Blue - Connecting to the Ocean

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• communication
• critical thinking
• global citizenship
• initiative
• problem solving

Australian curriculum content (8.4) descriptions:

Year 7 English:

• Understand how language is used to evaluate texts and how evaluations about a text can be substantiated by reference to the text and other sources (ACELA1782).
• Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources (ACELY1723).

Syllabus outcomes: EN4-2A

General capabilities: Literacy, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9

Relevant parts of Year 7 English achievement standards: Students demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning. They select specific details from texts to develop their own response, recognising that texts reflect different viewpoints. Students create texts showing how language features and images from other texts can be combined for effect. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language features to engage the audience.

Unit of work: Blue The Film: Our Oceans and Our Future.

Time required: 60 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – lead students in discussion.

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

• Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

• Student Worksheet – one per student
• Device capable of presenting a clip to the class
• Lesson Presentation
• Ocean Images Handout (optional)
• Our Oceans Factsheet (optional)
• Ocean Change Factsheet (optional)

Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of industrialisation of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change. Blue changes the way we think about our liquid world and inspires the audience to action. Find out how to screen or download the film here. Along with the film is an ambitious global campaign to create advocacy and behaviour change through the #oceanguardian movement. To become an ocean guardian, see the website.

How To Teach Sustainability With Hope

Quick summary: This course is for both primary and secondary teachers of all subjects, but especially for English, Science, Humanities and Geography teachers who are covering climate change and the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability.