What "She" Carries by Marco Trunzo

Purpose Statement

The proposed project will guide students through an exploration of their personal, political, and ecological relationships with water, with specific attention to the context of Winnipeg's

wastewater systems and the ongoing dependency on water from Shoal Lake 40. In a city where untreated sewage frequently flows into the Red River and clean drinking water is obtained from a community that lacks access to it, this inquiry will prompt students to consider the following question: Who is responsible for the health and justice of our water systems?

Project Description

The inquiry will begin with a fundamental investigation: A central question that emerges

from this inquiry is the origin and fate of the water that we use. Grade 12 students will engage in a place-based, inquiry-driven study of the role of water in their lives, communities, and ecosystems. The pedagogical framework under consideration is anchored in multimodal composition, a term defined as "a combination of reflective journaling, research writing, poetic transformation, and digital media production."

To facilitate entry into the topic, students will first engage with accessible anchor texts such

as Wild Child by Dara McAnulty and What Is a River? by Monika Vaicenavičienė. These texts

function as low-barrier entry points, with the objective of fostering discussion and establishing shared background knowledge amongst a diverse range of learners.

Subsequently, students will formulate personal inquiry questions, such as "How should I

care for water?" or "What is my relationship to water?" These inquiries will serve as a framework for the composition of personal research essays, which will be written in APA format and will integrate course texts and local sources. Students will then engage in a revision of their essays through the medium of blackout poetry, with a particular emphasis on themes such as sewage, pollution, and discards or lapses in memory of society. This process of elimination is a pedagogical strategy that aims to decelerate the students' writing process and facilitate the identification of significant elements in their original compositions.

In the final phase of the unit, students will utilize digital tools such as Instagram or CapCut

to create brief video reels that integrate visual media with their poetic compositions. These pieces will be filmed in locations that are significant to the students, such as riversides, storm drains, or school hallways. The films will be disseminated through school social media platforms, classroom presentations, and possibly shared with younger students across the school division.

Ripple Effects Components

• Photography/Video: Students will take photos and videos during place-based walks and subsequently incorporated into the final video reels.

• Writing: The subsequent research essays are of an inquiry-based nature, as are the blackout poems.

• Circulation: The dissemination of information has been achieved through a variety of methods, including the utilization of digital platforms, gallery displays, and school community outreach initiatives.

  
  

The Rationale Behind the Relevance of This Topic

The motivation for this project originates from three distinct sources. The approach under

consideration draws inspiration from Robin Wall Kimmerer's assertion that water is akin to kinship rather than being regarded as a commodity. Secondly, it draws from Felicia Rose Chavez's call to decolonize the writing workshop. Thirdly, it draws from Gillian Judson's approach to walking as curricular engagement. The project utilizes these texts to encourage students to engage in physical movement, experience a sense of wonder, engage in written expression, and ultimately reconsider their place in a water system shaped by both infrastructure and inequity. Their voices will challenge dominant narratives and propose new ways of relating to the water that sustains humanity.