In contrast to how Time Safari, Inc. from Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" takes safety measures to conserve everything from atmospheric bacteria (oxygen helmets) and a blade of grass (anti-gravity path) to a T-rex (red paint), conservation efforts in real-life provide different degrees of protection to different species because more funds and more marketing campaigns are donated and issued for a specific set of high-profile, popular species. Therefore, similar to how human activity - like poaching, pesticide negligence, plastic dumping, industrialization - indicates we don't value nature, even our conservation efforts don't totally rectify that reputation, and further suggests that we - as humans - misconstrue, deny, and overlook the value of nature. Following up on yesterday's textbook reading about the difficulties of conservation, three text types - a Public Service Announcement, a video, and a persuasive essay - illuminate the lesser-known, neglected species that face extinction - like the bluefin tuna and the Baudin cockatoo - to dissolve the shadow cast upon them by the privileged list of endangered species (i.e. pandas, gorillas, whales, etc.). Since the lesson fosters a more well-rounded view of the endangered species list, it seeks to "save" us from the fate of Eckels, a man who didn't truly grasp the value of "a little thing" like a butterfly until he killed it. Let us realize the value of the lower-profile threatened species before we drive them to extinction.
"For that reason, our well-being is closely tied to the well-being of a great variety of other organisms - including many that are neither majestic nor beautiful to our eyes" - Textbook Chapter: "6-3: Biodiversity"
Introductory Read-Aloud
Joy Williams's "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp" After the teacher read aloud the first section of Joy Williams's persuasive essay, "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp" (which will be read in its entirely later in the lesson through a jigsaw activity), we discussed how Williams's opening presents a take on how man perceives his relationship to nature (i.e. "You believe in yourself excessively. You don't believe in Nature anymore. It's too isolated from you" p. 3). After transitioning to a general discussion of the piece's tone and its persuasive approach (in comparison to the Time Safari, Inc. advertisement and the poster advertisements that we've looked at thus far), we zoomed in on a quote in which Williams's discusses how nature photographs have lost their appeal due to how we now instinctively associate them with animal endangerment. The highlighted quote is provided below. With the help of a photograph slideshow that displayed the three pictures that Williams's cites, we discussed the validity of the quote: Is she right? What emotions do we feel in response to these photographs? Do the photographs carry the strong negative connotations as Williams's asserts? |
"You see the picture of the baby condor or the panda munching on a bamboo shoot, and your heart just sinks, doesn't it? A picture of a poor old sea turtle with barnacles on her back, all ancient and exhausted, depositing her five gallons of doomed eggs in the sand hardly fills you with joy, because you realize, quite rightly, that just outside the frame falls the shadow of the condo."
- Joy Williams, "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp," p. 3
- Joy Williams, "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp," p. 3
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) PSA Series: Bluefin Tuna Overfishing Fusing visual literacy with this informal critical lens analysis, the World Wildlife Fund's three-part "Would You Care More...?" Public Service Announcement series presented an alternative viewpoint to Williams: we see species endangerment - our detrimental impact - only when we hold the species to be important enough to actively conserve. We discussed which opinion was more accurate. Prior to revealing the Public Service Announcements, we took a class poll: if you could donate to one endangered species, which would it be? We recorded our answers on sticky notes and each stuck ours on the front whiteboard when we finished writing. No list of endangered species was provided, so the endangered species named were only those we were previously familiar with (so the activity also serves to informally gauge and activate prior knowledge). The activity, most likely, yielded a list of the popular, high-profile endangered species. Click HERE to view Asher Jay's similar approach: twin advertisements in which she compared the plight of the African elephant and rhinoceros to that of the panda to help Chinese audiences see beyond their native endangered species.
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Biodiversity: sum total of the genetically based variety of all organisms in the biosphere.
Accountability: responsible to someone or for some action. subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.
Tone: the author's attitude and opinion toward the subject and toward the audience as implied in a literary work.
Conservation: the wise management of natural resources, including the preservation of habitats and wildlife.
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UNEVEN VALUE:
"A Tale of Two Cockatoos" Providing another example of unequal conservation efforts, this video - "A Tale of Two Cockatoos" - illuminates how conservation efforts are only pursued when they benefit man - an unusual requirement, since conservation efforts should be organized to benefit the threatened species. We don't treat everything like it has the same value. This video publicizes the plight of two endangered species of white-tailed cockatoos: Baudin's and Carnaby's. Both are found only in southwest Western Australia. However, although these two species are very similar in their appearance, biology and ecology, Baudin’s receive far less in the way of conservation funding and support than Carnaby’s due to their relationship with humans. Gill Ainsworth’s PhD research explored how Baudin’s and Carnaby’s are valued by Australian society and discovered why the Carnaby is favored over the Baudin. |
Digitelly (2013). A tale of two cockatoos [Video file]. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/69789070 |
Persuasive Essay: Jigsaw Activity
Joy Williams's "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp" Following up our opening look at Joy Williams's essay, "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp," we split into four jigsaw groups to finish reading the familiar author's rant (You read Joy Williams's short story, "The Girls" in your English class). The essay adds to the persuasive text types we've looked at thus far: Public Service Advertisement posters and the Time Safari, Inc. advertisement. Taking a break from our extensive practice with the during-reading activity, CHoMP, "Newspaper Notes" and "Tune In to Interesting Words" guided each expert group's assigned reading passage. Each group was assigned two sections (identifiable by line breaks) that spanned over four pages, approximately. Therefore, in the "Newspaper Notes" graphic organizer, we summarized each section with a main idea and three supporting details. The teacher modeled "Newspaper Notes" using the opening section read aloud at the beginning of the lesson. Groups were encouraged to read their sections aloud, so they could partake in the during-reading activities more collaboratively. Each expert member met with their home groups to share their findings. |
Expert Group I: Pages 4 - 8 ("Pascal said...tourist industry")
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Expert Group III: Pages 12 - 17 ("The tiny masters...can they")
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Expert Group II: Pages 8 - 12 ("Tourism...approaching sunset")
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Expert Group IV: Pages 17 - 21 ("All right, you say...of yourself")
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Williams, J. (2001). Save the whales, screw the shrimp. In Ill Nature: Rants and Reflections on Humanity and Other Animals (pp. 3-20). New York, NY: Vintage Books. |
Teacher Model: