They Live in Guinea
Elementary School Lesson Three



Procedure


Synopsis

Viewing time: 10 minutes. Start with the scene of the building and parking lot. End with the scene of the two men looking under the Kellums' boat.

The Clam Sub-
Committee
Meeting

Linda has been elected chair of the Clam Sub Committee of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. She and the members meet and discuss the problems, and try to find solutions.
[To the Teacher: Linda says, "You're talking about going in and rapin' it, Craig." You may want to discuss her meaning with the class.]

To the Teacher: Linda says, "You're talking about going in and rapin' it, Craig." You may want to discuss her meaning with the class.

Buck, Dave, and Chris

Buck does not think the government has helped the situation. Supply and demand is the only way to go. Dave thinks the Bay is fished out and will never come back. Buck says a lot of people blame the Bay's problems on the watermen, and they feel like scapegoats.

Another one of the watermen, Chris Brown, says, "If the people stuck together and helped each other like the Guineamen--they ain't Guineamen, they're human beings, that's what they are; they live in Guinea, the world would be a lot better place."

Billy Kellum's Boat

The Kellums are ready to move the boat to the marina, only six months after laying the keel. The boat's cabin will only have four inches of clearance to get out of the barn, but the front of the barn has to be taken off. The men and Gail work together and succeed in raising the boat the necessary eighteen inches. They name the boat the Arlene Gail. (This section resumes after the footage of Ronnie and Linda.)

Ronnie and Linda

Ronnie is out in Tommy's boat and it looks like the boat is going to lose the engine. Luckily, the engine is fine and Tommy gets the boat repaired.

In a conversation from their home, Linda and Ronnie talk about their life. It sometimes takes weeks to get an engine fixed. One year Linda and Ronnie lost three weeks of work and lost $30,000. Ronnie describes himself as "an accident waiting to happen." Linda says they don't have a lot of things that others do, like health insurance. They can never get ahead. Despite the problems, they like their lifestyle.

Billy Kellum's Boat

The boat is ready to be towed out of the barn. The rudder is trailing too close to the ground, and may crash up into the hull.

Working together, they manage to get the rudder clear. Later, as they are driving down Route 17 to the marina, the brake pads on the trailer start smoking. Billy fears his life savings will go up in flames.

Before Viewing

Have students review their post-graphic organizers from the first two lessons. Ask them to predict what will happen with the government ban on oystering and with the Kellums' boat. Tell them they will find out something the watermen are doing about the problems with regulation. They will also watch the Kellums prepare to move their boat.

Write the vocabulary words on the board. Read the contextual sentences aloud to students and help them determine the meaning of the words. Encourage them to listen for the vocabulary words in the video.

During Viewing

Show the third section of the video. Have students continue note-taking as in previous lessons, using the Video Note-Taking Form for Lesson 3. Remind students to record or draw pictures of key terms, names, events, and dates on the left side of the page. Notes should be taken in sequential order.

After Viewing

After watching the video, have students work in previously established small groups to extend each other's information. Students may want to take turns reading their individual notes aloud or sharing drawings so that other members of the group can add information they may have missed. All new information should be recorded on the right hand side of the Video Note-Taking Form.

Summary

Meet with the whole class and continue adding to the post-graphic organizer for Lesson 3 to summarize the key points from the video. Help students identify the major topics. You may want to replay sections of the video for extra discussion, or to verify the accuracy of the students' notes.



Extensions Lesson Three

I. Vocabulary


Write the words and sentences on the board. Ask students to read them and think about what the words might mean. Supply the definitions. Tell students to listen for the words in the video.
keel Six months after they laid the keel, they are ready to move the boat to the marina.
(The principal structural member of a ship, running lengthwise along the center line from bow to stern, to which the frames are attached.) noun
marina Six months after they laid the keel, they are ready to move the boat to the marina.
(A boat basin that has docks, moorings, supplies, and other facilities for small boats.) noun
grappling hoe My brother hit me in the head with a grappling hoe.
(An iron shaft with claws at one end, usually thrown by a rope and used for grasping and holding.) noun
scapegoats A lot of people around here blame the watermen for over fishing. The watermen feel like scapegoats for the Bay's complex problems.
(People who are blamed for the mistakes of others.) noun

II. Notetaking-Form 3

III. Post Graphic Organizer 3

IV. Projects


  1. Research one of the current problems in the Chesapeake Bay. Write a report describing the problem and what is being done to solve it.

  2. Join one of the Bay clean-up groups for a day. If you do not live near the Bay, join a clean-up group for a local natural resource area.

  3. Make a treasure box of drawings or models of items that were important in the video.

  4. Write a letter to one of the people in the video. Tell them how you feel about the video.

  5. Pretend you are on a trip to Guinea. Design a postcard. Draw a picture on the front. Write about your trip on the back.

Assessment Lesson Three

Suggestions : 1) Discuss the questions with the whole class. 2) Assign one question to each student or pair of students. Have them present the answers to the class. 3) Choose a few of the questions and have students write the answers.

  1. What did the people at the Clam Sub- Committee talk about?

  2. How did Linda feel about the way the meeting was going?

  3. What did Buck say was the way to solve the problem in the Bay? Did he think the government was helping?

  4. What does Dave think will happen to the seafood in the Bay?

  5. How did the one waterman feel about what people thought of the watermen?

  6. What was the problem the Kellums had with the boat? How did they solve it?

  7. How do Ronnie and Linda feel about what they do? What are some of the problems they have?

  8. Why were Linda and Ronnie out of work for three weeks? How much did it cost them when they were out of work?

  9. What happened to the oysters and other seafood in the Bay and rivers?

  10. Do you think the government should tell the watermen what to do? Why or why not?

  11. What is your opinion of Chris's statement about the watermen?

Top of Lesson 3