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"A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs."
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-Mark Twain (3)
Maybe our culture has not changed so much since Mark Twain wrote this sentence. It is so simple, yet says so much about our culture today. Has it always been this way? Do we always want more than we need? It is learning to live with only what we actually need that can present a challenge or an utter inconvenience! As a consequence of this needing, comes consumerism, which models citizens who overbuy and overconsume. I am not looking to teach my students that what they need and want are necessary or unnecessary, I seek to convey a message of regard for the products they no longer need that may be headed for the landfill.
Trying to teach students' valuable lessons about the difference between want and need is not necessarily the focus of this unit. However, it may be something they can understand over time and with guidance. This unit is about recycling material to create art in order to spread a message about recycling and waste. This unit is about learning the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. It is also about creating conscientious citizens who exist in a community that cares for our natural environment. It is about teaching my students to make a difference.
This unit looks to create awareness in our everyday lives and to express that awareness through the creation of pieces of art. The connection to the art and the awareness is that the materials will consist only of materials that are recycled, would have otherwise been thrown away, or even materials from our natural environment, dependant upon the choices of the students. Teaching the students an awareness and appreciation for their materials is something that I strive for on a consistent basis. This will be more evident because the materials we will be using will be everyday things, like old CDs, not necessarily art materials, like paint. Being in an environment of interdisciplinary education will enable me to effectively teach this unit to my students, as I can connect this unit with the Science curriculum.
In addition, I want my students to understand the impact that waste has on the environment. I also want students to come to some conclusions, or at least have thoughts about, what will happen if the population does not undergo a paradigm shift of sorts. These thoughts will be discussed in class, as well as elaborated on in journal entries throughout the course of the unit.
