B.+Zoras

=**Brandon Zoras - Cedarbrae C.I.**= My blog - []

SNC2D - Grade 10 Academic Science

__**Nov 1st 2012**__ Case Methods - Last week we started the chemistry unit and I opened up with this video on copper. [] The students were very engaged and since the movie was filmed in india, about 10 of my students are from there, a few of those understood the language they were speaking in the movie (it has english subtitles). The students were shocked watching the video for a few reasons. They said they can't believe people work under those conditions. They also said they can't believe that they are possibly contributing to this. We had a discussion after the video about what they thought. I had them shout out some feelings and thoughts about this. Many said the two previous reactions above as well as issues of safety, asking where is the government of India, what is our government doing, what can we do.

This lead in perfectly to my next point of discussion with them. We wrote down on the board what can we do to help this situation? Students suggest watch what we buy, be better consumers, recycle our products, we could fundraise, bring awareness.

__**Nov 4th 2012**__ Tomorrow we will be watching the video blood in the mobile. http://bloodinthemobile.org/

here is a way to take action from the movies website. They suggest writing a letter to government http://bloodinthemobile.org/ukaction/

I will show them the Toronto Zoo Phone Ape Program - as a local Toronto effort to help with this cause (although this is to save gorilla habitat it also works towards the same issues in the blood in the mobile dvd) http://www.torontozoo.com/conservation/PhoneApes.asp http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/Goualougo%20Triangle%20Ape%20Project.pdf

I think will show a small clip from Story of Stuff - Electronics http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-electronics/

I also will show them this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=406TLCNksM8

Curriculum Connection - in this case the property is actually causing the problem but I think fits nicely into this. It fits a bit better with grade 9 science.

C1 analyse a variety of safety and environmental issues associated with chemical reactions, including the ways in which chemical reactions can be applied to address environmental challenges;

C1.2 analyse how an understanding of the properties of chemical substances and their reactions can be applied to solve environmental challenges (e.g., renewing the Great Lakes, neutralizing acid spills, scrubbing smokestack emissions) [AI, C]

Net Step: Show the Story of Stuff Change - that way we can start thinking about what actions we can. I am thinking of doing the STEPWISE action research during the climate change section my course.

__**Nov 6th 2012**__

Today's lesson worked super well. the powerpoint i used was here. The students worked in groups to talk about the thoughts of the movie and how it relates to chemistry.I then had them brainstorm ideas of action.

Powerpoint here:

Students come up with the following answers
 * write to your government
 * write to companies demanding better products
 * bring awareness to the issue with commercials
 * send an email
 * recycle the old cell phones
 * keep phones and products longer
 * work with teenagers as they are the new consumers
 * protest and ban toxic metals
 * write to Nokia and big business
 * try using old electronics and get them prepared
 * raise awareness with the public
 * Make posters
 * fundraiser
 * Use YouTube videos
 * start with friends and family

__**Dec 11th 2012:**__
Class site http://cedarbraestepwise.wikispaces.com/

**TEDTalk** - Majora Carter - Greening the Ghetto
fight for environmental justice in the South Bronx -- and shows how minority neighborhoods suffer most from flawed urban policy

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@http://bloodinthemobile.org/ media type="custom" key="21145164" Congo - Blood Minerals media type="youtube" key="406TLCNksM8" height="360" width="640"
 * Blood in the Mobile** - Civil conflict due to our addiction to technology

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 * 94 Elements** - The unhappy irony being that their work now poisons the same land which used to grow their crops.

__**Past Project Wikis**__ - each student has a wiki and the wikis has separate pages for each component. Some can be a little confusing as each group set up their own wiki differently but if you click primary research and action you can get an idea.

http://jenni-lynn.wikispaces.com/ http://chem12-pvc.wikispaces.com/ http://harmfulplasticbottles.wikispaces.com/ http://ps11.wikispaces.com/ http://organiccompound.wikispaces.com/ http://vocstyrenesas.wikispaces.com/ http://alcoholwatch.wikispaces.com/ http://ddtresearch.wikispaces.com/