Thoughts and emotions

Summary information

Preparation

1. Create a continuum – an imaginary line linking 2 labels that have been displayed at opposite ends of the room – ‘Agree Strongly’ and ‘Disagree Strongly’. Make sure that pupils have enough room to stand in their chosen position on this line.
2. Display each of the 4 statements about why we should protect the environment.

Resources needed

Internet access.

Procedure

1. Explain the continuum - an imaginary line which is going to be used to indicate attitudes towards a number of different statements. Explain that pupils should position themselves at the point in the line that best describes their attitude to the statement.

2. Read the statements and ask pupils to position themselves along the line. We should protect the environment because:

• it provides all of the materials and services that we need in order to survive (i.e. materials such as timber and food and services such as the water cycle and the removal of waste through rotting)
• it provides us with beauty, recreation and pleasure (i.e. visiting natural places and watching wildlife)
• it helps us to learn more about the world and about ourselves (i.e. through studying interdependence between species and behaviour of species)
• it is made up of living things and each of those living things has the right to exist (i.e. they do not exist for the benefit of people)
• Ask pupils if they can think of a different reason. Pupils can use the line to indicate their attitude towards any of these suggestions.
• Ask the pupils to look at the images on the following website and to make brief notes about how the images make them feel: http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/gallery/default.asp. Please note that this links to a photo gallery which includes images of animal suffering.

Plenary

Discuss the images: How do you feel/what do you think/what do you want to do when you look at this? Does this image make you think about any of the statements about why we should protect the environment? Which one(s)/why?

Cautions

Please note that the link above takes students to a photo gallery which includes some images showing animal suffering.

Extensions

Create a collage to illustrate why you think we should protect the environment. You could use photos, drawings, waste material, facts and/or quotes.

Evaluation

Student self-evaluation: Arrange the statements about why we should protect the environment in order – most important to least important.
With a partner: Discuss your reasoning for the order in which you’ve arranged the statements.

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