MST PORTAL – Promoting Open, Reflective Teaching & Learning

Students involved with the creation of the Save the River video received quite a few positive comments from viewers. (Making Connections for Kids and Students Work to Save the River)

Here’s an excerpt of an email sent to me from Bud Andress, Sr. Park Warden – Special Projects PARKS CANADA.

“Every once and awhile one will come across an initiative taken on by young students with the aid of their teacher and others that simply leaves you awe struck. Such is the case with your video about early ship navigation in ice in the St. Lawrence River. Please know, and tell your class that I think they have made a fantastic video…Young people, on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the River, like your grade 4 class, are the future of our communities here in the 1000 Islands. It is important that a healthy river ecosystem be there for them as they become adults and raise their own children. It is ever refreshing to see such an environmentally sound message delivered so well.”

Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also sent a letter to the students.

“I wanted to let you know how delighted I was to view your video production Save the River on the web. It is one of the most impressive presentations of an important issue that I can recall from my days as a legislator and now as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. I commend you all for both the creativity and quality of your work along with your strong commitment to protecting New York’s environment and the great St. Lawrence River.

I strongly believe your use of new, multi-media techniques and the internet places you at the forefront of environmental advocacy. When a sincere and professional piece like yours is made available on the web, your message can reach a huge audience and have a real impact. Together, your ability to harness this technology in the early years of education suggests great possibilities for future efforts to reach out to people and build awareness of environmental issues. …”

Then the letter arrived from Collister Johnson, Jr., the Administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation. While acknowledging the students’ environmental interests, Mr. Johnson is obviously not pleased with the video. He writes,

“But I am concerned, and frankly surprised, that your teachers and school would allow you to be used and exploited by an organization to advance its own political agenda. Unfortunately, your video, which follows the script supplied by Save the River, contains allegations and assertions that are simply not accurate, nor based on science. In a word, it is propaganda. You may not be familiar with that word, but I hope your teachers will use this exchange of letters as a learning experience and explain the meaning of it to you.

…If you are ever in Washington, D.C., please let me know so that my staff and I can further explain to you the important work that is supported by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.”

So what were the students’ reactions to the letter? First, they wondered why he had to use “such big words.” Once they discovered what word propaganda meant, they became defensive about their work and the message they were trying to convey. I asked if they wanted to continue the conversation with Mr. Johnson and they wholeheartedly said yes.

Here’s what they wrote.

Administer Collister Johnson, Jr.
Policy Headquarters – St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Suite W32-300
Washington, D.C. USA 20590

Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for writing us a letter and commenting on our Save the River video. We would like you to elaborate on your thoughts about the problems with our video. Since we did quite a bit of research, we are wondering what you think is not accurate. Would you be willing to videoconference with us so we may have a discussion with you? If this is not possible, would one of your staff members be able to chat with us about our environmental concerns with winter shipping on the river?

Thank you and we look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

4^th Grade Students at Klem Road South Elementary School

The letter was sent out on Monday, April 21^st. So far we haven’t heard back yet. Hopefully Mr. Johnson will reply before our last day of school on June 23^rd. His letter was actually a great eye-opener for the students, parents, and me. The follow up discussion I had with this group of students was fantastic and truly extended upon their work. Students learned that not everyone will agree on important environmental issues, to make sure you have reputable sources of information (like the Dept. of Environmental Services), take the good with the bad, don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions, stick with your beliefs, and persevere. Let’s hope Mr. Johnson will agree to continue the conversation with these kids.

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I’ve been working with a small group of 4^th graders as they work on creating a video to share their concerns regarding winter shipping on the St. Lawrence River. After learning about the Slick of 76, they have concerns that shipping in the winter may increase the chance of an accident which could cause fuel oil to spill into the river. They are assisting the Save the River organization by urging Seaway officials to follow criteria recommended by the NYS DEC before the opening date is set in the spring.

As part of their research, students gathered information about the effect on the environment from spills. Mr. Dehm, a grandfather of one of the students who owns property in the Thousand Islands, came to Klem South to share information about the actual spill in 1976. This past summer he was replacing some boards on his dock and discovered oil still coating the underside from the spill more than 30 years ago. He happened to save a few of the boards and brought them in for the kids to see. He also shared old photographs he had taken of the clean-up effort as well as recent pictures taken this fall where oil is still present on some of the rocks. Mr. Dehm also shared a navigation map and talked about the changing water levels in the river. After this visit, students were even more convinced that action needs to be taken to protect the water, shoreline, and wildlife. They also had new questions that they needed to find answers to.

The next person the students were able to talk with via iChat was Todd Woody, a senior editor for Fortune Magazine and author of the Green Wombat blog. Not only did students gather information about the spill in San Francisco Bay, but they also worked on their communication skills in a real-world context. Todd provided insight into the environmental impact of the spill, the nature of his job as an editor and writer, his interest in the endangered wombat, and concerns about global warming.

Students also sent an email to the NYS DEC requesting specific information regarding winter shipping. As a result, they were able to talk, via speakerphone, with Rodger Klindt, a fisheries biologist who works on the St Lawrence River and is familiar with the seaway issues. Students’ ideas about the possibility of ice increasing the chance of an accident were confirmed and they also discovered new information about the changing water levels throughout the season. In the winter the water levels are generally lower. A lower water level results in swifter river currents. Add ice, lower water, and swifter currents to the mix and navigation can become tricky. A slight mistake can cause an accident. This valuable information to use in their video was recorded on a laptop using Audacity.

Through these connections, both in person and remotely, students were able to learn from others outside of our classroom and local community. Next it is their turn to share their work with a wider audience. Check back in a few weeks for the finished video.

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