The Paper Trail: Connecting Economic and Natural Systems

This curriculum unit teaches students how human choices about production, consumption and disposal affect, and are affected by, the earth's natural systems. Through the use of "The Paper Trail," students become detectives in tracking the multiple school uses of paper. They can then follow the production/consumption loop to the landfill or incinerator, back to paper's origins in the forest, then to the pulp manufacturer and the distributor, finally returning to the school. This "paper loop" provides a helpful model for understanding contemporary global issues, and can also motivate students’ interest in the ways in which their economic and lifestyle choices affect their community and world. This four-week (20 lesson plans) curriculum unit was produced for the Sustainability Education Center by Dr. Winifred Armstrong of the Regional Plan Association (New York) and Ms. Margaret Mansfield, a Curriculum Developer and Teacher of Economics at the Moorestown (NJ) Friends School. It was designed primarily to be used in secondary school classes of economics, environmental science and social studies, but it can also be used to stimulate classes in geography, civic, business and global studies. The format for the curriculum includes daily objectives, guiding questions, hands-on activities, student handouts, helpful graphics, homework suggestions, a glossary of important terms, supplemental teacher resources, an assessment rubric, and a variety of resources for additional study, including key web sites. "The Paper Trail" has been carefully crafted to fulfill specific national and state content and student performance standards for economics, environmental science and geography. It has also been designed to promote essential "systems thinking" skills in our young people through the use of concept maps, feedback loops, life cycle analysis, and the introduction of "full-cost accounting." To order this timely and important resource, fax (212-624-1412) or e-mail (globed120@aol.com) to Sustainability Education Center at the American Forum for Global Education.