cifically his writing on marine debris. After he mentioned all of the plastic food waste on an airline flight, my students suggested better options for the next time he travelled. Hav- ing already covered the “what we can do” part of the unit, the students were familiar with reusable travel mugs, bam- boo silverware, etc. and they felt empowered. In looking for a diverse group of speakers who did not all


follow a straight path from school to a career, I recruited fel- low students from my university days. They explained how they got into college and what it was like for them. Some were first generation students or had financial or personal struggles, and/or were themselves considered “at-risk” while in high school. As guest speakers, they exposed my students to views and life experiences that were often not discussed. When designing a program or workshop consider the


subjects you can integrate given your knowledge and skill set and others working with you. Stick with what you know to establish the program. The program can grow later. In the marine debris course, students were given the


book “The Last Song of the Whales”1 to read. They were then assigned chapters to read and journal writing assign- ments each week—in journals from cereal boxes and reused paper.2 They had other writing assignments such as reports on a book on the topic of marine debris and essays and writ- ing for their art projects. Some of the book titles are listed in the reference section at the end of this article. Students were exposed to artists who create recycled or


trash art3 and sand art and mandalas.4 They looked to these artists for inspiration for their own projects that included sculpture, sand art, mandalas, video and photography. An art teacher from the school led the art portion of the course. Students created beautiful art pieces that they would write about and, later at the presentation day, talk about to others. My favorite assessment was listening to them relate their art to the overall condition of the environment. For the science and math portion, I started with short les-


sons on how science works. To learn about data analysis and graphing they completed a lesson written by Ann Meyer to introduce the scientific method.5 In this collaborative lesson, my students learned how to use Excel to make bar graphs. When asked how many M&M candies are in a bag, students posed hypotheses that they could then test. They counted M&Ms by color in the bags given to them in order to get an actual total. They then graphed this information and wrote conclusions regarding their hypotheses. Students in the program gained skills in observation, hypothesis writing, project development while learning about marine debris, ocean currents, and health concerns in food webs. They also viewed the student version of the film, “Bag It”6 which helped them examine their own lives in relation to waste and consumption. Students conducted waste inventories during the week as homework, examined products they purchased and used, and looked for ways to lessen their impact on the environment due to their consumer choices. They reported back on this in class.


Collaboration and Presentation Students worked in groups on marine debris projects, col-


lecting beach data and sorting and classifying what they found. Working in groups allowed them to simulate real- world work situations of working with others, and provided


them an opportunity to learn skills such as conflict resolu- tion and effective communication. In Effective Alternative Education Programs 7, the authors


emphasize that conflict resolution and peer mediation are skills students need to develop. They also point out that becoming an expert on a topic empowers them to become leaders. They state: “While becoming the expert at something, intrinsic


change becomes evident as they develop skills and train oth- ers. These students should be afforded the opportunity to be leaders, and teaching others has an incredible learning effect. These skills will not only expose them to strategies to be used at school, but the transference to home and commu- nity will last a lifetime.” The students conducted background research and made


and wrote conclusions. They created PowerPoint and/or poster board presentations, which required them to learn new skills. When it came time to present their conclusions to community members, their pride and confidence was appar- ent. They had become experts. It was a beautiful thing to stand back and watch them become the teachers at this point.


Funding I sought funding to offset costs of needed cameras, video


cameras, copies of the assigned book, materials for their poster boards, a projector, and to hire a student assistant. Student assistants that were hired each year had themselves been at-risk students. It was important for these middle and high school students to see someone who had walked in their shoes in college. They could relate to the student assistant. The assistant helped with all aspects of the class and with grading. This in turn also gave the student assistant work experience for their resumes. Instead of submitting grant proposals, I wrote letters to community groups including the local Sierra Club, the Grange and Rotary groups and local environmental groups to explain our program. Funding that was needed was raised from these groups with enough for a party at the end of the class. At the end of our program, the funders were invited to a presentation of the student projects and a poster session. This further helped the students develop their presentation skills and provided an opportunity for the funders to interact with the students and learn how their sponsorship had improved the lives of our students. These funders then gave more money the following years. The first year the cameras and video cameras purchased were not of very good quality. The second year new cameras and new video cameras were purchased. The following year a pro- jector was purchased. Each year supplies were needed for presentations. Depending on what topic you choose, possible groups who might provide funding, speakers, or field trips include Audubon Society, water agencies, non-profits, civic groups, and local waste management companies. To celebrate the student’s success, the school director


purchased pizzas, snacks and drinks for the presentation day. The snacks were homemade, all the dishes were reus- able/washable, and we used cloth napkins. Students set up a “compost” container for leftover food and buckets to wash dirty dishes. They recycled as much of the pizza boxes as possible to reduce waste. Later, the students reflected on how little waste was generated by the number of people who attended in comparison to how much would have been gen- erated if we had not provided less wasteful options.


GREEN TEACHER 109 Page 33


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