Activity:  Extend specific article about toxins to whales to discussion of toxins in the environment, including the ties to the discipline of geography.

Pre-Activity:  Cartoons on the whale toxin article, including potential impact on seals.

Do Now:  Share your cartoon with two neighbors, and look at their cartoons (followed by "What I Got" quiz).

Aim:  Human and natural toxins have a significant impact on living things.

Major Assignment:  Create a list of issues from a map about similar toxins in our local environment.

Processes, Skills, Goals:  Examine a map and explain it as an assessment of existing knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA).

Content:  Geographic dispersion of toxins in the environment, toxins as by-product of economic activity and policy choice.

Instructions:  Show maps of toxins in our local environment and ask students how they think those toxins got there.  Deliver slide show of key terms and issues.

Materials:  Toxin Maps, notes on economics of toxins, and related issues.

Guiding Questions:  Why are toxins good?  How much is okay?  How much is too much?  How do we figure that out?  What can we do about it?  What do we do about it?  Who pays?  Who does the work?  How much do they get paid?  What if they get sick?  What can you or I do?

Homework:  Finish creating a list of issues and be prepared to arrange them in related clumps on a piece of paper.