Teaching Sequence

5 minutes – Introductory presentation of video
15 minutes – Group discussion
10 minutes – The Pledge
20 minutes – Discussion and thinking about Earth Action Plan
10 minutes – Student Worksheet activity

Work through this material in the following sequence:

Step 1.

Screen the video, Earth Hour 2015:

Earth Hour 2015 Official Video (https://youtu.be/XxIMib4e8f8)

Emphasise the fact that it summarises the Earth Hour event for 2015 and explain that last each year Earth Hour focuses on a different theme. In 2015 the theme was food and farming, and in 2014 the theme was the Great Barrier Reef. To find out the theme for this year, visit the Earth Hour website.

Step 2.

Separate students into small groups of 4 or 5 and ask them to discuss the features of the video that most impacted the students in their group.

Students should use the following features of film-making to guide their discussion:

visual imagery
background music
montage of news clips
use of statistics
emotive close-up shots
use of contrast

Allow ten minutes of discussion time, then reconvene the class and ask a spokesperson from each group to share their conclusions.

Step 3.

Ask students to consider the Earth Hour Pledge – read it aloud to the class.

The Pledge: “I believe Australia can and must help solve climate change and I want to be part of it.”

Discuss how taking the Pledge inspires people to take action more powerfully than merely making a personal decision that is never spoken aloud to anyone. Ask the class to take the Pledge.

Step 4.

Explain to the students the specific ways in which climate change relates to our unique environment, and in particular the places we love. Changes in climate and increases in extreme weather events are affecting deserts, aquatic environments, grasslands, and forests. Some of these places - such as the Great Barrier Reef - are already experiencing changes. Discuss the implications of these changes on human enjoyment and experiences.

Step 5.

In light of the potential threats to the places we love, encourage the class to consider ways in which climate change awareness can be raised in their local community. Ask students to come up with some ideas for extending Earth Hour from a ‘moment’ to a ‘movement’ in the school. Discuss the practicalities of the ideas offered. Some ideas to help get you started are listed below:

Whole school photo by night illuminated only by candles. This photo could be used in school promotional material to emphasise their commitment to energy-saving principles all year round.
Stickers could be designed, printed and placed over each light switch in the school, encouraging energy saving behaviours.
Students could host a meet an expert (scientist, park ranger, indigenous community member) information night at their school. Encourage the forum to take place outside using solar lights.

Think through the following steps as you plan your Earth Hour Action:

What type of Action will the class be undertaking?
What are the critical aspects of planning this Action?
What are the main aims in view?
How will the school community be engaged and involved?
How will you evaluate the success of the Action?
How will you communicate the outcomes of the Action to others, including your local community and the Earth Hour Australia organisation?

Use a subsequent lesson to finalise the class’s plans for their Earth Hour Action.

Step 6.

Distribute the Student Worksheet What on earth is Earth Hour? – one per student. Students should work independently to complete the cloze passage activity. They will need to use context to determine the meaning of certain terms. Encourage students to use a variety of reading strategies as they come to grips with the message of the text.

Step 7.

Toward the end of the lesson, provide students with the answers to the activity.

Cloze passage answers: countries, environment, climate, Barrier, food, Hour, friendly, act, politicians, fossil, places, love, lights, weather, fires, Australia, climate, work, change.

Differentiated activities

Extension activity: Ask students to create a Word Find puzzle. This task could be done independently or in pairs. Teachers could offer a reward for the first pair to finish creating the puzzle.

Steps:

Use an enlargement of this sample grid. It should be at least 11 letter spaces square.
Write the key words horizontally, vertically and diagonally in the grid.
Fill the empty letter spaces with letters at random.

Students may attempt a more complex Word Find puzzle with more key words included. For a real challenge, try creating a sentence out of the unused letters.

Provisions for Learning Support:

To complete the close passage activity, provide students with a random order list of the missing words. Encourage students with low level literacy skills to provide oral responses rather than written work where possible.

Homework

Ask students to use an Internet search engine to locate a video that teaches about the connections between climate change and food production. Students could email their classmates a link to the video and a point-form summary of the key ideas. As a vehicle for submitting their work, encourage students to post the link and summary on Earth Hour’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/earthhour.

Earth Hour - What on earth is Earth Hour?

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