WebQuest

Envisage the future and communicate it in art and poetry

Process

The following activity is known as future visioning. It requires you to concentrate on what you want your sustainable future to look like. The UN definition of sustainability is �development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs�. Another definition, which emphasizes that our behavior as consumers is the main issue, is the phrase: �Enough, for all, forever�.

Before beginning the visioning, think hard about what sustainability means to you. Record all ideas.

Personal Visioning.

Close your eyes Imagine 50 years into the future (you can make it less years if preferred). You have lived a full life and you still live in your local area. You have children and grandchildren also living in your area. Remember this is your vision. It can be anything you want it to be.

What things from today do you still want to see in your local area in 50 years time?
If you went to a local river, lake or creek what do you want it to be like?
What plants and animals will be there for you to show your children/grandchildren?
How might you be living? �
What will your house be like?
How do you and your children/grandchildren get from place to place?
Where does your food come from?
What kinds of human behaviour have been abolished by international law?

Keep your eyes closed to imagine your future. Your vision can be detailed or very simple. There is no right or wrong answer. This is how you would like to see your future.

Express your vision in �found� poetry or art.

�Found poetry� or �found art� is simply poetry or art that is found in any writing or picture that inspires a person to create his/her own thoughts poetically or pictorially. It is acceptable for the student to use the author�s language, images, and observations about life. Although the student may draw on the language of the author and rearrange it and add language of their own, they ultimately create NEW poetry which is the student�s own work. �Found� poetry or art helps students identify the author�s style through word choice and visual elements and avoids the block that a blank sheet of paper can produce in the creative process.

A compendium of starter material is available at the following web sites.

1 Schoolchildren�s use of poetry and paintings in conveying environmental messages

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233107208_Schoolchildren's_use_of_poetry_and_paintings_in_conveying_environmental_messages

2 Yes, Artists Build On The Works Of Others

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090130/0239533581.shtml

3 Found poetry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Found_poetry

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3675

4 Third graders� free-form poems inspired by their paintings

http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=jiae

5 Pictured Fears of Syrian children

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/syrian-children-were-asked-to-draw-their-fears-for-the-future-and-the-results-are-heartbreaking--WJtgmCFMUe