Environmental Expo by Spectrum Students

Students in Morgan Lieske, Jody Cornett, and Melissa Bauer's Spectrum class read six different books (Seasick, No Impact Man, Breakpoint, Tomatoland, Inconspicuous Consumption, and Sixth Extinction) featuring stories of environmental issues/activism and created presentations on the various topics. They then presented their learning to their peers and faculty members. 

 

Spectrum students have been doing this project for about ten years now, and it allows students to learn about a wide variety of issues through their own in-depth research and learning from their peers, according to Lieske.

 

"We hope that our students gain a global awareness around climate issues as well as critical thinking skills about the necessary actions we need to take as global citizens," she said. "In this particular unit assessment, the necessary skills are identifying an author's thesis from their assigned book and synthesizing the concepts from the book, while also adding outside resources that relate to those concepts. For example, they found organizations that are currently addressing the author's action steps and incorporating supporting evidence from Pope Francis's papal encyclical Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home. We hope that by synthesizing the information from their book and outside sources to teach others that they deepened their own understanding of their book."