Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Film by Bo Boudart
and Dale Djerassi
STUDY GUIDE
Carl Pope
- Sierra Club Executive Director
www.oilonice.org
Contact:
Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley PA 19547
Phone: (800) 543-3764
(610) 779-8226
Fax: (610) 370-1978
video@bullfrogfilms.com
www.bullfrogfilms.com
Oil on Ice 1
From the Filmmakers:
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of America’s last great wild
places. Our dependence on fossil fuels for energy is a global crisis.
The development and implementation of clean, renewable energy
sources is an objective upheld by people across the political spectrum.
The disappearance of indigenous cultures on our planet is decried by
anthropologists and humanitarians around the world.
In Oil on Ice, we have attempted to show the viewer that these issues,
although frequently considered separately, are in fact inextricably
intertwined.
These are a lot of subjects to try to cover in less than one hour.
Rather than deal with each issue exhaustively, we have tried to touch
on the range of issues as an interconnected whole.
Dale Djerassi
Oil on Ice 2
From the Filmmakers:
Not many Americans have had a chance to see Alaska’s Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge and probably not many ever will. When this place was
chosen for oil drilling by the U.S. Congress, we chose to produce this
documentary as a way to show many the beauty and the importance
of an irreplaceable arctic wilderness whose diversity of wildlife is
unparalleled on this continent. What we show in Oil on Ice is that one
cannot necessarily trust our Congress to make the right decisions for us.
Not long ago, the federal government had also made a decision to flood
the Grand Canyon with a hydroelectric dam, but because many more
Americans voiced their opposition it was stopped.
As you will see, Alaska native cultures have also witnessed dramatic
changes on the lands and waters they still use for hunting and fishing.
They are worried about how oil development could jeopardize and even
destroy their way of life. Protecting wildlife and wild places around the
world has become a struggle to protect health and their well-being of all
peoples on the planet.
We chose experts who state that burning too much oil already is
affecting our way of life and also the earth’s climate. Oil on Ice
presents the voices of common sense, indigenous peoples’ wisdom,
and scientists’ data. We also see politicians present their arguments for
and against oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The solutions to our energy
needs really lie in demands to adopt better energy technologies and
transportation that burn much less oil or none at all.
Saving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will depend on our individual
willingness to develop a new attitude toward energy use. We can choose
more efficient technologies that are now available in the market place—
whether it is solar-energy home appliances or hybrid vehicles.
Bo Boudart
Oil on Ice 3
TEACHER GUIDE
CONTENTS
“The Arctic National Overview, Objectives, Length, Target Grades
Wildlife Refuge is a Materials, Instructor Prep
national treasure. It
should be protected. But Viewing Activities
there’s also and energy • Day 1: To Drill or Not to Drill
storehouse that America • Day 2: Who Needs the Fuel?
needs to have access to.”
Extension Activities
Tony Knowles, • A Sense of Place (Geography, Life Sciences)
Former Alaska Governor • Running the Numbers on Fuel Consumption (Math, Economics)
• Take Action! (Writing, Civics)
Springboards
• What Happened to the Herring?
• Fish Crashes and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
• Global “Weirding”
• The Kyoto Protocol
• You Make the Public Service Announcement (PSA)
Resource Materials
• Sample Student Viewing Worksheet
• Maps from Oil on Ice
• Web Map Links
--Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain
--National Petroleum Refuge Area
--“1002” Area
• Academic Alignments and Benchmarks
• Endnotes
OVERVIEW
The fate of migrating caribou, the Gwich’in people, and a fragile ecosystem in the Arctic
“Once the oil is gone and National Refuge is tied to the decisions we make thousands of miles away about energy policy
the oil companies are and transportation.
gone, then what’s going
to happen after that?” However, the issues run deeper than to drill or not to drill. Even without oil drilling, the arctic
wilderness is affected by the burning of fossil fuels all over the planet. Because of global
Charlie Swaney weather patterns, the first effects of global warming are seen in the Arctic. An average
Gwich’in Tribe temperature increase of 7 degrees over the last thirty years has thinned the arctic ice pack by
40%. Glaciers are shrinking and the coastline is retreating, dramatically affecting the patterns
of plant and animal life.
Increased fuel efficiency could eliminate the need for any new source of oil from the Arctic.
And with predictions that known oil stocks will run out by mid-century, alternatives are
necessary.
There are two days of Viewing Activities and three Extension Activities in this Teacher’s Guide.
There is also a wealth of additional information for educators. Look in the Springboard area for
topics of additional interest.
Oil on Ice 4
We can depend on the OBJECTIVES
land, we can’t depend on
the jobs. The jobs don’t Students will:
feed us all winter long…” • Review Oil On Ice documentary actively, using critical thinking and viewing skills to
examine a complex situation.
--Rosemary Day 1: Drill or Not to Drill?
Ahtuangaruak Day 2: Who Needs the Fuel?
Mayor, Nuiqsut
• Utilize information from Oil On Ice as a starting point for extension activities.
A Sense of Place (Geography, Life Sciences)
Running the Numbers on Fuel Consumption (Math, Economics)
Take Action! (Writing, Civics)
LENGTH
Viewing: two 45 or 55-minute class periods. Extension activities: 45 minutes each. Teachers
are encouraged to mix-and-match viewing Oil On Ice with extension activities as appropriate
for their classrooms.
TARGET GRADES
This unit is targeted for grades 9-12, though they can be adapted for younger students.
MATERIALS
DVD copy of Oil on Ice, DVD player, TV. To order the DVD, see the Bullfrog Films web site:
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com . To see online video clips from the documentary, see
http://www.oilonice.org .
INSTRUCTOR PREP
Review DVD, the activities in this Teacher’s Guide and the Oil on Ice web site before class.
The full-length documentary is 60 minutes long.
Review worksheet sample, maps, and other support materials and make copies or adapt as
needed for your students.
Oil on Ice 5
VIEWING ACTIVITIES
“We don’t have to These Viewing Activities are aligned with McRel benchmarks in Economics,
choose between drilling History/Historical Understanding, Language Arts and Life Sciences. For details,
for oil in the Arctic see the Academic Alignments and Benchmarks section.
Refuge or…driving our
cars to work. All we have Time codes given are approximate, as they vary among DVD players.
to do is ask the auto
industry to use modern
technology and stop Day 1: To Drill or Not to Drill….
wasting gas.” Tell students that they will be watching a DVD and taking notes on the pros
and cons of drilling for oil on the people, wild lands and wildlife, and energy.
--Carl Pope, Sierra Club If appropriate, indicate that the DVD will take more than one class period
to view and discuss. Pass out worksheets. (See sample in the Resource
Materials.) As they view Oil On Ice, students will be looking for and taking
notes on the pros and cons per drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge--for the community, wildlife and wild lands and energy.
Start DVD. Stop DVD when you see an oil-soaked bird and hear “…and when
the spill happened the entire sound became silent…” (13:18).
• Are oil companies proposing drilling for oil all over the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge? (A small chunk of the refuge is under dispute—the
1002 area.)
• What might Oil on Ice might look like if an oil company was making
the film? (No right or wrong answers—this question sets up the next
block of viewing.)
Students will continue making notes. Start DVD. STOP you see a cabin
“When oil was discovered overshadowed by the Kuparuk oil development and you hear George
in Prudhoe Bay, they Ahmaogak say, “…and I use Nuiqsut as an example because they’re the ones
needed to resolve issues that are now totally surrounded by pipe.” (32:14)
of Alaska Natives’ claims
to the land before they Students use their notes to answer discussion questions. Possible questions--
could proceed with oil
development…so the • How long do you think this family will keep returning to their cabin?
Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act was • If the caribou aren’t coming by the family cabin, where are they
Passed very, very going?
quickly.”
• What would some possible effects be if the oil companies pulled out
--Adeline Peter Raboff of Alaska…tomorrow? (Loss of jobs and revenue, long term effects of
Gwich’in Author and drilling….)
Activist
• Do you think that all Alaska natives participated in the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act?
Oil on Ice 6
VIEWING ACTIVITIES
“The US oil dependence Day 2: Who Needs the Fuel?
is not going to be Start DVD where you left off on day one and play DVD to the end. Students
substantially affected will continue making notes today on worksheets. Students use their notes to
by drilling in the arctic answer discussion questions. Possible discussion questions--
refuge.
• Where does Alaska oil go? (Oil companies sell their oil wherever they
Recognize that once the wish to.)
oil is tapped, it is not our
oil, it is owned by…oil • Where will the caribou move to if there is oil development in the
companies. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
…oil owned by Chevron • Is there a choice between drilling for oil or saving the wildlife refuge?
in the Arctic Refuge is (Don’t have to choose between drilling or the refuge—things than can
no different than oil be done to protect the environment are not costly, but they are not
owned by Chevron in profitable.)
Kazakstan…it’s part of a
world oil market. • Why do you think that the United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol?
The Home Energy Saver 3 has an online do-it-yourself home energy audit
and also has a comprehensive area for educators.
1
http://www.myfootprint.org/
2
http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focus/report/english/footprint/
3
http://hes.lbl.gov/
Oil on Ice 7
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
A SENSE OF PLACE
“..You know when you This Extension Activity is aligned with McRel benchmarks in Geography and
study dance you gotta Life Sciences. For details, see the Academic Alignments and Benchmarks
repeat the motions over section.
and over again ‘til you
know how to do this REVIEW Oil on Ice to:
motion. This is my body
becoming part of this • create a timeline for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
tundra. And so I know (review material from approximately 8:33 to 10:41). Use the
this motion…and it feels information from this video to explore what is going on in the
good.” Arctic National Wildlife Refuge today.
Adeline Peter Raboff • compare and contrast the competing uses for the Refuge, including
Gwich’in Author, Activist tracking the migration of the Porcupine Caribou herds. (See the Map
Resources on page 9.)
• look at the ties of the people to the land—both Native and non-
native. Review interviews with fisherman Robbie Maxwell (starts
13:20); Eyak Activist Dune Lankard (13:15 and 19:00); Gwich’in
author/activist Adeline Peter Raboff and Gwich’in Charlie Swaney
(20:19 through 24:00); and George Ahmaogak, Leonard Lampe, and
Rosemary and Rodney Ahtuangaruak (27:54 – 33:38)
• What did the Gwich’in hunt? What do you think they ate season to
season? What is their diet like now?
• Compare your sense of “place” with that of the Gwich’in. Have you
lived in the same place all your life? Have you moved around? Is
there anywhere that you would consider your “ancestral” home?
Oil on Ice 8
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
RUNNING THE NUMBERS ON FUEL CONSUMPTION
“A car puts out it’s own weight on This Extension Activity is aligned with McRel benchmarks in
CO2 every year. The World burns Mathematics and Economics. For details, see the Academic
about a cubic mile of oil every Alignments and Benchmarks section.
year. America burns about 10,000
gallons a second.”1 Break down the numbers.
“In the period of dramatic oil • What fuel-saving measures were used from 1977 to 1985?
savings…that was 1977 to 1985,
the U.S. economy grew 27%. Oil • What fuel-saving measures are in use today?
use fell 17%, oil imports fell by
half. Oil imports from the Persian • How many cars were in use in the U.S. between 1977 and
Gulf fell 87%. If we had kept that 1985?
up for one more year, into 1986,
we would have eliminated imports • How much oil (in barrels or gallons) was being imported
from the Gulf…and we wouldn’t from the Persian Gulf?
have needed any ever since.”3
• How does this compare to the amount of oil coming from the
Persian Gulf today?
• How does the amount of oil coming from the Persian Gulf
compare to the amount of oil coming from Alaska?
Discussion Question: do you think that if the U.S. had kept using fuel
economy measures that the U.S. would no longer be dependent on
foreign oil—or need to drill for Alaska oil?
Oil on Ice 9
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
TAKE ACTION!
“Oil on Ice is the result of ordinary This Extension Activity is aligned with McRel benchmarks in Language
people realizing that action is necessary Arts (Writing) and Civics. For details, see the Academic Alignments and
to protect our vital interests. In a Benchmarks section.
democracy, it is our responsibility
to speak up if the system is not
representing our concerns.” http:// Review the Grassroots Action Toolkit on the Oil on Ice DVD or online at
www.oilonice.org/act/general.php http://www.oilonice.org/act/ .
You will find:
Oil on Ice 10
SPRINGBOARDS
Topics of additional interest to educators.
“We haven’t fished herring since then (1991) and I used to fish herring every single year.”
Robbie Maxwell, Cordova Fisherman
GLOBAL “WEIRDING”
Global warming is affecting arctic areas first. Why? 42:45-44:17
“I like the…term ‘global weirding’ for climate change. Global warming is a bit too much
shorthand because it will get warmer in some places , colder in other places, wetter in some,
drier in some…” Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
“Unlike the United States, which rejected the Kyoto Protocol, other countries are developing
more efficient transportation technologies.”
“The very next year Exxon started pumping out glossy brochures…to convince people that
everything had recovered in Prince William Sound.” Dr. Riki Ott, Marine Toxicologist
Oil on Ice 11
RESOURCES
Sample Oil On Ice Student Worksheet
NAME DATE
COMMUNITY
PRO CON
PRO CON
ENERGY
PRO CON
(Sample) Questions
(1) Are oil companies proposing drilling for oil all over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
(2) What would some possible effects be if the oil companies pulled out of Alaska…tomorrow?
(4) Is there a choice between drilling for oil or saving the wildlife refuge?
(6) Why do you think that the United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol?
Oil on Ice 12
RESOURCES: Maps
TIME CODES FOR THE MAPS SEEN IN OIL ON ICE.
1002 Area
See the USGS web site for several views of the 1002 are.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0028-01/fs-0028-01.pdf
Oil on Ice 13
RESOURCES: Academic Standards
Source: McREL (Mid Continent Research for Education and Learning) Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Economics
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=15
• Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
• Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions, and economic
incentives
• Understands the concept of prices and the interaction of supply and demand in a market economy
• Understands basic features of market structures and exchanges
• Understands the roles government plays in the United States economy
• Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
Life Sciences
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=2
GEOGRAPHY
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at.
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=8
LIFE SCIENCES
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=2
Oil on Ice 14
EXTENSION ACTIVITY: RUNNING THE NUMBERS ON FUEL CONSUMPTION
Math
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=1
Economics
Click on the standards below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=15
• Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
• Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions, and economic
incentives
• Understands the concept of prices and the interaction of supply and demand in a market economy
• Understands basic features of market structures and exchanges
• Understands the roles government plays in the United States economy
TAKE ACTION!
Writing
• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Civics
Click on the standard below to find more detailed descriptions. The complete list of topics in this academic area are at
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=14
How Does the Government Established by the Constitution Embody the Purposes, Values, and Principles of American
Democracy?
• Understands what is meant by "the public agenda," how it is set, and how it is influenced by public opinion
and the media
• Understands the roles of political parties, campaigns, elections, and associations and groups in American
politics
• Understands the formation and implementation of public policy
• Understands how participation in civic and political life can help citizens attain individual and public goals
• Understands the importance of political leadership, public service, and a knowledgeable citizenry in
American constitutional democracy.
Oil on Ice 15