[RSCT] Resources for teaching about global warming/Copenhagen

[Bob Peterson]

Dear friends,
I am interested in learning from other teachers how they are teaching about the Climate Summit. In my fifth grade class we have been approaching it as a current event study, interjecting science, math, art, music and some poetry writing.

The three songs that my fifth graders have liked are:

Battered Earth by Sweet Honey and the Rock (great imagery, students have discussed the message and imagery of the song and while listening to it several times drawn their own images of the earth running away from the human species.)

Earth Intruders by Bjork (rather intense but kids like it)

Garbage by Pete Seeger, Steel and Agranoff (3 minutes and 44 second -version) the shorter version cuts out the stanza about "stocks and bonds"  Although somewhat dated, the song still raises lots of good stuff -- "we're filling up the sea with garbage..we're filling up the land with garbage....we're filling up our minds with garbage" -- and kids like to sing loudly the refrain about garbage, garbage, garbage

I'd be interested in hearing about other song that people have used.

I found the 350.org materials very useful -- some great videos... kids are examining why some people are arguing that "350 is the most important number in the world."

Also the Story of Stuff is an excellent resource -- available in Spanish too. (www.storyofstuff.com)

I am attaching a time line from the Dec. 7 Nation that I also found very useful.
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Sincerely,

Bob Peterson
5th grade teacher 
La Escuela Fratney
Milwaukee, WI
editor, Rethinking Schools