I currently receive emails from MoveOn which is a website dedicated to making change.
Anyone can place a petition and their argument on the website for others to sign.
Unfortunately today I received a notice that Obama just appointed Monsanto vice president and lobbyist Michael Taylor as senior advisor of the Food and Drug Administration commissioner. In the 1990s this high ranking FDA official promoted allowing genetically modified organisms into the U.S food supply without undergoing a single test to determine their safety or risks!
I plan on signing this petition and urge everyone to do the same at:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269891&id=35377-20863292-HZEd7Ix&t=2
Friday, February 3, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Final Blog- Service Learning Project
Katlin:
For our service learning project we worked on a farm where Greg works regularly in South Hampton New Hampshire, which is right next to Aemesbury MA. This farm consists of gardens, chickens, and Ginny hens. At the farm we cleaned up the broken chicken coop and saved all reusable wood for the new gardens. We fixed the standing chicken coop by stapling chicken wire to the top and sides in order to keep predators out. We also started another tier of the gardens by pulling up the grass and turning over the soil.
We chose to do this service learning project because it directly relates to our topic of food industrialization. Learning about pesticides and hormones used in the food that I buy at the grocery store is alarming and a health risk. Working on a farm where chickens lay eggs and produce is grown fresh allows people to eat less pesticides and hormones. They know where their food comes from and how their animals are treated. Watching the movie Food Inc. I was disgusted with how animals were treated.
Working on the farm for two hours made me realize how time consuming keeping up the facility is. The hen house needs to be cleaned, damage from weather needs to be fixed, and they are constantly adding more gardens. This was a small size farm and I learned a lot of ways to grow produce that I could easily do at home. For example Greg made a small rectangle size garden of lettuce. He bought a $2 bag of lettuce seeds at the store and sprinkled them over the soil. He watered it occasionally and it grew a lot of lettuce, how easy! I also like how the use of land was utilized. The gardens were set in tiers and the grass that we pulled up was then placed to make the wall. I have seen Ginny hens before and love their color feathers.
I would definitely do something like this again but hopefully it will be in my own back yard. I see it as a step in the right direction towards growing and consuming organic food. Growing a garden that yields vegetables and fruits would be beneficial to do with an elementary school class. Having a class garden could branch into so many different lessons and state standards such as the plant cycle, habitats, and engineering. This is a great hands on way to have students learn where their food comes from and the advantages to growing your own food.
The following are websites I found about do it yourself gardening:
For our service learning project we worked on a farm where Greg works regularly in South Hampton New Hampshire, which is right next to Aemesbury MA. This farm consists of gardens, chickens, and Ginny hens. At the farm we cleaned up the broken chicken coop and saved all reusable wood for the new gardens. We fixed the standing chicken coop by stapling chicken wire to the top and sides in order to keep predators out. We also started another tier of the gardens by pulling up the grass and turning over the soil.
We chose to do this service learning project because it directly relates to our topic of food industrialization. Learning about pesticides and hormones used in the food that I buy at the grocery store is alarming and a health risk. Working on a farm where chickens lay eggs and produce is grown fresh allows people to eat less pesticides and hormones. They know where their food comes from and how their animals are treated. Watching the movie Food Inc. I was disgusted with how animals were treated.
Working on the farm for two hours made me realize how time consuming keeping up the facility is. The hen house needs to be cleaned, damage from weather needs to be fixed, and they are constantly adding more gardens. This was a small size farm and I learned a lot of ways to grow produce that I could easily do at home. For example Greg made a small rectangle size garden of lettuce. He bought a $2 bag of lettuce seeds at the store and sprinkled them over the soil. He watered it occasionally and it grew a lot of lettuce, how easy! I also like how the use of land was utilized. The gardens were set in tiers and the grass that we pulled up was then placed to make the wall. I have seen Ginny hens before and love their color feathers.
I figured they were just pets but apparently they eat ticks. Everything on the farm is there for a purpose; the chickens for eggs, Ginny hens to eat the ticks, and barn cats to keep mice away. They are even thinking about purchasing goats to eat the poison ivy. We not only helped out the family that owns it but they gave me great ideas to share with family and friends. Learning about pesticides and hormones used in foods that I eat was scary but learning about ways to cut down on the amount I eat is the most important aspect of this service learning project.
The following are websites I found about do it yourself gardening:
The following is a website of the 7 foods wont eat:
http://wakeup-world.com/2011/10/06/7-foods-experts-wont-eat/
Greg: For our service learning project we worked on the the Wild Artichoke Farm where I am the farm hand. There have been a lot of storms lately and there has been some damage to some things on the farms. The chicken yard house has been slowly breaking apart. We reused some wood from an old chicken yard we took down to help brace the broken 2" by 4"'s. It was nice that we were able to get that done, since it probably would have fell this winter. After we fixed the chicken yard we continued to work on the terrace gardens I've been building throughout the summer. It is pretty cool there are now five beds built in terraces that overall spans around 50 feet.
It was really amazing to have help on some of these projects. Usually it if just me working on the farm on many projects. So what we got done in just a few hours would have taken me probably around a weekend. It is also is always a big help to John and Lucy who own the property. They used to have 30 sheep and she would shear the sheep to make all her textiles projects. This is a side note but Lucy has made some of the best textiles I have ever seen. She has a unique personal style that combines a lot of elements of textiles from Ghana. They were getting too busy to keep all the sheep and that gave away the final six sheep last year. I began working there to help on the property in exchange for a place to live once I build some sort of temporary house. It has been a healing process for all of us, and I was very grateful for the extra help.
One thing I can say is that gardening is truly life changing for those who have an interest in it. I would work long days just molding and shaping the land and playing with baby chicks. When I would get hungry I would go over to the cherry and the peach trees, the elderberry bushes, and make salads from my garden. There is something magical about eating fresh food right of tree or bush. Its hard to explain, but I know it has changed my life. While working in a garden you notice a lot more around you, and you would be surprised about how much life is always around us that we just do not notice. I never gardened before this summer and there is the taboo that it is a lot of work, but I can say from someone who just started doing it that you really pretty much throw seeds and the ground and water the garden a few times a week. I strongly suggest anyone who has an interest in gardening to just get out and do it. For our presentations we will present some alternatives for people like small shading yards surrounded by houses like my backyard.
I feel that the current system is truly wacky whether it be the agriculture system to the building and clothing industry. As people we often feel weak and powerless against these major companies and organizations. The thing that we all often overlook is that we are the people paying them when we buy things. I do not think that politicians are for the first time in human history going to get hit with the need to be ethical, and change some of these systems. So it is up to us to change the way we live so that the people who want to make money on us will follow. I know a lot of people do not want to pay or cant pay for local organic foods or clothing made from organic materials. I also know that a lot of people do spend money of cigarettes, alcohol, going out to bars, or going out to eat. Those are all expensive habits or activities that could be lessened. Eating good food is much bigger than just becoming healthier. The current system is hurting this world and degrading the land. People often forget that we are privileged guests on this Earth. We only exist because there is a certain combination of trees, plants, and other animals that allowed humans to evolve. If we kill of those plants, trees, and other animals then we will kill ourselves. That is why I find gardening so important not only does it save you money and allow you to have fresh organic food, but you are also giving less money to the people who are not looking out for our best interest. Since they are not going to switch over to organic and more sustainable practices le anytime soon we need to and show them how we can better life for all people.
I would have my students have some form of service learning project. Obviously what I would have them do would change a lot depending on what grade I end up teaching. I feel a lot of people know somethings about what is happening in this world, but we are often disconnected from that issue. Once you begin to learn more about a problem you gain a personal connection to that issue. As teachers when we know what a student is passionate about whether it be an animal or a sport we can explain issues they may be having with new material in relation to their passion. Also the issues we are starting to face around the world are getting much bigger, and the students we teach will be facing those issues as they get older. We as teachers need to learn more about such issues so we can teach them to students in ways they will understand, so they will be able to face these issues in their lifetime with a deeper understanding.
http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/
Greg: For our service learning project we worked on the the Wild Artichoke Farm where I am the farm hand. There have been a lot of storms lately and there has been some damage to some things on the farms. The chicken yard house has been slowly breaking apart. We reused some wood from an old chicken yard we took down to help brace the broken 2" by 4"'s. It was nice that we were able to get that done, since it probably would have fell this winter. After we fixed the chicken yard we continued to work on the terrace gardens I've been building throughout the summer. It is pretty cool there are now five beds built in terraces that overall spans around 50 feet.
It was really amazing to have help on some of these projects. Usually it if just me working on the farm on many projects. So what we got done in just a few hours would have taken me probably around a weekend. It is also is always a big help to John and Lucy who own the property. They used to have 30 sheep and she would shear the sheep to make all her textiles projects. This is a side note but Lucy has made some of the best textiles I have ever seen. She has a unique personal style that combines a lot of elements of textiles from Ghana. They were getting too busy to keep all the sheep and that gave away the final six sheep last year. I began working there to help on the property in exchange for a place to live once I build some sort of temporary house. It has been a healing process for all of us, and I was very grateful for the extra help.
One thing I can say is that gardening is truly life changing for those who have an interest in it. I would work long days just molding and shaping the land and playing with baby chicks. When I would get hungry I would go over to the cherry and the peach trees, the elderberry bushes, and make salads from my garden. There is something magical about eating fresh food right of tree or bush. Its hard to explain, but I know it has changed my life. While working in a garden you notice a lot more around you, and you would be surprised about how much life is always around us that we just do not notice. I never gardened before this summer and there is the taboo that it is a lot of work, but I can say from someone who just started doing it that you really pretty much throw seeds and the ground and water the garden a few times a week. I strongly suggest anyone who has an interest in gardening to just get out and do it. For our presentations we will present some alternatives for people like small shading yards surrounded by houses like my backyard.
I feel that the current system is truly wacky whether it be the agriculture system to the building and clothing industry. As people we often feel weak and powerless against these major companies and organizations. The thing that we all often overlook is that we are the people paying them when we buy things. I do not think that politicians are for the first time in human history going to get hit with the need to be ethical, and change some of these systems. So it is up to us to change the way we live so that the people who want to make money on us will follow. I know a lot of people do not want to pay or cant pay for local organic foods or clothing made from organic materials. I also know that a lot of people do spend money of cigarettes, alcohol, going out to bars, or going out to eat. Those are all expensive habits or activities that could be lessened. Eating good food is much bigger than just becoming healthier. The current system is hurting this world and degrading the land. People often forget that we are privileged guests on this Earth. We only exist because there is a certain combination of trees, plants, and other animals that allowed humans to evolve. If we kill of those plants, trees, and other animals then we will kill ourselves. That is why I find gardening so important not only does it save you money and allow you to have fresh organic food, but you are also giving less money to the people who are not looking out for our best interest. Since they are not going to switch over to organic and more sustainable practices le anytime soon we need to and show them how we can better life for all people.
I would have my students have some form of service learning project. Obviously what I would have them do would change a lot depending on what grade I end up teaching. I feel a lot of people know somethings about what is happening in this world, but we are often disconnected from that issue. Once you begin to learn more about a problem you gain a personal connection to that issue. As teachers when we know what a student is passionate about whether it be an animal or a sport we can explain issues they may be having with new material in relation to their passion. Also the issues we are starting to face around the world are getting much bigger, and the students we teach will be facing those issues as they get older. We as teachers need to learn more about such issues so we can teach them to students in ways they will understand, so they will be able to face these issues in their lifetime with a deeper understanding.
http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Blog 4
Katlin
Service Learning Project:
I have contacted Connor Farm in Danvers MA, through email, and asked them about their farm practices. They emailed me back to let me know they received the message and will get back to me as soon as possible. Considering how quickly I received an email back I will be contacting other local farms through email to get more information. Greg works on a small farm in South Hampton New Hampshire which he hopes to turn into a permaculture farm. I hope to get involved and learn more about permaculture ideas.
1. I have done research on the company Monsanto. I created an entire new post on this issue and provided YouTube links for everyone to watch. These videos are short and lay out the truth without being confusing. Check them out for more information!
2. Teaching children the information needed to become a successful, positive citizen is a goal of social studies. Citizenship can be found throughout the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks for elementary school. I think citizenship is an important part of the curriculum because after years of school that is a person's final outcome; a citizen. A way to make the sometimes heavy and dry information of citizenship enjoyable for students is allowing them to get involved with issues they are curious about. It is part of the teacher profession to make space for lessons and activities that students are interested in, and can even be skillfully linked to state standards. Topics such as economics and even U.S History can be monotonous, which can be connected to many of my experiences with long lectures and PowerPoints. Early in the school year I would ask students to fill out an information sheet about themselves explaining what they like to do, their favorite TV show, etc in order to engage them in lessons throughout the year. I would engage students in such social studies topics by setting up a video clip, asking an open-ended question, or reading a book; sometimes even shocking facts can grab children's attention.
3. The NCSS frameworks at www.socialstudies.org/about consists of ten themes and believes that effective social studies programs include experiences for the study of:
Culture
Time, Continuity, Change
People, Places, Environments
Individual Development, Identity
Individuals, Groups, Institutions
Power, Authority, Governance
Production, Distribution, Consumption
Science, Technology, Society
Global Connections
Civic Ideals, Practices
I am currently in a diverse first grade class for field placement. Since the students are seven years old they are working on the basics of every subject. I have not seen evidence of the above topics in the classroom yet. In my opinion their developmental age does not allow them to think outside of. Meaning they are worried about what toys they will get for their birthday or who they will play with at recess, they are not at a global level.
This current event project allows me to connect what I should be as a teacher. I need to allow myself to see all sides of an issue and get concrete information on the issue which depicts myself as a learner. This topic is one that I chose which clearly illustrated my sense of inquiry. As a teacher I will continue learning and use my curiosity to engage my students in the subject of social studies. I believe if the teacher is enthusiastic then the students are more likely to be. themselves
Greg
Service Learning Project
I am in charge of a small time permaculture project spanning a little more than four acres of land. My goal in the next four to fives years is to have at least a three acre food forest. By using permaculture design methods we create a farm that functions under the same balanced structure of nature. Eventually it allows you to have a fully functional farm that produces more food per acre than a modern farm and once you have set up the right design all the work you have to do is collect food. So we will be doing a little work on this project. This weekend coming up and next weekends are going to be times in which we all will do some service learning since winter is soon approaching and on the farm that means there is a lot to do. Actually if you are on a farm there is always a lot to do so I guess winter is no different. John and Lucy Bloomfield own this land and two amazing people. Lucy's phone number is 603 531 3700. I am in charge of this project so if anyone wants to get involved or learn more about permaculture you can call me my number is 978 302 1195. Permaculture is truly incredible and I encourage any one with an interest in gardening to check out the concepts.
1. When I was at occupy Boston one day a few weekends ago I was actually surprised by the lack of knowledge being passed around about food and local farms. I will have to say that the Occupy Boston movement was very disorganized and also was made up of a lot of people who could not present many clear arguments. I do support the fact that people are fighting for social change and that many of the flaws in the capitalist system are no longer being denied by everyone. Though I will say I met a few gems amongst the crowd and some people who were talking about local farms. I know at the occupy wall street there was permaculturist giving lectures on how people can increase their own food development, and local farms could become stronger. That is the only current news I have heard on the subject lately.
2. I feel there is room within the curriculum to talk about where your food comes from. Though it does not have to be as gruesome as the truth sometimes is. A good time to talk about this would be during a science unit on plants. I would make space for such lessons. I am involved in farming and really passionate about it so I feel I will always to try have some type of gardening or farming lessons throughout the year. I really want to do community gardens at whichever school I teach at. I feel if students get involved in such activities they reconnect with aspects of the human brain that we no longer activate since we left our hundred of thousands of years development directly linked in with nature. I know from such school programs they said that the students had a new sense of pride and much more appreciation for food. This will engage students in lesson talking about plants and farming.
3. There is talk about social issues in the school I am doing my pre-practicum in. After teaching a lesson about how ancient cultures held stories as powerful learning tools and brought in my didgeridoo to class I noticed somethings about the students. Though they liked the lesson and what it was about. The fact that I could play the didgeridoo was really cool to them. They gained respect towards me and now respond better when I ask them to do something. The students gained respect for me as a person. As a teacher we are not just presenting the curriculum via lessons and activities we are also presenting ourselves to the class. Hopefully we present ourselves as role models for the future generation. By us learning more about social issues in projects such as this one we build our own character. Younger students have a lot of questions brewing in their head that they may never ask, but we answer by the way we live.
Service Learning Project:
I have contacted Connor Farm in Danvers MA, through email, and asked them about their farm practices. They emailed me back to let me know they received the message and will get back to me as soon as possible. Considering how quickly I received an email back I will be contacting other local farms through email to get more information. Greg works on a small farm in South Hampton New Hampshire which he hopes to turn into a permaculture farm. I hope to get involved and learn more about permaculture ideas.
1. I have done research on the company Monsanto. I created an entire new post on this issue and provided YouTube links for everyone to watch. These videos are short and lay out the truth without being confusing. Check them out for more information!
2. Teaching children the information needed to become a successful, positive citizen is a goal of social studies. Citizenship can be found throughout the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks for elementary school. I think citizenship is an important part of the curriculum because after years of school that is a person's final outcome; a citizen. A way to make the sometimes heavy and dry information of citizenship enjoyable for students is allowing them to get involved with issues they are curious about. It is part of the teacher profession to make space for lessons and activities that students are interested in, and can even be skillfully linked to state standards. Topics such as economics and even U.S History can be monotonous, which can be connected to many of my experiences with long lectures and PowerPoints. Early in the school year I would ask students to fill out an information sheet about themselves explaining what they like to do, their favorite TV show, etc in order to engage them in lessons throughout the year. I would engage students in such social studies topics by setting up a video clip, asking an open-ended question, or reading a book; sometimes even shocking facts can grab children's attention.
3. The NCSS frameworks at www.socialstudies.org/about consists of ten themes and believes that effective social studies programs include experiences for the study of:
Culture
Time, Continuity, Change
People, Places, Environments
Individual Development, Identity
Individuals, Groups, Institutions
Power, Authority, Governance
Production, Distribution, Consumption
Science, Technology, Society
Global Connections
Civic Ideals, Practices
I am currently in a diverse first grade class for field placement. Since the students are seven years old they are working on the basics of every subject. I have not seen evidence of the above topics in the classroom yet. In my opinion their developmental age does not allow them to think outside of. Meaning they are worried about what toys they will get for their birthday or who they will play with at recess, they are not at a global level.
This current event project allows me to connect what I should be as a teacher. I need to allow myself to see all sides of an issue and get concrete information on the issue which depicts myself as a learner. This topic is one that I chose which clearly illustrated my sense of inquiry. As a teacher I will continue learning and use my curiosity to engage my students in the subject of social studies. I believe if the teacher is enthusiastic then the students are more likely to be. themselves
Greg
Service Learning Project
I am in charge of a small time permaculture project spanning a little more than four acres of land. My goal in the next four to fives years is to have at least a three acre food forest. By using permaculture design methods we create a farm that functions under the same balanced structure of nature. Eventually it allows you to have a fully functional farm that produces more food per acre than a modern farm and once you have set up the right design all the work you have to do is collect food. So we will be doing a little work on this project. This weekend coming up and next weekends are going to be times in which we all will do some service learning since winter is soon approaching and on the farm that means there is a lot to do. Actually if you are on a farm there is always a lot to do so I guess winter is no different. John and Lucy Bloomfield own this land and two amazing people. Lucy's phone number is 603 531 3700. I am in charge of this project so if anyone wants to get involved or learn more about permaculture you can call me my number is 978 302 1195. Permaculture is truly incredible and I encourage any one with an interest in gardening to check out the concepts.
1. When I was at occupy Boston one day a few weekends ago I was actually surprised by the lack of knowledge being passed around about food and local farms. I will have to say that the Occupy Boston movement was very disorganized and also was made up of a lot of people who could not present many clear arguments. I do support the fact that people are fighting for social change and that many of the flaws in the capitalist system are no longer being denied by everyone. Though I will say I met a few gems amongst the crowd and some people who were talking about local farms. I know at the occupy wall street there was permaculturist giving lectures on how people can increase their own food development, and local farms could become stronger. That is the only current news I have heard on the subject lately.
2. I feel there is room within the curriculum to talk about where your food comes from. Though it does not have to be as gruesome as the truth sometimes is. A good time to talk about this would be during a science unit on plants. I would make space for such lessons. I am involved in farming and really passionate about it so I feel I will always to try have some type of gardening or farming lessons throughout the year. I really want to do community gardens at whichever school I teach at. I feel if students get involved in such activities they reconnect with aspects of the human brain that we no longer activate since we left our hundred of thousands of years development directly linked in with nature. I know from such school programs they said that the students had a new sense of pride and much more appreciation for food. This will engage students in lesson talking about plants and farming.
3. There is talk about social issues in the school I am doing my pre-practicum in. After teaching a lesson about how ancient cultures held stories as powerful learning tools and brought in my didgeridoo to class I noticed somethings about the students. Though they liked the lesson and what it was about. The fact that I could play the didgeridoo was really cool to them. They gained respect towards me and now respond better when I ask them to do something. The students gained respect for me as a person. As a teacher we are not just presenting the curriculum via lessons and activities we are also presenting ourselves to the class. Hopefully we present ourselves as role models for the future generation. By us learning more about social issues in projects such as this one we build our own character. Younger students have a lot of questions brewing in their head that they may never ask, but we answer by the way we live.
MONSANTO - GOOD OR EVIL?
Monsanto is the world's largest producer of genetically modified seed.
Below are some YouTube videos to explain this super company and the
effects it has on farmers and consumers.
Good or evil? You be the Judge!
Genetically Modified Foods of Monsanto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbvYwg-Aqis
What Monsanto Doesn't Want You to Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5oixaFrppA&feature=related
Food, Inc. Monsanto Control 90% of US Soybean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P1CJ7IEt0c
Below are some YouTube videos to explain this super company and the
effects it has on farmers and consumers.
Good or evil? You be the Judge!
Genetically Modified Foods of Monsanto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbvYwg-Aqis
What Monsanto Doesn't Want You to Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5oixaFrppA&feature=related
Food, Inc. Monsanto Control 90% of US Soybean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P1CJ7IEt0c
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Let's Discuss
Social Studies educators believe discussion is a crucial aspect of instruction which allows students to think critically and logically. This promotes the skills needed for civic engagement. Planned discussions reflect what the teacher thinks his/her students need to know and should be obtained through dialogue.
Discussing Food Industrialization:
1. Do you think the food purchased in grocery stores is safe to eat? Why or why not?
2. If there are federal laws (FIFRA, TSCA) on the use of hazardous materials when it comes to the food citizens consume, why is the government not enforcing them?
3. Why do you think many citizens do not know the negative health risks connected to the use of pesticides and hormones on farms?
4. How does desertification contribute to poor land use? According to http://www.dictionary.com/ desertification is the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of top soil...usually caused by the over exploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people.
How can the use of land be improved based on your previous answer?
Four Kinds of Approaches to Discussion:
Best Practices to Facilitate Discussion:
As a teacher it is important to understand what students already know about the subject. I would ask students, "What do you already know about farm practices such as the use of pesticides and hormones? Where does your food come from?" Students will be able to apply what they have heard or seen about food industrialization, whether they heard it on TV or read it on the Internet.
After placing students in groups to research the issue of food industrialization I would ask students, "What laws/acts are in place to protect citizens, farm workers, and farm animals from the use of pesticides and hormones?" This allows students to discuss the issue in groups and as a whole-class.
During this lesson/unit I would have the students keep a journal filled with questions, concerns, reflections, and ideas about the issue. Some questions could be written on the board for students to answer in their journals such as "What does the word pesticide mean to you?" or "What improvements could farms make to create less health concerns with their product?" This will give students time to think about the questions before discussing them with the whole-class.
Check point for service learning project: Our plan is to visit two separate farms and compare their practices, such as the use of land, pesticides, and hormones. Katlin is planning on visiting Connors Farm in Danvers MA due to its convenient location. They have apple trees, pumpkins and grow other plants like tomatoes, and butternut squash. Greg would like to visit a farm in Western MA, where his friend works during the spring, that grows exotic plants such as kiwis. As for presenting solutions to our problem we have some great links and Greg is creating a lettuce garden plan that involves little work.
Discussing Food Industrialization:
1. Do you think the food purchased in grocery stores is safe to eat? Why or why not?
2. If there are federal laws (FIFRA, TSCA) on the use of hazardous materials when it comes to the food citizens consume, why is the government not enforcing them?
3. Why do you think many citizens do not know the negative health risks connected to the use of pesticides and hormones on farms?
4. How does desertification contribute to poor land use? According to http://www.dictionary.com/ desertification is the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of top soil...usually caused by the over exploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people.
How can the use of land be improved based on your previous answer?
Four Kinds of Approaches to Discussion:
- Responding to a problem
- Responding to an observation
- Responding to a question
- Reflecting on classroom activities
Best Practices to Facilitate Discussion:
- At the beginning of the year discuss what makes a good discussion with students.
- Create a set of rules for discussions that ensure civility.
- Plan the discussion. What topics do you want to cover? In what order? What happens if nobody answers?
- Create a starting question to create controversy, it should grab students attention.
- How will you respond to students propositions and questions?
- This should not be a lecture! Insert the planned agenda through student's comments so that it feels natural.
- Use whole-class and group discussions.
- Open up one student's question to the whole class for further thinking.
- Ask students to relate their comments to the specific content they read, viewed, or heard.
- If you are silent, the students will speak!
- The pace should be slow so students have time to reflect.
- Instead of responding ask another student their opinion.
As a teacher it is important to understand what students already know about the subject. I would ask students, "What do you already know about farm practices such as the use of pesticides and hormones? Where does your food come from?" Students will be able to apply what they have heard or seen about food industrialization, whether they heard it on TV or read it on the Internet.
After placing students in groups to research the issue of food industrialization I would ask students, "What laws/acts are in place to protect citizens, farm workers, and farm animals from the use of pesticides and hormones?" This allows students to discuss the issue in groups and as a whole-class.
During this lesson/unit I would have the students keep a journal filled with questions, concerns, reflections, and ideas about the issue. Some questions could be written on the board for students to answer in their journals such as "What does the word pesticide mean to you?" or "What improvements could farms make to create less health concerns with their product?" This will give students time to think about the questions before discussing them with the whole-class.
Check point for service learning project: Our plan is to visit two separate farms and compare their practices, such as the use of land, pesticides, and hormones. Katlin is planning on visiting Connors Farm in Danvers MA due to its convenient location. They have apple trees, pumpkins and grow other plants like tomatoes, and butternut squash. Greg would like to visit a farm in Western MA, where his friend works during the spring, that grows exotic plants such as kiwis. As for presenting solutions to our problem we have some great links and Greg is creating a lettuce garden plan that involves little work.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Blog 3
The critical attributes are the essential elements that encompass the whole issue. Land degradation, health risks, and in-humane animal treatment are the main critical attributes. Industrial farming is risky for the health of the land and all beings surrounding the farms is the procedural knowledge we are dealing with. This big idea is soundly supported by known health risks, pesticides used, inhuman treatment of animals and farmers, desertification, court cases, hormones injected in animals, and known restrictions of industrialization farming. To make sure people can fully become educated in industrial farming we would create a presentation that encompasses the overall views of this farming practice. At the end of the presentation we use as a hook there would be a list of links, movies, and books to allow people to develop deeper comprehension of this issue. These different venues allow viewers to learn the information using Multiple Intelligences that Howard Gardner founded.
Service Learning Project: Members of our group will visit three individual farms. During our time observing and learning about their practices we will acknowledge pesticides, hormones, and land use. We will come together and compare/contrast our experiences and practices of the farms.
Service Learning Project: Members of our group will visit three individual farms. During our time observing and learning about their practices we will acknowledge pesticides, hormones, and land use. We will come together and compare/contrast our experiences and practices of the farms.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Interviews
Kristin's Interview: I decided to interview my friend Stephanie, she is a Graduate student here at Salem State University. I discussed the issues with farms and pesticides and the affects that pesticides have on our environment, our health and foods. I started by asking her,
Is this a problem you think is important? Why/ Why not? She agreed that there is a definite problem with the food industrialization, she mentioned how when she was younger her Abuela always made her double wash all the veggies and fruits before anyone eat them or else she could get sick. She said why is it that the food we are in taking needs to be washed or else we will get sick, do you really think washing will do anything?
Do you think others in our community this is an important problem? why/ why not? Stephanie said that yes there are others in the community that think this is a problem but not enough. Many people just let the topic pass by until it affects them personally. We see changes trying to be made but are the rules being enforced?
What policy, if any, does government have now to deal with this problem? She wasnt really sure of any specific policy, had just only been introduced into the topic with me.
Greg's Interview:
My Dad Peter
Is this a problem you think is important?
“Yes because we are all eating this stuff“. After further coaxing I got another answer. “ If I don’t care the liberals will hunt me down.”
Do you think others in our community think this is a problem?
“Yes but I do not think many people know or care about it. It is a problem though and more people should think about it.”
What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?
“ I do not know anything about government policies.”
I confirmed that my family usually blanks out when I start talking about farms and other various horrible practices we currently support. My Dad is more into Philosophy than govermental policies. He also knows more about farms and what systems we currently have but I feel in ways does not like to acknowledge that he does. I also learned that even myself actually know very little about policies that have been passed on most any issue. The fact that these things are problems is directly linked to people not knowing what happens behind closed doors. If there was a slaughter house open the the public down town anywhere I gurentee this facility would be cleaner and more humane.
Katlin's Interview: I interviewed my co-worker Jen. We worked at Children's Island Day Camp (located in
Salem MA harbor) during the summer from 2008 to 2010. After and overnight I saw Jen using fresh water to clean off strawberries. Since the island's water is from the ocean I knew she was using her own supply. I asked her "Why are you doing that?" and she exclaimed, "Do you know how many pesticides are on these?"
I asked Jen the following questions and she replied:
Is this a problem you think is important? "Yes this is absolutly a concern! This is a problem because of all the health risks related to pesticides and hormones especially to those who work on the farms, live near the farms, and people who consume their products."
Do you think others in the community think this is an important topic? "I have met many people who agree that it is an important problem, but I also know many people who do not know about it."
What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem? "I don't know of any specific policy, but I understand there are rules in redards to the use of pesticides. New research shows that corn produced by the super company Monsanto shows organ failure in rats. Hopefully scientists can keep up the good work and persuade the government to change agricultural policies."
Do you have anything else to add about this topic? "I drive a truck for http://www.farmdirectcoop.org/ on Tuesdays getting locally grown produce. This includes vegetables, fruit, cheese and bread. They are organic or IPM (integrated pest management) which means they are minimally sprayed when necessary.
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