SUBJECTS
Geography/History, Language Arts, Social Studies
GRADE LEVEL
Junior (4-6) / Intermediate (7-8) / Senior (9-12)
PLEDGE
3 - Plastic Harm to Water
Resources Needed:
- Link to the video, The Last Straw – ft. Steve Connell and The #Strawpocalypse by Benjamin Von Wong, spoken word written and performed by Steve Connell
- Discussion questions in lesson attachment
Introduction:
- Write the word, strawpocalypse on the board and ask students to discuss what it could mean with a partner or in a small group. You may want to pre teach the meaning of ‘apocalypse’ if students aren’t familiar with the word or don’t make that connection. Take up as a class.
- Show students the video, The Last Straw – ft. Steve Connell and The #Strawpocalypse.
Lesson:
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- After viewing the video, have students review the word, strawpocalypse and have them discuss the new term and explain it given what they’ve learned from the video.
- Use the following questions to guide students in discussing the video:
- Benjamin Von Wong’s art installation in the video is titled, The Strawpocalypse – The Parting of the Plastic Sea and The Last Straw is the title of Steve Connell’s spoken word performance. Tell what makes these good titles for the art installation, spoken word, and ultimately the video.
- Steve Connell performs his spoken word, The Last Straw while we watch Benjamin Von Wong create his art installation of straws. Explain how these two mediums of art contribute to the overall message and why the combination is effective.
- The video is a call to action. In your words, explain the call to action and how you see this message being spread.
- Moving forward, what changes might you personally make based on this call to action? What will that look like?
Follow Up Activities:
- Have students write a ‘movie review’ of the video that would persuade others to go and watch it.
- Have students collect used straws to create their own collaborative art installation.