Personal Experience with Pollution

Subject Area

This activity can be placed within the context of general language skills acquisition, response journal, or a short story unit. Accordingly, it can be used at any level or grade of the English, E.S.L., E.S.D. or Languages curricula.

Learning Outcomes

Teaching, learning and evaluation will focus on the student’s ability to:

• Develop writing skills and vocabulary suitable for writing in the humanities and the sciences;
  
• Integrate personal experience with the language classroom;
  
• Contrast personal experiences with those of peers from difference racial, cultural, economic, geographical or experiential contexts;
  
• Discover the reasons for the Developed World’s preoccupation with environmental issues.

Classroom Development

The teacher should provide texts which describe environmental degradation or problems in the world. Possibilities depend on the grade, level, subject and unit in which this activity is included, but they can be novels, short stories, pieces from various news media, essays, poems, even films or videos. Texts dealing with problems, both internal and external to Canada, should be presented to students.

After completing the activities that would normally be done with a text in your class, the students should complete the following steps:

1. Direct students to consider a period in their lives or a situation in which they have personally been faced with the results of pollution, have been involved in a clean-up operation, or have caused a polluting situation. Students can discuss what this means, without going into personal details, so that all students understand what is being asked of them.
   
2. Students can prepare to write according to whatever formula is used in class, though hopefully the writing process will start in their response journals.
   
3. Students should write a composition of at least a page describing their personal experience with pollution. Instruct them to be only as accurate as they feel comfortable doing, and they should not write about anything which has very strong emotional attachments unless they feel comfortable doing so. Remind them that what they write will be shared with some other members of the class.
   
4. After they have written, instruct students in basic forms of revision (reading aloud, reading sentence by sentence starting at the end of the document, looking up all words of which they are unsure), and have them submit an updated copy of the document to you.
5. Without reading the submissions, redistribute the copies to other students in the class who will act as editors. Students should be in pairs with each student playing the role of author and editor. Instruct the class that, as editors, they are not to comment on the value of the writing, or to correct anything, but only to do the following:
   a) Read the work aloud so that the author can hear her own work so that she can catch any errors;
   b) Point out (not correct) any words which are illegible or misspelled;
   c) Ask questions about whatever is unclear in terms of grammar, organization or ideas;
   d) Ask the author to elaborate on certain sections or to describe parts of the text that may seem commonplace to the author, but not to the editor. Suggest that the author should expand the description of these parts.
   
6. Have the editor work with the author until they are comfortable with the work. Make sure that the amount of time allotted for a student to be author and editor is clearly delineated, since you want equal time to be spent revising both works. Then have the editor read the work to the class.
   As a follow-up to this activity, students can be directed to respond in their writing folders to the reading having the strongest impact on them.
   
7. To accurately evaluate the work done, you may wish to assign a mark for both the author and the editor. If you plan to assign an editorial mark, make sure that the editor provides written rather than merely oral comments to the author.

Background

Any good text on environmental degradation is useful, especially if it contains a personal narrative. Look for something with new vocabulary and challenging descriptions. The text must be localized for the class level and subject

Timing

40 min for introduction and reading. Writing time both in and out of class. 40 min or more for editing. Time for students to present writing to the class (optional).

Resources

The works of any Canadian writer dealing with environmental problems (David Suzuki for example).
Parsons, Les. Response Journals. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke, 1990.
Suzuki, David. “A Planet for the Taking.” In Language at Work. Nigel Gough ed. Toronto: Holt, 1987. Pages 220-223.
Newspaper and journal articles dealing with overseas environmental situations.

This activity is designed to allow you the opportunity to write about a personal experience related to an environmental concern. Also, you will be able to experience the process of revising your writing with the assistance of your own personal editor.

Complete the following steps:

1. Consider a period in your life or a situation in which you have personally been faced with the results of pollution, have been involved in a cleanup operation, or have caused a polluting situation. You may want to discuss what this means in a small group so that you have clear idea of what you are to do.
   
2. If your class uses response journals, consider writing your initial draft in it.
   
3. Write a composition of at least a page describing your personal experience with pollution. You should only write about things you are comfortable sharing with the class. What you write will be shared with some other members of the class.
   
4. After you have written your first draft, your teacher will introduce or review the basic steps of revising a draft (reading aloud, reading sentence by sentence starting at the end of the document, looking up all words of which you are unsure). After you have completed your second draft, submit it to your teacher.
   
5. Your teacher will redistribute your work to another student in the class who will act as your editor, and you will be his/her editor. As an editor, you are only to do the following:
   a) Read the work aloud so that the author can hear her/his own work so that she/he can catch any errors;
   b) Point out (not correct) any words which are illegible or misspelled;
   c) Ask the author to elaborate on certain sections or to describe parts of the text that may seem commonplace to the author, but not to the editor. Suggest that the author should expand their description of these points.
   
6. Work with your editor on your piece until both of you are comfortable with the work. And make sure that you fulfill the role of editor to the best of your ability.
   
7. Submit your final piece for summative evaluation. Your teacher may assign a mark for both the author and editor.