BLM 70. Lung. cancer

Transcription

1 BLM 70 Lung cancer Trees and leaves in boldest green Are life that must be seen, There s no animal that can live In the absence of this green. And by the play of sun Its golden rays on the leaves They leave us free to live. Our very breath of life Comes from tree s very might To make our air just right. In hot and steamy malls Where trees and vibes grow tall, In halls of rainy forests, In Nature s factory rests The essence of this life, This life as shared by all. 96

2 Our planet s blood is green And its lungs are made of trees, But now we have a problem, A problem of disease. The problem of disease, It stems from greed not need. It s cancer of the lungs, A result of money squeeze, And now we ve placed our planet s life Upon the bottom rung, Of the dreadful ladder Of universal strife. And to try and solve this matter We must turn and look at life, Our very way of life. For we are the disease, The cancer in our planet s lungs. by Jonathan Wilson-Fuller from Will You Please Listen, I Have Something to Say (ABC Books) BLM 71 97

3 Teaching notes for Text form: Didactic Medium: Book Field: Care of the environment Tenor: Writer to unknown reader Mode: Written OTHER RESOURCES Access to resources with information about lung cancer. INTRODUCING THE UNIT A young boy who has spent most of his life very ill with an allergic reaction to chemical odours has written this poem. He lives mostly indoors in a pollution free environment with very few excursions into the world that we take for granted. He views the world through large windows and wears a respirator much of the time. LET S TALK ABOUT IT! Encourage students to talk about the ideas that Jonathan raises in the poem. Help them to identify the purpose and to speculate about the audience for this poem. Encourage students to explore these ideas and to make comparisons with their own views of what human beings are doing to this planet. Challenge them to think about the effect that such a poem might have on those who are doing the damage to the earth. EMOTIVE WORDS Even though each person responds differently to the images and words they read, emotive words are used in poems in order to create a response that will colour a person s view of an issue. Assist students to find some of the emotive words in the poem and discuss with them the responses that the word could engender. Is the effect to create sympathy, increase tension or identify with a particular character? Examples of emotive words are boldest, golden, might, hot and steamy malls, Nature s factory etc. REACH THE PEOPLE Encourage students to consider a range of sources for their investigation into lung cancer.this includes pamphlets from the Cancer Council, the Quit for Life Campaign and other organisations.this poem was written to teach. Ask students to present the poem s message in a poster, thinking of the most effective use and imagery of the words they choose. METAPHOR MEANINGS Help students to identify the two things that are being compared in each of the metaphors. In a metaphor one thing is said to be another. Encourage students to think of the ideas that are associated with each of these things and to discuss the effects of joining these ideas together. There are many associations for each thing and some may not be as appropriately connected as others. DEAR WORLD... Encourage students to think about how their view of the world might be altered if they were faced with a health affecting issue. Ask students to write from the perspective of someone cut off from the world, but who is nevertheless all seeing. Encourage students to think of the audience for whom they are writing the poem and to consider what is needed to explain the issue and persuade the reader. Allow time for drafting, revising and sharing the poems. FOLLOW-UP/EXTENSION Have students develop a campaign to raise public awareness of the plight of the planet as a result of the pollution that humans are causing.the campaign could involve posters, advertisements, public announcements and so on. Have students create a simulated current affairs program on the issues that are raised in the poem.the program could include simulated interviews with scientists and politicians as well as with children who will be the future inhabitants of the earth. 98

4 Name Date Let s talk about it! BLM 72 is a poem written by a young boy. Read the poem and talk about it with a small group. What do you think Jonathan s main message is? Why do you think he wrote this poem? Write your group s ideas on the lines. Emotive words When a poet wishes to influence the reader in certain way, emotive words are used to create a particular response. List all the emotive words in the particular response. List all the emotive words in the poem and with your group describe the way that they make you feel. Emotive words Response NA 4.1 NSW 3.1 Communicates and interacts confidently for a range of purposes and a variety of audiences to express well developed, well organised ideas dealing with more challenging topics. NA 4.7 NSW 3.8 Identifies the structures of different texts and with assistance discusses the grammatical structures and features that shape readersí and listenersí understanding of texts. NA 4.11 NSW 3.14 Discusses and evaluates how texts have been constructed to achieve their purpose and shape readers and viewers understandings using grammatical features and structures. 99

5 BLM 73 Name Date Reach the people Do some research about lung cancer. What causes this disease? Are there any cures? Can lung cancer be prevented? Summerise the facts on the lines below. Present the poem s message in the form of a poster. Think carefully about the effective use of words and images. Sketch your ideas in the space below. 100 NA 4.8a NSW 3.6 Selects a range of strategies appropriate for the texts being read. NA 4.8b Working with peers is able to find information and resources for specific purposes. NA 4.9 NSW 3.9 Writes well structured literary and factual texts using challenging topics, ideas and issues for a variety of purposes and audiences.

6 Name Date Metaphor meanings BLM 74 In this poem Jonathan makes use of metaphor. Metaphor is a device that many poets use to compare one thing directly with another. The words like or as are not used in the comparison instead, one thing is said to be another. Look at the metaphors printed below. Talk with a partner about the two things being compared, the ideas and issues associated with each, and how they are then linked in the poem. Write your ideas under each metaphor. In halls of rainy forests, In Nature s factory Our planet s blood is green Its lungs are made of trees The cancer in our planet s lungs We are the disease NA 4.6 NSW 3.7 Analyses and explains techniques to position the reader and to interpret experiences differently in texts. NA 4.8a NSW 3.6 Selects a range of strategies appropriate for the texts being read. NA 4.10 NSW 3.13 Evaluates writing in terms of effectiveness of presentation of subject matter and adjusts to focus on context, purpose and audience. 101

7 BLM 75 Name Date Dear world... Jonathan s concern with the way that we are polluting the earth is a very personal one. He is allergic to vapours and becomes very ill when his own lungs are invaded by the odours from such things as deodorants, detergents or petrol fumes. Jonathan lives his life in a sealed environment away from these damaging smells. He writes poetry and letters in the hope that others will listen and take action to prevent the damage to the earth that he can see through his windows. Imagine that you are cut off from the world. Think about how your life might be if you were unable to go outside and do the kinds of things that other children take for granted. Think about the issues of pollution and how you might feel about what the human race is doing to the earth. Draft a poem of your own on scrap paper and publish it below. 102 NA 4.5 NSW 3.5 Reads an extensive range of texts with fairly complex structures and features, justifying own interpretation of ideas, information and events in the response to themes and issues. NA 4.10 NSW 3.13 Evaluates writing in terms of effectiveness of presentation of subject matter and adjusts to focus on context, purpose and audience.