Resource+3

 Short Video: Saving Sumatra

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__**Explanation of Resource:**__ The video //Saving Sumatra// which was created by Greenpeace, explores the threats the rainforests in south Sumatra face. It discusses how the rainforests there are being cut down at a devastating rate to create Palm-oil Plantations and Pulp and Paper Plantations (Greenpeace, 2010). The photographs in the video were taken from the air, showing the viewer aerial shots of the area, highlighting the vast scale of the destruction which has taken place there, for example from peatlands being drained. It also gives viewers a glimpse of the small areas of rainforests which are protected and haven't been touched yet, with the reporter discussing how there is still a wide diversity in the plants and species of animals which live there. However, the video does give the viewer facts which are devastating and show the extent of the damage which has been done so far nonetheless- with there being only 5-7 tigers left for example, in that specific region. Greenpeace discusses how important te rainforests are for local communities, for our climate, and endangered species, and yet how they are being converted into "a throw-away product such as toilet paper" (Greenpeace, 2010). This video is therefore an invaluable resource for this Unit Of Work, as it highlights the negative impac of humans and reinforces the need for conservation.

__**Rationale and Relevance to Unit Outcome:**__ This Unit of Work focuses around the Science and Technology outcome //**LTS2.3-** Identifies and describes the structure and function of living things and ways in which living things interact with other living things and their environment.// This makes this video highly relevent, as it explores how animals and plants interact and depend on one another, for example with how Sumatran tigers are endangered because their habitat is being destroyed. However, the video goes furthur by also exploring and placing a large emphasis on how humans have been interacting with these ecosystems, having a negative impact and destroying the habitats of countless species. This also ties the video to the HSIE Environments strand, which is another KLA beingexplored in this Unit. Thus, this video as a whole, is highly relevent and a good resource for this Unit of Work.

__**Aspect of Literacy to be Explored:**__ The video //Saving Sumatra//by Greenpeace is also relevent in terms of teaching English. It is rich in images and photographs which can be dissected and looked at for visual literacy. Thus this video can be used as an extra in the visual literacy lesson, as many of the photos and aerial shots depict the strong vectors of the rows of Palm-oil Plantations leading right towards the edge of the little rainforest there is left, highlighting the devastation humans have caused. There is also a strong contrast between the lush green canopy of the forests and the muddy plains which have been drained, also highlighting the devastation caused to this ecosystem. Thus, the video is rich in terms of visual literacy. But as well as this, the video is also invaluable for the last segment of lessons where students are creating their own multimodal texts in groups. Images, video and voice over could be taken from this source and adapted into the students' works. Infact, in lesson 8, this video is referred to (see Lesson Four on the side bar). Finally, it is also valuable as a prompt for student discussion around the issues around deforestation and conservation (for example in Lesson 1). Thus, this resource is invaluable and highly relevent for meeting the English demands of this Unit of Work also.

__**References:**__ Greenpeace USA. (2010). //Saving Sumatra//. Retrieved October 2, 2011 from []

NSW Board of Studies. (2006). //Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators//. Sydney: NSW Board of Studies.

