Activities
List of activities
Click on the activity title to view the description.
Visions of the Future
Ecological footprint
Story of a T-shirt
Who's making your mind-up?
Get up, stand up
Keeping a journal
Approach
These activities are designed for use with pupils aged 8-13. They are offered as taster ideas for how you might tackle the topic of consumption, taking a Learning for Sustainability approach. The activities have been ordered to build a learning cycle that takes in the following stages:
Section 1 of the Planning Guide [LINK TO PDF] will give you more information on learning cycles and how to plan a topic using a Learning for Sustainability approach.
The activities have been designed to give pupils opportunities to develop and practise:
- Critical thinking – e.g. posing open-ended questions, proving a range of viewpoints;
- Futures thinking – e.g. visioning probable and preferable futures;
- Systems thinking – e.g. making the links between what they learn and what they do;
- Action competency – e.g. taking action based on what has been learned.
Structure
All the activities follow the following format.
Activity name:
this is given at the top
Summary information:
Age range:
given in years to cover the whole of the UK since key stages may vary.
Curriculum links:
to indicate core and non-core subject links.
Time needed:
in typical lesson session times with minutes indicated.
Group size:
whole class, small groups, individual task – or a mix.
Setting:
specific location eg classroom, computer suite, playground, local park etc.
Key vocabulary: to identify literacy, subject specific and ESD terms.
Sustainability learning outcome:
describes what pupils will be able to do having taken part in this activity with particular emphasis on ESD.
Method:
included if the activity uses a specific technique eg circle time, ranking, consequence wheel etc.
Preparation:
indicates what teachers need to know, or do, in order to facilitate the activity.
Resources needed:
lists what is need in order to carry out the activity.
Procedure:
provides a step by step guide to carrying out the activity.
Cautions:
included if teacher should be aware of health and safety issues, sensitivities re race, culture and gender etc.
Extensions:
provides additional activities that relate to the core activity and can be used to encourage more in-depth investigation or discovery. Some can be used as assessment strategies.
Evaluation:
suggestions given here relate to the ‘reflecting’ part of the learning cycle with particular emphasis on pupil self assessment.