Lesson summary

In this lesson, students will be immersed in and connect with the documentary film 2040. Students begin by clarifying the key terms used in the 2040 documentary. They then work in groups to investigate some of the challenges for our future as identified in the documentary (including energy, transport, and food production). Students undertake research into their assigned challenge and then share their findings with the class. They then work in groups to brainstorm solutions to their challenge. Finally, students are invited to watch and reflect on the 2040 documentary film.

Learning intentions:

Students will...

understand some of the key concepts and messages of the 2040 documentary film
understand how a documentary film can engage, inform and inspire
understand that solutions to global environmental and social challenges already exist

Success criteria:

Students can...

work collaboratively
undertake research online
participate in group discussion
participate in a group brainwriting activity
watch and reflect on a documentary film

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson details

Australian Curriculum content description:

Year 7 Science

Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations (ACSHE120)
Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, including water that cycles through the environment, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116).

Year 8 Science

Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations (ACSHE135).

Year 9 Science

People use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they accept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in science can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE160)
Values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (ACSHE228).

Year 10 Science

People use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they accept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in science can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE194)
Values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (ACSHE230)
Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (ACSSU189).

Year 7 English

Use interaction skills when discussing and presenting ideas and information, selecting body language, voice qualities and other elements (for example, music and sound) to add interest and meaning (ACELY1804)
Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources (ACELY1723).

Year 8 English

Use interaction skills for identified purposes, using voice and language conventions to suit different situations, selecting vocabulary, modulating voice and using elements such as music, images and sound for specific effects (ACELY1808)
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of content and the credibility of sources, including finding evidence in the text for the author’s point of view (ACELY1734).

Year 9 English

Use interaction skills to present and discuss an idea and to influence and engage an audience by selecting persuasive language, varying voice tone, pitch, and pace, and using elements such as music and sound effects (ACELY1811)
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744).

Year 10 English

Year 7 & 8 Media Arts

Analyse how technical and symbolic elements are used in media artworks to create representations influenced by story, genre, values and points of view of particular audiences (ACAMAR071)
Identify specific features and purposes of media artworks from contemporary and past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their media arts making, starting with Australian media artworks including of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media artworks (ACAMAR072).

Year 9 & 10 Media Arts

Manipulate media representations to identify and examine social and cultural values and beliefs, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMAM074)
Evaluate how technical and symbolic elements are manipulated in media artworks to create and challenge representations framed by media conventions, social beliefs and values for a range of audiences (ACAMAR078).

Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 Science achievement standards:

Students describe situations where scientific knowledge has been used to solve a real-world problem and explain possible implications of the solution. They analyse how the sustainable use of resources depends on the way they are formed and cycle through Earth’s systems.
Students describe situations in which scientists collaborated to generate solutions to contemporary problems. They reflect on the implications of these solutions. Students identify and construct questions and problems that they can investigate scientifically.

Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 Science achievement standards:

Students describe social and technological factors that have influenced scientific developments and predict how future applications of science and technology may affect people’s lives. Students design questions that can be investigated using a range of inquiry skills.
Students develop questions and hypotheses. They describe and analyse interactions and cycles within and between Earth’s spheres.

Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 English achievement standards:

Students explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning. They contribute actively to class and group discussions.
Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They contribute actively to class and group discussions.

Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 English achievement standards:

Students evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own interpretations. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, comparing and evaluating responses to ideas and issues.
Students develop and justify their own interpretations of texts. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, building on others’ ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding arguments.

Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 Media Arts achievement standards: Students identify and analyse how representations of social values and points of view are portrayed in the media artworks they make, distribute and view. They identify and analyse the social and ethical responsibility of the makers and users of media artworks.

Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 Media Arts achievement standards: Students analyse how social and cultural values and alternative points of view are portrayed in media artworks they make, interact with and distribute. They evaluate how genre and media conventions and technical and symbolic elements are manipulated to make representations and meaning. They evaluate how social, institutional and ethical issues influence the making and use of media artworks.

Syllabus outcomes: SC4-11PW, SC4-12ES, SC5-13ES, SC5-11PW, SC5-12ES, EN4-3B, EN4-2A, EN5-3B, EN5-2A.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.2, OI.6, OI.7, OI.8, OI.9.

Unit of work: 2040 – Watching the Film – Years 5–10
Time required: 152 mins
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion

To view our NZ Curriculum alignment, click here.

Student Worksheets – one copy per student. Device capable of presenting a video to the class
Device capable of creating audio-visual recordings, such as an iPad or camera
Brainwriting Sheet
Critically Viewing a Documentary Film
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.

2040 - Exploring the Themes of 2040

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Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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