Humane Educator's Toolbox: Lesson Plans for No Impact Man & Food, Inc.

Two films that have gotten quite a bit of buzz in the last few months are Food, Inc. and No Impact Man. Now activities and lesson plans have been created for both films for teachers to use with their older students.

The No Impact Project has developed a set of 5 lesson plans for use with middle and high school students. Each of the lessons, which can be completed in a single 50-minute class period, focuses on a different environmental issue: consumption, energy, food, transportation and water. Teachers who register for the free downloadable curriculum can also receive access to free film clips and excerpts from the No Impact Man book. The lessons are designed to help students think about the impact of their individual choices, as well as to help them think about the influence of our current systems and to consider the power they have to take positive action for a better world.

The Center for Ecoliteracy has recently created a discussion guide for Food, Inc. for grades 9-12. The free downloadable guide offers questions and activities surrounding the major themes of the film, such as health, sustainability, worker's and citizen's rights, and animal welfare. The guide primarily uses the lens of Socratic discussions (using a series of questions to deepen thinking & exploration) to delve into industrial food production in the U.S. and more positive alternatives. Concepts students explore include:

• Do animals have the right to a certain quality of life?
• Do people have a right to know what's in their food?
• Who is responsible for keeping our food safe?
• Should access to healthy food be a right for everyone?
• What individual or collective actions are you willing to take to improve our food system, and what would be their impact?

Both sets of lesson plans offer additional ideas for extended activities and correlate to national educational standards.

~ Marsha

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