sustainable utopia project - kirsten web viewsustainable utopia project ... you can take notes in a...

Sustainable Utopia Project

Anthem-Sustainable Utopia Project Intro/Background

A “Great Rebirth” is happening due to some catastrophic event that has just occurred. Your group is part of 200 people of all ages who have decided to start a new society somewhere on the Bayfield Peninsula. Your job is to set up a community that is fully sustainable and will survive for eternity. In addition, you must convince the city council of Washburn that the principles of your new society are worth adopting to ensure their survival as well. You and your group members have been named to the council whose task it is to create a new utopian society. Decide on where you will settle, and how you plan to sustain yourselves. Take into consideration all of the Cultural Universals of a society. In addition, you need to create a society that will be sustainable, so you must incorporate and consider the Four System Conditions for Sustainability into every aspect of your plan. The Council must convene and plan the future of our society now! Your society must be located on 640 acres of land somewhere on the Bayfield Peninsula. All of your housing, resource extraction, food production, and other group activities must take place on your property. You may, however, trade with or acquire materials from outside sources to develop your society. Your budget is unlimited, but you must be aware of how much you are spending to develop your society, and be as frugal as possible. Credit will be given for groups who limit their spending and/or generate income in creating a sustainable society

TASKSTask 1-First Group Meetings1. Meet in your group to decide on roles for each member.2. Discuss the “Background of Culture” and “Themes” for your society (in Cultural Universals section). 3. Write the five most important values agreed upon for your society.4. Write eight guiding principles or rules for living in your society.5. Write a Mission/Goal statement (1-3 sentences) that summarizes your goals for the utopian society. 6. What visual cues will help this society remind themselves of their values and ethics? Design a flag and select at least two other symbols that represent your society. Include descriptions of why these symbols were selected and what they represent.7. Come up with a name for your utopian society that reflects your values and principles.8. Briefly go through the other eight cultural universals (CU) and outline a general plan for your society. Do not discuss details of each CU; leave those for your Ministers to figure out later. 9. Keep a daily Project Journal to be turned in at the end of the project.10. Save all of this information to use in your final presentation (create a group folder in the Kirsten network folder and paper copies in the file cabinet).

Task 2-TNS Readings1. Read The Natural Step for Communities (TNSC) ch.1 2. Read TNSC assignments listed under your Minister responsibilities on the Group Member Roles page.3. In 3-5 sentences, summarize each of the chapters you read. Then list three concepts from each chapter that you can use in your project. Turn in this reading journal on the due date.

Task 3- Research1. Begin by creating a “Sustainable Utopia” folder in your student folder on the school network. Save your working bibliography and all of your work for this project in your folder. Each group will also have a paper folder to save group information in the file cabinet drawer marked “Student Files”.2. Use the links on the Resources page (on the English 10 Webpage) to research topics related to your role as a Minister in your society. Also brainstorm key words related to your topics to use in additional general searches.3. Take notes and create a working bibliography as you research. You can take notes in a word document or handwritten. Copy url’s of useful websites into a word document and include a brief description to be saved in your student folder for future use. This will allow you to have important information easily accessible without needing to print it out.

Task 4-SpeechEach Minister will write and deliver a 5-7 minute speech outlining their plans as part of the group’s presentation of the utopian society. The speech may be either a manuscript or outline speech. It should contain details of how your utopia plans to create a sustainable society using the resources available to you and meeting the four system conditions for sustainability. Your speech also must utilize visual aids, be organized with and introduction, body, and conclusion, and incorporate the delivery techniques learned in the speech unit. Each Minister must create, minimally, the following visual aid to use in their speech:The visual aids can be drawn, created digitally, diagramed on poster board, constructed, or any other creative way you can think of to show your plan.

Minister of Economics/Technology: A technology plan that shows at least three technologies you will use in your utopian society. You must include an explanation of how these technologies work and how they will benefit your society. (Additional: Economic plan, currency, occupations). Google Sketch Up: Business/Tech CenterMinister of Family/Education/Housing : Design a model house plan for your members to live in. It should include a floor plan as well as a drawing of the outside of the house. It must also incorporate technologies that help the house to be sustainable. (Additional: Design a sustainable school and recreation plan) Google Sketch Up: Housing/School/Recreation CenterMinister of Agriculture and Natural Resources : Design an agricultural plan that shows how you will meet the food needs of your society. It should show what you will grow, where you will grow it, and include information about how you will plant, cultivate, irrigate, harvest, and process it. (Additional: Show how you will manage and use the resources available to you.) Google Sketch Up: Food Storage/Barn/GreenhouseMinister of Politics, Energy, and Community Development : Design an energy plan that shows how you will meet all of the energy needs of your society. It should include an explanation of what technologies you will use, and how these technologies work. (Additional: Design a chart that shows your political system, design a plan showing how different parts of your society work together to make your society sustainable.) Google Sketch Up: Government Building/Power Plant/Community Center

Task 5-Land Use Plan/Model of Utopian SocietyEach group must create a land use plan or model showing how you will use the 640 acres of your society. It should show where all of the different elements of your society are located. It must be large enough to be easily visible, and may be created digitally, on paper or poster board, or as a 3D model.

Task 6-Final PresentationEach group will create a 30-40 minute multi-media presentation outlining your sustainable utopian society. The presentation should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should include your mission/goal statement, your values and guiding principles, an introduction of your ministers, and a brief outline of your society including a discussion of your land use plan or model. In the body of your presentation your ministers should present their individual speeches focusing on their area of expertise. They must use their visual aids to illustrate their ideas and focus on how their ideas will help your utopian society to be sustainable. The conclusion of the presentation should summarize the most important points of the speeches, and show how all of the elements of your society meet the four system conditions of sustainability and ultimately will ensure the survival of your community. Your group will have 40 minutes for the presentation.Tips:1. Be organized and responsible for your portion of the presentation. 2. Create smooth transitions between parts of the presentation.3. Practice the presentation as a group on the day assigned to this.4. Put all of your files in one group folder on the network.5. Utilize all of the delivery techniques learned in the speech unit.6. Anticipate possible questions that could be asked and prepare answers ahead of time.7. All pictures and quotes must be cited from your working bibliography with at least the author, title, and url listed.8. You will have 4-5 minutes to set up for your presentation on the day assigned to you. Make sure all of your visual aids and audio-visual equipment are ready to go.9. After your presentation there will be a 5-10 minute question and answer session where you will be asked specific question by myself and your classmates about how and why your utopian society is sustainable.10. Be sure that all of the cultural universals are addressed in your presentation. Use it as a check list.

Group Member Roles

Each member of your group has been appointed to a position in order to help establish your society. Decide on the roles and responsibilities within your group. You will be responsible for researching and learning about the subjects within your area of concentration. You will report back to and keep your group informed about what you have learned and you will recommend how to implement these new ideas into the creation of your society.

Specific Responsibilities:1. Become an expert in your subject area by researching and reading information from a variety of sources. Find examples of what can work, or credible evidence that your ideas are possible. Create a word document that serves as a working bibliography to help you organize your sources. Keep copies of all the information you use as evidence to support your plan.2. Keep a daily Project Journal of your progress in a five minute free write. Include what you accomplished that day, what you learned, what challenges you might have faced, how you plan (need) to overcome these challenges, any major discoveries you made, and what you need to work on in the near future.3. Keep the group informed of your progress; report to the group in group meetings.4. Make recommendations to the group about implementing your policies and plans in order to create your society.5. Prepare and deliver a 5-7 minute speech outlining your plans. This will be part of your group’s final multi-media presentation of your utopian society. Your group will have 40 minutes for the presentation6. Remember that your research and planning will influence the work and decisions made by ALL of the members of your group. Be RESPONSIBLE and complete your work on time!7. Be a positive, contributing member of your group, assisting in all aspects of the project.

Group Members:

Minister of Economics and Technology:Responsible for the subjects in cultural universal III and VIII. Required readings: The Natural Step for Communities (TNSC) ch. 1, 6, 8, 9

Minister of Family, Education, and Housing:Responsible for cultural universals IV B & C, VI, VIIRequired readings: The Natural Step for Communities (TNSC) ch. 1,5,7,10

Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources:Responsible for cultural universal IV A as well as the management of your society’s natural resources.Required readings: The Natural Step for Communities (TNSC) ch. 1, 11,12,13

Minister of Politics, Energy, and Community Development:Responsible for cultural universals V, IX, X, and for selecting an area to plan your community (do this early because it impacts everyone’s decisions).Required readings: The Natural Step for Communities (TNSC) ch. 1, 5, 9, 14

Obviously, there is much overlap in how the cultural universals match the different ministers’ responsibilities. For instance, the Minister of Family, Education, and Housing is going to need to work closely with the Minister of Economics and Technology and the Minister of Politics, Energy, and Community Development to help design the housing, decide on the technology involved, and decide how to plan the community. You should all work together to help eachother with these overlapping areas.

Cultural Universals

I. BACKGROUND OF CULTURE A. Time – Present to 2020B. Geographic Setting- Select an area no more than 640 acres for your community. When selecting an area keep in mind the following: weather, geology, agriculture, natural resources, transportation, housing, and communication.C. Physical description of people – Your community will be made up of a random selection of people that reflects our area’s population (people of all ages, gender, races, and physical and mental abilities).

II. THEMES A. Values: What is important to the people? Come up with the five most important values shared by the people of this community.B. Ethics: What is considered right or wrong in the culture? Based on the values your group decides upon, come up with eight guiding principles that reflect these values.C. Symbols: What visual images indicate the culture's theme's (its values and ethics) What visual cues will help this society remind themselves of their values and ethics? Design a flag and select at least two other symbols that represent your society. Include descriptions of why these symbols were selected and what they represent.

Cultural Universals I and II need to be written by the group as an “introduction” to your final presentation.

III. ECONOMICS A. Technology- What technologies will you utilize, and how will these be operated and powered?B. Division of labor- What industries will you develop to help sustain your community? What skills and occupations are necessary for this industry and community to operate?C. Trade and Money- What will be used as currency, and who will you trade with?D. Transportation- How will you meet the needs of transporting people and goods?

IV. FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER A. Food (methods of production and domesticated animals) How will you provide for the members of your community?B. Clothing and adornment- What is necessary for survival in this climate? Where will you get the materials?C. Shelter and dwellings- What type of buildings and dwellings are most appropriate for this climate, and how will you organize them in the design of your community? Also, how will they be powered and heated, and how will waste be disposed of? What types of technologies will be included in your buildings?

V. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION A. Government- What will your political system look like? Who will make the major decisions? Who will be in charge and how will this be decided?B. Law enforcement- List at least ten specific laws that reflect your guiding principles. How will transgressions be dealt with?C. War and Peace- How will order and safety be maintained?

VI. FAMILY AND KIN A. Marriage and type of family groupings- What will your family or community units look like? How will your community deal with exceptions to this concept?B. Child training and rites of passage- Who will be responsible for educating children, and how will this be organized in order to ensure that children become contributing members of society?

VII. ATTITUDE TOWARD THE UNKNOWN A. Religious beliefs- What will be accepted, and will this be regulated in any way. What role will religion play in the society?B. Religious practices, death rituals- How will this be organized, and who will facilitate them?

VIII. COMMUNICATIONS A. Language- What will be the methods of communication, and what language will be used?B. Number systems- Metric?

IX. ARTS AND ESTHETIC VALUES- What is the importance of each of these and how will this be indicated and promoted in your society?A. ArtB. Music C. Dance, drama, literature

X. RECREATION- To what degree is this valued in your society? How is your belief reflected in the amount of time and resources devoted to this area? Do these activities correspond or conflict with your society’s values and resources?

A. Games and sports B. Use of leisure time

Sustainable Utopia Project-Final Presentation Rubric

Name _____________________________ GroupMembers___________________________

Criteria 1 2 3 4 5Group Introduction/ConclusionDelivery-fluency, voice, rate, volume, pronunciationOrganization-logical, by topic, intro/body/conclusionUse of Visual Aids-reference, captures attention, supportContent-knowledge of subject, explanation, realisticGoogle Sketch-Up, Minister ResponsibilitiesSustainability System Conditions-recommendations help society become sustainableUtopian Society Sustainable?-vision, future, all areas

Sustainable Utopia Project-Evaluation

Task or Assignment Points1. Group Meetings-Values, Guiding Principles, Mission/Goal Statement. Research-On task time, working bibliography, group work 30 pts.2. TNS Chapter Summaries and three helpful ideas. 40 pts.3. Google Sketch Up 50 pts.4. Journals- 5 min. journal at end of each day. Accomplishments, struggles, next 30 pts.5. Group Presentation: Speech-Outline or manuscript, Group Land Use Plan 100pts.

Total 250 pts.

Group Check List for Sustainable Utopia Final Presentation:

1. _____ Group Introduction- Mission Statement, Values/Guiding Principles, Outline of Society, Land Use Plan

2. _____ Land Use Plan-Digital, Paper, or 3D

3. _____ Minister Speeches-Outline or Manuscript. Check the “Roles”, “Tasks”, and “Cultural Universals” pages to confirm that you have covered everything.

4. _____ Visual Aid-Each Minister must have the assigned visual aids for their speech including their Google SketchUp building.

5. _____ Group Conclusion- summarize the most important points of the speeches, discuss your final group budget, and show how all of the elements of your society meet the four system conditions of sustainability and ultimately will ensure the survival of your community.

6. _____ Final Group Check-Check to make sure that all of the Tasks have been completed, and that everything on the Cultural Universals sheet has been covered by someone in their speech.

7. _____ Group Presentation Rehearsal-Practice your presentation as a group.

Individual:

8. _____ TNS Chapter Summaries- Each minister must read assigned chapters and complete summary sheet.

9. _____ Project Journal- Each minister must write in their project journal for 5 minutes at the end of each class.

10. _____ Minister Research- Research topics related to you Ministerial duties.

11._____ Minister Speech- (above) Create a speech with visual aids that presents your portion of the group presentation.

12. _____ Group Introduction/Conclusion- Each minister responsible for a portion of the group’s introduction or conclusion.

Groups 2014-15 Sem 1

Minister Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6Jayne Zach Kelsey Shannon MakaylaNora Kyle Josie Dorothy EricaRuby Josiah Emma Kinsey MeradithHanna Darin Anders Kira KimLily

Sustainable Utopia Project-The Natural Step Chapter Summaries

Directions: Read the three chapters assigned to you. For each chapter write a one paragraph summary of the chapter. Then identify three ideas from the chapter that you can use in your project.

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Useful Idea #1:

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Useful Idea #2:

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Useful Idea #3:

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