Sustainability Camp Curriculum

CLOSING AND CELEBRATION

Time:     3 hrs (full and final block)
Place:    Tofino Botanical Gardens, outdoors or indoors

Overview

The closing and celebration of a sustainability educational program is often very important for participants. It is a way to wrap up the learning from the week and an opportunity for students to express how they will further build on their learning, and take action on new insights and ideas. This Closure and Celebration block is designed to close the program for students and teachers, and to celebrate a love of learning, community, and citizen action. It invites students to present their action projects, engage in an activity about their own ethics (which may have evolved over the week!), to enjoy their last moments at The Ecolodge, to celebrate their community and to make commitments to further action. This closing also includes time to solicit constructive feedback on the program from students, which is extremely valuable.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

• Grade 6 and 7 Physical Education: Participate safely in activities in a natural or alternative setting; an outdoor experience; Follow rules, routines and procedures of safety in a variety of activities; Identify and demonstrate positive behaviours that show respect for individuals’ potential, interests and cultural backgrounds; Select and assume responsibility for assigned roles while participating in a physical activity.
• Grade 6 Social Studies: Support a position on a national issue by considering competing reasons from various perspectives.
• Grade 6 Language Arts: Create real and invented narratives, descriptions and informal oral presentations.
• Grade 7 Language Arts: Create a written communication to record their views, opinions, values and beliefs; Encourage others to participate.
• Grade 6 Personal Planning: Encourage others to contribute to a safe school and community.
• Grade 7 Personal Planning: Practice responsible decision-making.
• Grade 6 Fine Arts: Express ideas and emotions using verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Grade 7 Fine Arts: Demonstrate respect for the perspectives of self and others.

Objectives

• Students will present their action projects (from Community and Citizen Contribution block 9), emphasizing what they learned, new skills they have gained, and the importance of the contribution they made.
• Students will take positions and articulate their thoughts about ethical issues related to the environment and social issues, and consider the opinions of their classmates.
• Students will engage in energizer games and activities to celebrate community, having fun and learning.
• Students will make commitments to action in a circle of their peers.
• Students will write a letter to themselves articulating their personal commitments to the health of the earth.
• Students will experience through a physical activity how they are supported by their community and how as responsible citizens of the earth, we can reach for and salute the sky!

Materials

Part 2 – Taking a Stand

• signs reading: “Strongly Agree” “Agree” “?” “Disagree” “Strongly Disagree”

Part 4 – Action commitments

• Object such as a stone, leaf, feather or an Earth Ball (see list of resources to get an Earth Ball)
• Piece of paper, envelope, and pen for each student

Part 6 – Evaluation

• flip chart (at least 3 different sheets)
• markers

Procedure

PART 1 – Action Project Presentations (~40 min)

1. Give students about 5 minutes to make any final preparations for their presentations. Each presentation is to be about 5minutes long and should include what their action project was, how it was successful, what could have been done to improve it, and what they learned through the process. Each student must participate in the presentation.
2. After each presentation, allow a couple of minutes for questions and discussion.
3. After all presentations are complete, make a closing statement thanking students for their work, summing up what they learned, the new skills they may have acquired and reiterating the importance of contributing to one’s community.

PART 2 – Taking a Stand (~40 min)
--- with thanks, this activity is adapted from Population Connection, 2004,  http://www.populationeducation.org/ Eco-Ethics (dilemma cards is an alternate activity – see CD of curriculum)

1. Start with a simple “Move your Butt” energizer game (useful as a transition from presentations and into Taking a Stand ethics activity):

1. Have everyone stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle will say “move your butt if you ________________ (something true about themselves)”. eg. “move your butt if you are the youngest person in your family” or any kind of statement they wish. Everyone who that is true for must move from their spot and find another one at least two spaces from their own. They cannot return to their own spot. Last person in the middle starts again “move your butt if…” (it might help to actually have space markers – such as pieces of cardboard or plastic lids (like musical chairs).

2. Now explain that we are going to play a slightly similar game, but that the questions are going to ask everyone to “Take a Stand”. Explain that, as we have learned over the week, there are many challenging issues that we are facing. Many of these are ethical issues, where people must make tough decisions about how they will behave and respond. Explain that this activity challenges each and everyone to take a stand on a variety of issues.
3. Place the signs reading: “Strongly Agree” “Agree” “?” “Disagree” “Strongly Disagree” in different places (could make this along a line’ provide ample space for students to move and see who is standing where).
4. Explain to the students that you will be reading several statements to them (see statements below), and that they should stand in front of the sign that most closely represents their reaction to the statement you have read. They will then be asked to explain their particular stand on each issue. They are free to move to a different sign if/when their opinions change after hearing their classmates’ views.
5. When facilitating the activity, try to give equal time to representatives of different sides of the issue and solicit remarks from as many students as possible. You may pose questions to help students articulate their thoughts.
6. Remind students that there is no right or wrong – everyone’s opinion is valid!
7. You may want to use some of the following techniques to keep the debate on track. To show respect for viewpoints different than their own, have students paraphrase the opinions offered by others before they speak. To stay focused on content, not personalities, assign students a position that they must defend, even if it does not mesh with their personal values.

Statements:
Note: Use your discretion in choosing statements that you feel students have enough information on to form an opinion and that fits best with the themes or learnings from camp. Make up some more statements, and you could also have students come up with statements, or adapt the dilemma cards in the alternate activity titled “Eco-Ethics”.

1. Without reducing our eco-footprint, it will be impossible to solve the world’s global ecological challenges.

2. Because we live in one of the richest countries in the world, we should welcome all those from other nations who wish to live here.

3. Arable land in this country should not be used for housing, businesses or other non-agricultural uses.

4. In a real crunch, jobs are more important than environmental quality.

5. Automobile makers in this country should be required by law to make all their vehicles very fuel-efficient, even though the vehicles might cost the consumer more.

6. Clothing manufacturers should be able to use child labour oversees if it makes the clothes cheaper for consumers here.

7. Communities across Canada should be required to shift to renewable energy.

8. Any new construction or other project that may threaten water quality should be prohibited.

9. Every individual plays a role in protecting our natural resources.

10. Science and technology will solve many of our environmental problems.

11. To lower our use of energy and levels of air pollution, we should spend more money on improving our public transportation systems than on our highways.

12. Endangered species’ habitats should not be developed for any reason.

13. People in Canada should be required by law to separate their trash and recycle newspaper, glass and cans.

Take a break! (~10min)

PART 3 – Salmon, Bears, Mosquitoes Energizer (~20 min)

1. This game may be familiar to students as there are several versions and they are all based on the classic “rock, paper, scissors” game. For this game:

BEARS EAT SALMON
SALMON EAT MOSQUITOES
MOSQUITOES EAT BEARS

2. Split the class into two teams on different ends of a large space. Have students come up with a physical action/sign to represent each character – bears, salmon, mosquitoes.
3. Teams will decide with each round whether they are bears, salmon, or mosquitoes. On the count of three they make their action/sign. If they are going to be eaten, students must run to a safe zone before being tagged. If tagged, they change sides and join the other team.
4. Continue to play until one team wins, or you are out of time.

PART 4 – Action Commitments (~45 min)

1. This section of the closing is an opportunity for students to form and express their own personal and community commitments to taking action for the earth. Give students a couple of minutes to think of a commitment they would like to make. Ask them to make it something detailed, realistic, and timely. Examples are: “I am going to ride my bike to school from now on”, “I am going to reuse and recycle all the paper I use”, or they may be something like “I am going to write a letter to government once per month” or “I am going to start a school environment club”….
2. Get students standing or sitting in a circle. Use some kind of object to pass around the sharing circle (could be a feather, stone, or I like to use the Earth Ball (see resources list)). Whoever holds the item gets to speak. You could simply go around the circle, or use the “popcorn” method where whoever is ready, speaks. Everyone takes a turn.
3. After everyone has made their commitment, thank students and ask them to take a piece of paper (provided) and write a short letter to themselves about this commitment and/or any other personal commitments they are making to help the earth’s health. 
4. Give each student an envelope and make sure they put their full name and address on it because you will be sending the letter back to them in a few months.
5. Collect the letters in sealed envelopes.
6. Letters should be mailed about 3 months after camp, or they could be hand delivered to the class as a post-camp follow-up program.

PART 5 – Salute the Sky! (~15 min)

1. As a final closure to the camp, students who wish can salute the sky! This initiative is a great demonstration of community support and individual freedom, and is a fun and exciting activity for all involved.
2. Ask students to line up in two rows facing each other about 1m apart. You will need at least one student at either end as well.
3. On each students’ turn, the “sky saluter” will stand with their back to one end of the row and then lean back onto all the arms of the students in rows.
4. When ready, all students will lift the person into the air. People holding the “sky saluter” will likely have their arms raised – lifting the person above their heads (see photo below).
5. The person being lifted can open their arms, lean their head back, and relax, as they salute the sky.
6. Allow each person a turn, unless someone really doesn’t want to.