Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part A: Understanding sustainability
20 minutes	Part B: Images that encourage action
20 minutes	Part C: Sustainable messages through art
05 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Understanding Sustainability

Preparation:

Cut out the Sustainable or Unsustainable? actions ready to distribute to pairs.

Step 1.

Divide students into pairs. Ask the class to complete the 'Think-Pair-Share' visible thinking routine in response to the question: 'What is sustainability?’.

Ask students to use the space on the Student Worksheet to make notes about key points when thinking on their own, then during the pair and share discussions.

Think Pair Share
Think pair share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question.
Think - Students independently think about an issue or questions and record their thoughts.
Pair - Students work in pairs to discuss their ideas and record new thoughts.
Share - Students share their thoughts with the whole group or with other pairs to reach consensus.

Step 2.

Ask pairs to share their ideas on sustainability with the class, directing their attention to the variety of responses and ideas about the meaning of sustainability. If required, highlight some definitions of sustainability:

Some Definitions of Sustainability

- The ability for something to keep going at the same rate and in just as good condition as before.
- Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Living within the limits of what the environment can provide and understanding the many interconnections between the economy, society and the environment.

Step 3.

Explore further what it means to act in a sustainable way. Ask students to remain in their pairs, and distribute one Sustainable or Unsustainable? Action to each pair. Invite students to think about whether the action described is sustainable or not sustainable. While students are thinking, create three columns on the whiteboard titled 'sustainable', 'unsustainable' and 'unsure'.

Step 4.

Invite pairs to come to the whiteboard and stick their action into the column where they believe it belongs. Ask the rest of the class about whether they agree and why. Allow some discussion if differences in opinion arise.

Leave the actions on the whiteboard for later in the lesson.

Part B: Images that Encourage Action

Step 1.

Explain to students that often, important messages are conveyed using images. Ask students if they can think of examples of posters or other images (such as moving images) that share a message about sustainability. They may have seen posters about recycling, printed ads in newspapers and magazines about saving water, television ads about switching off lights, and videos about reusable water bottles on social media. Invite students to share their observations with the class.

While students are sharing their observations, you could conduct a Google search and project the examples in real-time for the class to see.

Step 2.

Direct students to their Student Worksheet and ask them to view the Take 3 for the Sea poster: ‘Where does your plastic go?’.

Image source: Take 3 for the Sea (www.take3.org.au)

Facilitate a discussion about the poster using these questions as a guide:

What is the message of the poster?
What are some things you notice about the image used in the poster?
What shapes/symbols can you see in the poster?
What colours have been used? Why do you think they were chosen?
What stands out the most and why? (What is emphasised in the poster?)
How do the images in the poster make you feel?
What do you think the poster is asking you to do?
Do you think that the sustainability message in this poster is clear?

Step 3.

Engage in some explicit teaching to explain how images are used to convey a message in the poster:

The poster ‘Where does your plastic go?’ features an outline of a sea turtle, filled with plastic rubbish, including bottles, can rings, cups and bags. The placement and changing scale of objects ensure that every part of the turtle shape is filled in, which emphasises the harm that plastic is causing to marine life – the whole turtle is affected by plastic rubbish! Only two shades of blue have been used in the poster. They represent the ocean, where turtles live. The simplicity of the colour palette is effective because it does not distract from the message. Text is used to enhance the poster. If the image didn’t make the message clear enough, the alarming statistics on the amount of plastic rubbish on Australian shores does. The tag line ‘Take 3 for the Sea’ gives the viewer a solution to the problem being raised in the poster.

Step 4.

Repeat the class discussion followed by explicit teaching for ‘Solution Pollution’, designed by Santiago Peralta.

Image source: Christopher Scott

‘Solution Pollution’ by Santiago Peralta is a cleverly designed reverse image. It presents two different points of view when the image is rotated vertically. The wheels of the car are also the wheels on the bike, indicating that there is a choice to be made. The ‘pollution’ refers to the use of a car as transport, compared to the environmentally friendly ‘solution’ of riding a bicycle. The use of two colours and the simplicity of pictograph-style images help the audience to understand the message quickly.

To summarise the activity, highlight for students that both posters use images to share a message about sustainability.

Part C: Using Images to Share a Sustainability Message

Step 1.

In this part of the lesson, students will create a poster that uses images to promote a 'sustainable' action. Invite students to choose an action from the 'sustainable' column on the whiteboard (created in Part A of the lesson).

Step 2.

Once they have decided on the action they would like to feature on their poster, distribute a blank sheet of paper to each student and invite them to sketch out a draft using a Goldfaber graphite pencil. Students may also like to use a PVC-free eraser and a pencil sharpener. Reiterate that an effective message is often simple, so students should try to use simplified shapes, symbols and text rather than create a drawing that is overly detailed.

Step 3.

After the drafts are completed, distribute A4 cartridge paper, Classic Colour Pencils and Connector Pens for students to use to create their poster.

Reflection

Peer Evaluation

Inform students that the purpose of this part of the lesson is to evaluate the effectiveness of the advertisement, and to provide helpful and constructive support to their classmates.

Ask students to swap their finished poster with a classmate and answer the evaluation questions on the Student Worksheet.

What is the message of the poster?
What are some things you notice about the image used in the poster?
What shapes/symbols can you see in the poster?
What colours have been used? Why do you think they were chosen?
What stands out the most and why? (What is emphasised in the poster?)
What do you think the poster is asking you to do?
Do you think that the sustainability message in this poster is clear?
Is there anything that could be improved?

Differentiated Learning

Extension

Invite students to conduct an online search to find a poster or other image-based media that promotes a message of sustainability, then explain what they think the message is.

Provisions for Learning Support

Reduce the number of questions students are required to answer in Parts A and B of the lesson. For students who require more scaffolding for creative tasks, allocate a specific 'sustainable action' to feature in their poster.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn’t work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Creative Sustainability - Tuning In to Sustainability

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