Disneynomics: If you could change this "Tangled" world, what would you do?

In this post, we use a Disney song from "Tangled" to engage students. Before students watch the clip, ask them to look for beautiful sights, sounds, and smells Rapunzel experiences when she touches the earth. 

After watching the clip, ask students what would happen if people started throwing trash on the ground. How could it impact people? How could it impact animals? How could it impact plants? Show students the image of trash on the beach and ask them to discuss the possible impacts to people, animals, and plants.

Learn About Human Impact on the Environment
Show the NSTA Generation Genius video. Tell students that while they watch the video, do a quick write/quick draw of things they can do to have a positive impact on the environment.

Create a PSA
Ask students to discuss some of the ways in which humans can have a positive impact. For more information, refer to the lesson plan on Generation Genius or have students conduct research online. Then, they can create a public service announcement in the form of a poster or video. If they choose video, the PSA should be less than one minute. For example, here are some sample PSAs.
 
Save a Tree With Three! (15 seconds)
Did you know that recycling a single three-foot stack of newspapers saves a tree? Now, imagine the forests we could save together. Learn more green tips at (website). This is a public service announcement from (Team Name). 
​
Get Your Green On (:30-1:00)
Have you done something green yet today? If not, it’s time to get your green on. Recycle your trash. (Add more ideas here).  
Final sentence (Every day, we have the chance to make our planet a cleaner and greener place. Act locally and change the world by getting your green on!) Learn more at (website). This is a public service message from (Team Name). 

Show what you know!
Share the student posters and/or videos at school and with student families. For example, share some of these with morning news at school. Students can also ask their parents to share their creations to friends and family.