Mr Andy Lombardo
Reflections from the 2008 Toyota International Teacher Program to the Galápagos Islands
Lombardo after snorkeling from Cerro Brujo, San Cristobal Island
Introducing Environmental Stewardship (pre-Impact Plan)
To introduce the environmental stewardship component of my course, I am incorporating the “Paradox of Paradise” lesson plan the Language group devised in the Galapagos. Our unit, “The Paradox of Paradise,” is founded upon an instructional framework that can be applied in a variety of settings, ranging from middle school through high school literature and from the English Literature classroom to the English as a Second Language classroom. The framework consists of three primary phases – the readings phase, the researching phase, and the reacting phase. During the Read phase, students are exposed to a wide variety of literature that focuses on the natural world. Reading selections generally include four main types of writing: writing that views nature as a giver of life, writing that views nature as an antagonistic adversary, descriptive non-fiction writing that describes the Galapagos Islands by writers as varied as Darwin and Melville, and non-fiction criticism that focuses on representations of the environment in literature. As part of the Research phase, students are guided through research activities that enhance their understanding of a particular area of concern facing environmental studies in general. Topics during the research phase generally address topics of environmental stewardship like recycling, hazards facing the environment like biodiversity loss and loss of habitat, or problems affecting specific animals or ecosystems, like whaling or shark-finning. Finally, students React to their learning by creating an action plan that seeks to address the area of concern they chose during the Research phase. In particular, students will be guided through the real-world application of writing a grant proposal to seek funding for a project that would address the environmental concern researched during the research portion of the project. The initial phases of this introduction will focus on the Galapagos and problems specific to the Galapagos. As the unit progresses, the scope will broaden to discuss issues facing the environment in general, as well as how these issues affect the area in which we live in East Tennessee on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Impact Plan
After students are exposed to the topics in the Paradox unit, we are going to transition into a modified version of my original Impact Plan. My original plan was to hold a school-wide video contest making videos to create awareness of environmental issues facing our region. Due to problems with technology, access, and the loss of our school’s computer class this year, the project has morphed into a literary publication. The new project is going to be a literary magazine focused on nature and environmental topics. The magazine will accept submissions of poetry, stories, essays, photographs, and artwork. Instead of being open to students at my school, it is going to be promoted throughout the county as a system-wide project for middle and high school students and faculty as well as home school students in the community. My Accelerated Language Arts class is going to serve as the magazines editors. Students will choose works for inclusion as well as basic proofreading and layout and design. They will also work on seeking sponsorships from community businesses to help cover the cost of printing. The “magazine” is going to be published as a paperback book (6” x 9” trade paperback). Students whose writing is chosen for inclusion will receive a free copy of the book. Additional copies of the book will be sold online and locally with all proceeds going to Friends of the Smokies, a local charitable organization affiliated with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We are currently preparing to work with the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the group that is in charge of managing the bookstores in the National Park’s visitor centers. A copy of an informational flyer regarding the project is attached at the end of this document.
Post Impact Plan
To end the year this year, one of my classes is going to host a community reading event, modeled after the National Endowment for the Arts’s Big Read program. In May, each homeroom in my school will read Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax in the morning. Over the course of the day, each subject area will teach a lesson that incorporates or discusses themes from the story. One of the purposes of the project will be to draw connections between The Lorax and our world, ultimately culminating in finding things students can do to help prevent us from having the same outcome.
From the Shadow of the Mountains: Using Writing to Help Save the Mountains We Love
Use your writing and art skills to raise money for conservation programs in the Smokies
What? Mr. Lombardo's Language Arts class at Sevierville Middle is creating a book of original poetry, short stories, essays, photos, and art to be published as a fundraiser for Friends of the Smokies.
Who? Any Sevier County middle school or high school student or middle- or high school-aged home-school student can make submissions.
How? There are three ways—
- Writing: go to www.misterlombardo.com and submit your writing online
- Writing or Artwork: put your submission, name, school, and grade in an envelope labeled Andy Lombardo-- Sevierville Middle School and take it to your school's office and ask them to send it to me at Sevierville Middle (no postage necessary) by April 1.
- Artwork: Email a copy of your artwork to submissions@seviervillemiddle.org
What do you get? If your writing is selected, you bragging rights for having your writing published in a paperback book. You will also get a free copy of the book if your writing is selected. If your writing is accepted, you will be sent a consent for to be signed by a parent or guardian near the end of April.
When will the book come out? The books should be in Sevier County by May 26, 2009, and will be sold in several area bookstores and tourist destinations. A complete list of booksellers will be posted on Mr. Lombardo's website before the books are printed.