Basura+Curriculum

This is a page where we can work on developing a vertically integrated unit on trash, to tie in to what the 9th grade team is doing, and to prepare our seniors for an idea to organize their Great Journey up to Washington. Think plastic bag ubiquity!

The basic structure would be: 1) develop a vocab list--students can help out with this. 2) use some audiovisual tool to show students the reality of basureros in LA 3) do some in class work, trying to get students to connect their experience with the landfill here (or with trash in general, or recycling programs) with what they are seeing in the videos and pictures. Make sure they know that the US exports a LOT of garbage (around 20 million tons a year) and that the state of Virginia imports garbage from other states to bury here in dumps. 4) have the students produce something? A video, a slide show, a paper, a game, something 5) have students figure out a way to get involved in solving the problem of waste in our society. THIS WILL BE A REQUIREMENT IN MY CLASSES, AND STUDENTS CAN DO IT IN SMALL GROUPS IF THEY WANT.

Vocabulario of basura--let's add more.
 * basura || trash || basurero || trash can, dump ||
 * sacos de plástico || plastic bags || reciclables || recyclable items ||
 * pepenadores || garbage people || responsabilidad || responsibility ||
 * contaminación || pollution || enfermedades || sickness ||
 * colera || cholera || envenenamiento || poisoning ||
 * plomo || lead || infección || infection ||
 * deshechos || trash || botellas || bottles ||
 * latas || cans || desechos || wastes ||

[|Here's a youtube video about Mexico City Pepeñadores]

[|Here's a link to a Spanish photographer]that made an exposition of photos of the guajeros in Guatemala City.

[|Here's an organization called Chacocente,] which has created programs and classes for people living in the dump in Managua, Nicaragua. There are good videos here.

17,000 personas viven en el basurero de la Ciudad de México. Se llaman pepenadores. Unos 20,000 personas viven en el basurero de la Ciudad de Guatemala. Se llaman guajeros