They combine information found in science on earthquakes and volcanoes with how such events have been presented in literature and the popular media. The guidance counselors also discuss with students how to deal with disasters in their own lives. The unit culminates with creating a webpage about research on a specific disaster. Wolves have been stereotyped as evil and vicious throughout much of human history. Students examine wolves from a scientific point of view and compare that information with the way wolves have appeared in literature.
Students examine how stereotyping occurs and learn to identify it in stories and fairy tales.
As a final project, students prepare presentations on the facts about wolves to present to various audiences. This unit received the 1998 Marcus Cable National Star Educator Award, and the 1998 Wisconsin Cable Association Creative Teaching Award. In this unit, students learn about other cultures through literature. They read from a variety of novels which describe the land and people of another place and time. They apply strategies to evaluate the novel and compare it to other selections using a criteria which they develop.