Silent Spring

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How many insect pests can you name? How many weeds can you name? How many home/garden insecticide, herbicide, and fungicide products can you name? List your responses in 3 categories as you brainstorm; also, note any descriptions or personal reactions you connect to items on your lists.

Teaching Suggestion: Once students respond in categories on a brainstorming sheet, they might color-code the different kinds of pesticides. Then, discuss students’ experiences with and attitudes about insect pests, weeds, and pesticides. Ask students to delineate between insect pests and beneficial insects. Discuss with students a description of invasive and noxious weeds, particularly in the local region. It would be helpful to locate pictures of insect pests, noxious/invasive weeds, and common pesticide brands.

• The Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides provides a Pesticide Factsheet with brief descriptions of commonly used pesticides and links.
• The EPA provides a chart with common noxious weeds, herbicide trade names, treatment methods and biological controls (as alternatives or supplements to using chemical pesticides).