlying layers of rock and gravel in order to uncover desired minerals and ores.

Procedure:
 In defense of Nature's landscapes, students (ECOnauts) use a variety of inquiry-based and/or problem solving models (Diagram I: Critical Thinking Strategies Model) to objectively investigate Man's historic attempts to reconfigure the landscape -- in order to create terrains that best accommodate his vision of their utilitarian value. For example, the clearcutting of forests to provide acreage for farming and grazing as well as stripmining.

Using a variety of print sources (e.g., Nature and the Human Spirit: Toward an Expanded Land Management Ethic by B.L. Driver, D. Dustin, T. Baltic (and others) and Ethical Land Use: Principles of Policy and Planning by T. Beatley) students are engaged in a variety of classroom and field-based activities such as meeting with community resource people at selected sites to observe and learn about Man's efforts to alter the natural terrain (e.g., bulldozing acreage for residential construction, the building of malls and shopping centers, the construction of roads and expressways).

While at selected sites, students record their impressions and acquired information in diaries or logs as well as on film or video tape. At a later date, this data will be incorporated into discussions, writings, and visual reports.

Assessment: Students demonstrate their acquired ability to express their understanding and values in a variety of ways:

1. Discussions and debates centered around contemporary issues and topics regarding the degradation of natural landscapes. Students research Internet sites, newspapers, and magazines for data;

2. Critical essays, short stories, term papers, articles for the school newspaper and/or local newspapers.

3. PowerPoint presentations, slide/tape presentations, videos, bulletin board displays, and murals designed to inform a variety of targeted "publics" in the school and in the community-at-large;

4. Conducting a community-wide awareness campaign -- to inform inhabitants about policies and practices related to the transformation of public and private lands.

Useful Internet Resources:
* Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov

* American Rivers
http://www.amrivers.org

* Environmental Defense Fund
http://www.edf.org

* Rainforest Action Network
http://www.ran.org

* Conservation International
http://www.conservation.org

* The Nature Conservancy
http://nature.org/

* GREEN: Global Rivers Environmental Education Network
http://www.green.org/