The story Hoot (the book) tells about a boy who discovers a conflict between a business and nature. Roy finds out that a group of burrowing owls lives on the site where the business wants to build their store. (BTW check out the link above for a short and interesting book review of Hoot)
On the author's webpage Carl Hiaasen answers questions about Hoot.
Carl Hiaasen says,
"The world can be nasty place, and there's nothing wrong with going after the bad guys in a novel...Funny stuff happens, weird stuff happens, but the soul of the plot is Roy's quest to stop something very bad from happening. And that's serious"
The environment damage that businesses can cause is a serious issue that affects our future. Watch this YouTube video about the BP oil spill. The G4 News Crew finds out how corporations have negatively affected pelicans of the Gulf Coast. (A Big Thanks goes to Mr. Cornfield for finding this video)
As they mention in the G4 News story there are ways people can work to help restore the environment on the Gulf Coast. One simple way is by sharing ideas about this disaster so it is not forgotten. The BP oil spill devastated peoples' lives and continues to affect the area today.
- Do you remember when you first heard about the BP Oil Spill?
- What are your thoughts about how human activity can affect our environment?
- How does the BP Oil Spill relate with destruction of the owls' habitat in Hoot?
This environmental disaster was one that I remember experiencing here at Swift School.
ReplyDeleteClasses watched how the beaches had tar balls on them instead of beach goers. We viewed the BP oil leak gushing into the Gulf waters through an underwater camera.
This is one national emergency that I won't soon forget.
Several 8th graders have developed their own "Hoot" blogs. I think by promoting the novel, Hoot those involved are starting a discussion topic about the environment.
ReplyDeleteYoung adults can make a difference by not letting important topics be forgotten.
I think the activities 8th graders did about a "Carbon Foot Print" and the responsible use of water resources should be addressed by the business community as well. These class activities from Mr. Irizarry’s class bring out the importance of positively impacting our future on Mother Earth.