2040 - Exploring Climate Change

Australian Curriculum content description:

Year 9 Science

• Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically (ACSIS164)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS165)

Year 10 Science 

• Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (ACSSU189)
• Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically (ACSIS198)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS199)

Relevant parts of Year 9 Science achievement standards: Students design questions that can be investigated using a range of inquiry skills. They design methods that include the control and accurate measurement of variables and systematic collection of data. 

Relevant parts of Year 10 Science achievement standards: Students describe and analyse interactions and cycles within and between Earth’s spheres. They develop questions and hypotheses and independently design and improve appropriate methods of investigation, including field work and laboratory experimentation. 

Syllabus outcomes: SC5-4WS, SC5-5WS, SC5-6WS, SC5-12ES

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.1

Unit of work: 2040 – Science – Years 7 to 10

Time required: 70 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium to high – oversee activities and facilitate class discussions

To view our NZ Curriculum alignment, click here.

• Student Worksheets – one copy per student
• A device capable of presenting a video to the class
• AGREE/DISAGREE signs
• Generating Questions Factsheet
• Experiment Proposal Template
• Climate Change Factsheet – optional

2040 is an innovative feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW! Director Damon Gameau embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. 

In Australia: Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for Australian primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.

In New Zealand: Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for New Zealand primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.

If you are teaching in either New Zealand or Australia, you can now organise a virtual screening of the film for your class. To enquire about this option, simply email schools@whatsyour2040.com and the 2040 team will help you set this up! If you have already bought a DVD of the film and you have a ClickView account, you can email the team for permission to upload the film to your account to make it more easily accessible for your teachers and students.

Cool.org, GoodThing Productions and Regen Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of Good Pitch Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and our philanthropic partners in the development of these teaching resources.