The key goals of the second month module was to increase student understanding about the Western Ghats and the rivers that flow from these mountains and to help students understand the complex dependance of people on nature.
‘Save Our Sholas’, a documentary film by Shekar Dattatri was screened to showcase the diversity of the rain forests of the Western Ghats. It was followed by an interactive session and an audio-visual on drought in Tamil nadu, which further helped to establish the connection between South Indian rivers and the shola forests from which they originate.
Students were introduced to ‘The Planet and You wall’, which was an on going activity to cultivate the habit of reading about nature, wildlife and the environment in newspapers. They were given a topic to reflect on, “If I were in a drought…” and interpret through paintings, drawings, essays, poems and drama.
‘Save Our Sholas’, a documentary film by Shekar Dattatri was screened to showcase the diversity of the rain forests of the Western Ghats. It was followed by an interactive session and an audio-visual on drought in Tamil nadu, which further helped to establish the connection between South Indian rivers and the shola forests from which they originate.
Students were introduced to ‘The Planet and You wall’, which was an on going activity to cultivate the habit of reading about nature, wildlife and the environment in newspapers. They were given a topic to reflect on, “If I were in a drought…” and interpret through paintings, drawings, essays, poems and drama.
The illustrations and writings related to the Western Ghats and water showed a gradual increase in their understanding of the relationship between people and natural ecosystems. The teacher coordinators ensured that the students continued to update the wall, encouraged conversations around the articles and reminded them to work on the assigned activities.