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Wide Angle
 
Economics : Something's Fishy in Scotland
LESSON INTRO

For generations, fishing families have taken pride in making their living from their skill and perseverance on the sea. Yet today, the ability of fishermen to ply their trade is under serious threat. They face shrinking catches of many species, which some say is caused by over-fishing. In addition, fishermen are strangled by ever-tightening quotas and other regulations, ostensibly created to protect fish populations but also, as some fishermen suspect, to give some nations unfair advantage in a highly competitive industry.

The WIDE ANGLE episode "Gutted" chronicles the struggles of Scottish fishing families in the village of Fraserburgh to maintain their way of living under the new policies of the European Union. At the heart of the program is the West family, who face the loss of their fishing boat under pressure to "decommission" her -- that is, to submit to having her destroyed.

Through this lesson, students will explore the complex issues underlying the plight of the fishing families of Fraserburgh. They will identify and discuss the issues raised in the film, and then conduct further research on these issues using a jigsaw format. Alternatively, they may write letters to characters in the program demonstrating their understanding of the issues.

Several extension activities can further enrich the lesson. Students can learn more about the lives of those who make their living by fishing; read about the decline of fish populations; do an activity to demonstrate how fish populations are estimated; and find out about industries that disappeared from their own communities.

Subjects: social studies, economics, environmental studies

Grade Level: 7-12

Time Allotment: Four to eight 45-minute class periods

Learning Objectives:

Students Will

Identify and share their prior knowledge of issues involving the fishing industry.

Read and discuss an article on the fishing industry in Scotland.

View the issues raised in the program from four perspectives: environmental, social/personal, economic, and political.

Learn how fish populations are estimated.

Use a jigsaw approach to gathering and sharing information about the issues related to the Scottish fishing industry OR demonstrate their understanding of the main issues raised in the program by writing a letter to one of the people in the video.

Academic Standards:

McRel Economics Standard 1, Level 3, Benchmark 1, 2, & 3
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=15&standardID=1
Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs

    Benchmark 1 -- Understands that scarcity of resources necessitates choice at both the personal and the societal levels

    Benchmark 2 -- Knows that all decisions involve opportunity costs and that effective economic decision making involves weighing the costs and benefits associated with alternative choices

    Benchmark 3 -- Understands that the evaluation of choices and opportunity costs is subjective and differs across individuals and societies

McRel Economics Standard 3, Level 4, Benchmark 3
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=15&standardID=3
Understands the concept of prices and the interaction of supply and demand in a market economy

    Benchmark 3 -- Understands that changes in supply or demand cause relative prices to change; in turn, buyers and sellers adjust their purchase and sales decisions

McREL Self-Regulation Standard 1, Level 4, Benchmark 2
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/reference.asp?item=benchmark
&BenchmarkID=1692&subjectID=23
Sets and manages goals

    Benchmark 2 -- Creates an action plan to achieve long-term goals that includes strategic, practical steps and that accounts for the resources needed to achieve these goals

McRel Working With Others Standard 1, Level IV, Benchmark 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group

    Benchmark 1 -- Knows the behaviors and skills that contribute to team effectiveness

    Benchmark 2 -- Works cooperatively within a group to complete tasks, achieve goals, and solve problems

    Benchmark 4 -- Demonstrates respect for others' rights, feelings, and points of view in a group

    Benchmark 5 -- Identifies and uses the individual strengths and interests of others to accomplish team goals

    Benchmark 6 -- Identifies causes of conflict in a group and works cooperatively with others to deal with conflict though negotiation, compromise, and consensus

    Benchmark 7 -- Helps the group establish goals, taking personal responsibility for accomplishing such goals

    Benchmark 8 -- Evaluates the overall progress of a group toward a goal

    Benchmark 9 -- Contributes to the development of a supportive climate in groups

    Benchmark 10 -- Actively listens to the ideas of others and asks clarifying questions

National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/thinking5-12-5.html
Standards 5A, 5D

    A. Identify issues and problems in the past and analyze the interests, values, perspectives, and points of view of those involved in the situation.

    D. Evaluate alternative courses of action, keeping in mind the information available at the time, in terms of ethical considerations, the interests of those affected by the decision, and the long and short-term consequences of each.

National Standards for Social Studies
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/

    IX. Global Connections: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence.

PREPARATION

Media Components

Video
    WIDE ANGLE: "Gutted"
    Thirteen/WNET New York's weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, hosted by Bill Moyers. Learn about the struggles of Scottish fishing families to maintain their way of living under the new policies of the European Union.

Web sites


Materials

Per Class:
  • Chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster paper
  • Appropriate writing utensil for your writing surface
  • Copies of appropriate videos
  • VCR/TV
Per Student:
  • Copy of Student Organizers #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5
  • Pen or Pencil
PROCEDURES

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching, bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson and create a Microsoft Word document with all of the Web sites as hyperlinks for the students to access the sites. Make sure that your computer and the computer the students will be using have the necessary media players to play any video clips. These are Shockwave, Real Video, and Quicktime. Cue any videotapes to the segment(s) you plan on using to support your lesson. When using media, provide students with a focus for media interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.


Introductory Activity

  1. Fishing industry: Brainstorm

    This activity is meant to focus students' attention on the topic at hand. It also will help you assess students' background knowledge.

    Explain that the class will be seeing a film on the fishing industry in Scotland, and that to begin, you will think about people, industries/jobs, and political issues connected to the fishing industry.

    Have students form groups of four or five and give out copies of Student Organizer #1. Tell students that they will have about five minutes to come up with as many things as they can in answer to each question, drawing on what they know or have heard about the fishing industry. One person in each group should write down all the responses.

  2. At the end of the allotted time, have the groups report back to the class. Make a master list on chart paper and post it for later reference. As students continue through the activities, you can add to the chart if you wish.


Learning Activities

  1. Articles: Background Information

    Hand out the following articles. Students can read these articles on their own or with partners, using Student Organizer #2. as a guide. Follow with a class discussion of the questions listed on Student Organizer #2. For answers to the questions use the Student Organizer #2 Teacher Copy.

  2. Focus on Four Categories

    Introduce the video and hand out Student Organizer #3. Tell students that as they watch the program, they should think about what they see as relating to four categories: social/personal (about the people in the program, especially the West family); environmental (about the impact of fishing on fish populations); economic (about the business of fishing, support industries and secondary businesses that may be effected); and political (regulations and policies about fishing; international fishing rights; political activism). Point out that there are overlaps among these categories and students should make quick decisions about how to categorize their observations.

    Student Organizer #3 has space for students to make notes -- explain that they should indicate a minimum of three observations for each category.

    Show the entire one-hour documentary. When the video is over, have students form small groups to compare notes. Then have the small groups report out to the whole class. Points for discussion include:

    • What observations were most often noted?

    • Where do categories overlap?

  3. Follow by discussing the program using the discussion questions on Student Organizer #4. For answers to these questions use the Student Organizer #4 - Teacher Copy.

  4. How many fish?

    How do scientists estimate populations of fish? If you have Internet access in your classroom have your students complete the "Estimating Fish Populations" online activity that sheds light on sampling processes, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can also assign this activity as homework.


Culminating Activity

Alternative A: Jigsaw Research

  1. Use a jigsaw structure, students can do further research on the fishing industry in Scotland. In the jigsaw approach, students form groups and divide up a topic for research among group members, so that each student has a manageable chunk to work on. First, students do their discrete pieces; next; students from different groups who did the same piece get together to share their work and pool their knowledge; finally, students return to their original groups and present to each other. Students are responsible for learning all the material being researched; in order to do well they must listen to and learn from their fellow group members.

    NOTE: Detailed information on the jigsaw approach can be found on the Web site of Eliot Aronson, a leader in the field of cooperative learning:
    www.jigsaw.org. Also of interest is www.hyperhelper.org, a teacher-run site that offers guidelines for planning and conducting jigsaw activities.

    For this project, students can research the state of the fishing industry in Scotland using the categories that they considered when watching the video: social/personal; environmental; economic; and political. Students can work in groups of 5-6 with one or two students assigned to each of the four categories.

  2. When students have completed their research they can form temporary "expert groups" composed of all students assigned to the same category. In their expert groups time, they can discuss the main points of the category they researched and develop presentations. They can then return to their jigsaw groups to present on their category.

    The following resources may be useful to students:

Alternative B: Letter Writing

    Students can write letters to one of the people in the program, according to the instructions on Student Organizer #5. Finished letters can be shared with partners or small groups.

Cross Curricular Connection

  1. Students can read and report on the following:
    THE PERFECT STORM, by Sebastian Junger, a gripping account of a disastrous fishing voyage that includes vivid descriptions of the way of life of fishermen. Note: Students also might watch the movie adaptation of the book, though the book is far more detailed and innovative.

    The book COD by Mark Kurlansky, cited for Activity 5, a short and interesting history of that pivotal fish.

  2. Students can view the movie MYSTIC PIZZA, which revolves around life in a Portuguese fishing community in Connecticut.

  3. Students can find out about "disappeared" industries and institutions in their own communities. Was there a manufacturing plant, a church, or a school that closed? What were the effects of the closing? Who felt the effects the most? What, if anything, took the place of what had vanished? Did the industry or institution move locations, and if so, where? Local historical societies are good sources of information, as are interviews with elderly residents.



 
 
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