Unit Title: Staying Alive!
Grade Levels: Eight, Nine and Ten (USA secondary schools)
Subject/Topic Areas: Permaculture and Ecological Design
Key Words: mindfulness, community, relationships, humane habitat, affordability, abundance, food security, connectedness, water cycle, solar energy, soil fertility, mediums of exchange
Designed by: Vadim Michel Rozengurt, MBA
Time Frame: 8 Weeks
School District: Not Applicable
Brief Summary of Unit
“Permaculture is a set of techniques and principles for designing sustainable human settlements” (Hemenway, 2001, p. 4). The term permaculture is a composite of the words permanent culture and permanent agriculture. This concept first came into fruition during the 1960s and is credited to Bill Mollison from Australia (Hemenway, 2001). Its relevance today inside of educational settings has to do with the fact that most young people graduate high school totally helpless in the type of skills and understandings they do not have. Thus, this permaculture unit is designed to begin to give young people the basic design skills and conceptual understandings as to what neighborhoods actually need in order for human beings to stay alive and hopefully even thrive. A short list of the subjects that potentially can be engaged include Earth science, biology, macro, micro and home economics, and some vocational trades.
Unit design status:
* Completed template pages – Stages 1, 2, and 3
* Completed blueprint for each performance task
* Directions to students and teachers * Materials and resources listed
__Suggested accommodations __Suggested extensions
Status: Initial draft (date 10-20-10) Revised draft (date 10-24-10)
yes Peer reviewed no Content reviewed and Field tested
Stage 1 – Identifiable Desired Results
Established Goals: Students having the capacity to express their beliefs in a oral and written way as to what exactly a sustainable human habitat looks like. And further be able to communicate why they believe what they believe.
What understandings are desired? The understanding of permaculture principles (ecological design) and how they compare to human habitats that have failed or are currently failing. Students will understand how their surrounding natural world is supporting them and what they can do to be in better cooperation with those natural processes.
What essential questions will be considered? What does it mean to have a shared experience with your fellow human beings? What does it mean to have a culture? What does it mean to have a relationship with your watershed? What happens during a water cycle?
Students will know how to analyze the area around their home and their neighboring communities in such a way as to identify the major life sustaining inputs and their relationships to those inputs. Suffice it to say, they will know how to think more integrally and critically about the world around them. Additionally, they will know how to communicate this new method of thinking.
Students will be able to communicate this new method of thinking by demonstrating their findings in a written way, an artistic way and through public speaking. As members of their local watershed, they will be able to explain the role of the water cycle in their own life and how the materials, food and relationships they depend on are connected to that cycle.
Stage 2 – Determine Acceptable Evidence
What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance Tasks
In relation to their lives, students have researched and described how they researched their neighboring ecological and cultural habitats. Their research will be demonstrated through an oral presentation that is supplemented by an artistic rendition. The use of a technological medium in support of the presentation will further demonstrate that a significant level of understanding has been achieved.
Other Evidence in Light of Stage 1 Desired Results
Students Products that Demonstrate Understanding
A two page written description of the watershed and water cycle that includes a mapping of the local coastline, rivers, creeks, lakes, reservoirs and water treatment plants. A diorama can be created instead of a two dimensional map for students who want extra credit. A chronological research journal will also need to be submitted to show a consistent process of note taking and reflections on the readings.
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection
Students are invited to reflect on what the main stream media is communicating in regards to what is deemed valuable in our society according to the main stream media perspective. Movies can also be analyzed within this context as well. Students ought to be invited into a critical thinking discussion by being asked such questions as,
“How do you feel about what you are hearing?”
Criteria of Evaluation
The capacity to produce original work that explains their conclusions with minimum ambiguity. In addition, participation ought to be counted and weighed as to how freely and creatively students are able to associate and cooperate with fellow classmates when working with partners becomes necessary. The final presentation fits within this criteria as well.
Stage 3 – Learning Experiences and Instruction
[Where, Why and What?] – Introduce the principles and concepts behind permaculture as it relates to what the students already know about human habitats and ecology. There are basically 14 well established principles within permaculture (Hemenway, 2009). Most of them can be tailored for explanation to an 8th grade learning audience. The chosen exercises must bring attention to how the lives of the students are connected to neighboring ecological habitats. What is unfolding is now you have 8th grade students who are able to see more clearly their place in the world. They will now have more options as to what they want to attribute value too.
[Holding Attention]
Staying in consistent dialogue with the students and inviting them to communicate with each other (instead of lecturing down to them) will be a crucial tactic for keeping them engaged through out this unit.
[Equip] – A subscription to Permaculture Magazine from the UK (or the US equivalent) would be necessary for this unit. At least one copy for every two students. There would also need to be coordination with an art teacher for accessing various art supplies and receiving guidance in that regard. In addition weekly computer lab access would be necessary. And a projector will be needed inside the class.
[Rethink, Revise and Evaluate] - Invite students to stay aware of those AHA! moments when what is only conceptual transforms into a lived experience. Have students share their findings with each other on a weekly basis. Create a comfortable environment for small group dialogue.
Conclusion
[Tailoring to Classroom Culture] – In closing it is important for me to add here that each teacher’s authentic style and classroom culture needs to be given supremacy in how this unit is ultimately conducted. More than anything this experience must be fun because that is what retains in the long run for the students. Thus, where and how to begin I will leave in your trusted hands – for you are the teacher who knows your students best.
