Don’t Let the Earth Down

Using their incredible powers of persuasion, and the techniques of persuasive writing, have students craft a public service announcement that educates citizens on environmental issues.

Engage

As a class, brainstorm a list of things worth conserving. You may want to focus on a threatened area, like the rain forest, or look for problems your students can solve in their own communities, like waste reduction or clean water.

Have individual students choose an issue that is important to them and use the Mind Map tool to brainstorm ideas that might solve it. Then, ask students to research information. Since facts are a great way to support a compelling argument, have students organize their facts using a fact or opinion graphic organizer.

Fact or Opinion Organizer

Next ask students to write a first draft of the essay. Most public service announcements are between 10 and 60 seconds long. Ask students how much of their essay they can they read in ten seconds. How are they going to need to think differently to make their argument in a PSA?

Create

Let students know they will be working on a team with other students exploring their issue to create a 30–second public service announcement. Group the students together and have them begin their work by reading their arguments.

Working as a team, ask students to identify the best arguments in each essay and brainstorm how they could share those ideas in a short PSA. Have them list the stories, facts, and ideas they think will be helpful in making an argument in their public service announcement.

Each team can complete a vision for their project to define their argument, identify their audience, refine their goal, and choose an idea to pursue. Students can develop a storyboard to serve as the map for the PSA design.

Storyboard Template

Have students use a blank canvas to develop their PSA. Teams may choose to work on each stage of the development process together or assign roles, such as researcher, editor, graphic artist, and director, to divide up the tasks.

Blank Canvas

Share

Have teams share their PSAs with the class while talking about the collaborative process it took to create the PSA. You might choose to share the PSAs on your school web site, or present them during morning announcements. You may also be to share the PSAs with your local access television station to help educate the community.

Resources

Chiras, Daniel D., John P. Reganold, and Oliver S. Owen. Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future ISBN: 0130333980

Botkin, Daniel B. and Edward A. Keller. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet ISBN: 0471389145

Daily, Gretchen C. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. ISBN: 1559634766

Standards

Common Core Anchor Standards for English Language Arts
Grade 5-12

Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient, evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Production and Distribution of Writing

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening Standards

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

NSES - National Science Education Standards

CONTENT STANDARD F

As a result of activities in grades 5 - 8 , all students should develop understanding of:

Personal health
Populations, resources, and environments
Natural hazards
Risks and benefits
Science and technology in society

Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS)

III. People, Places, and Environments (middle grades)

k. propose, compare, and evaluate alternative uses of land and resources in communities, regions, nations, and the world.