Objective:
Students will discuss a certain land usage situation. What if a dam, a city, a
farming community, or a forest were placed here? This lesson will give
students the opportunity to see things from a "point of view" or special
interest. Through this process students will become more aware of the
complexity of issues surrounding land use and land management. Remote sensing
information will be available to help students defend their points of view or
challenge another group's claims.
Time Duration: two to three class periods
Grade level: 4-8
Concepts Explored:
observing, communicating, organizing, and relating
Vocabulary:
issue, special interest, lobbying, land use and land management, civics
Advance Preparation:
The teacher will need to decide on the scenario that is to be used for the town
meeting. Then, three or four groups that have an interest in the scenario have
to be chosen and their strategy/position for the issue will have to be
developed. A role specification sheet for each group to use stating their
position needs to be prepared.
Groups:
Divide students into groups of five to seven. One group will be the town
council or other decision making body. The three or four groups should have
three or four students each.
Materials:
- a role specification sheet for the members of the town council telling them what issue needs to be decided
- pencils and note paper
Teacher Resources:
- You may want to introduced other information sources like issues of the newspaper, magazines, or video tapes of local new programs
Teacher Tips:
Groups will need at least one class period to prepare their presentations. The
groups will have to decide on a strategy before the "town meeting" is held.
When the meeting takes place give each group a chance to present their view of
the issue. Thereafter, that let the discussion take its course, as long as
things remain civil between the groups. The meeting ends when a decision as to
the issue has been reached or an impasse has been declared by the Town
Council.
Procedure:
1. The scenario needs to be chosen. As an example: A gold mining company has
done some core drilling near your town and has discovered a new vein of gold
and wants to begin digging a mining pit to start extracting to the gold.
The location of the proposed pit happens to a be a migratory watershed for a rare bird species. The watershed would be ruined. The pit also infringes on a development of houses. The local watershed and proposed mining site is also used by many recreational fisherman and boaters.
2. Possible stands on the issue-
Mining Company: We are the town's largest employer. This project would mean
more jobs, creating more support businesses, and a larger tax base for the
community.
Environmentalists: The proposed mining site infringes on the migratory habitat of a rare bird species. The mining company also uses cyanide when it separates the gold from the parent material and they have been cited in the past for violation of pollution-control laws.
Home Owners: The proposed mining site would cause dust to come in the direction of our homes and cause noise and other distractions. We would also be affected because the processing would pollute our water supply.
Recreational Users of the Land: This is one of the few places that is left near our community where we can fish, launch boats or observe nature. If this project goes through, where else can we go for this type of recreation?
3. Students are given sheets with expanded positions that are stated above. They are divided into groups and allowed to prepare their presentations at the town meeting. The town council meets to develop questions to ask the different groups. Each group is given the same remote sensing photos and information as every other group.
4. At the next class period, all sides make their opening remarks and state their positions. The town council asks questions and the various groups can rebut another group's case based upon the remote sensing evidence.
5. The town council votes at the third class meeting or can defer the choice to an initiative/ballot measure. If they defer the choice, then the class (representing the whole community) votes on the proposed drilling project.
6. A class discussion is then held to talk about the difficulties of deciding issues like this one which involves economics, lifestyles, politics, and esthetics.
Extensions:
Have students bring in articles about land use issues in your community and
stage another town meeting.