Teaching Sequence

20 minutes	Part A: Head outside into nature
20 minutes	Part B: Class discussion and image analysis
20 minutes	Part C: How will climate change affect the places we love?
50 minutes	Part D: National Geographic article
10 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Preparation

Before coming to this lesson, ask students to find two images (instructions also available on the Student Worksheet):

1. Students should find an image of an Australian place in nature that they love. Year 7 students should select a place that has water in it, while Year 8 students should select a landscape.

Images can be of places that students have already visited or would like to visit. These images don’t need to be striking; they can simply be special because of memories or how they make students feel. These can be pictures students have taken or students can use images from Google Images (remembering to record sources).

2. In addition, students need to find one image of their parents or caregivers in a place they loved when they were young, and engage parents or caregivers in a discussion about this image using the following questions:

Where was this image taken?
When did you go to this place? When was this image taken?
What did you love about this place?
Have you been back to this place and how has this place changed since you were there?
What places did you love when you were my age?

Students should record answers in their workbook and be prepared to share answers in a class discussion.

Teachers can also bring a picture of an Australian place in nature that they love to share with students in the opening class discussion.

Note: Images can be in either hard copy or electronic formats.

Part A. Head outside into nature

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now head outside in the schoolyard or a local park to experience nature and observe their responses to it. They will be participating in a mindfulness walk through the nature at their school, observing how their body experiences the nature that they pass through.

If appropriate and possible, it is great to do this with bare feet. You can even dampen some areas in advance to create more sensory contrasts!

Some guidelines to follow in this activity include:

This activity is like a ‘moving meditation’. It is done in silence, so that all students can absorb and be absorbed by what they are experiencing.
It is necessary to observe each other's space during this walking meditation (allowing everyone to enjoy their own space and their own peace). So when walking, keep a comfortable distance.
Walk in a mindfully spaced, single line. Students will need to walk silently in wonder to connect with all of their senses, noticing the tones and shades of green in vegetation; the verticals of tree trunks; the patterns in bark/leaves; the sounds of grasses and leaves moving in the wind; the sounds of birds; the touch of air on skin; the sound of feet on grass, dirt, or paving; and sensations through the body as students move and breathe.

Before heading outside, share this quote: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes" - Marcel Proust.

Step 2.

Back in the classroom, invite students to share their reflections and feedback. Use the following questions to guide discussion:

How do you feel now that you are back in the classroom?
How has the time in nature affected how they feel? What emotive words can they use to describe how they felt before, during and after the walk?
What sensations did you experience on the walk? (Think of the senses and what each sense experienced on the walk.)
Look back at the quote: how does this quote relate to what you experienced on the walk?
What else did you notice on the walk that you would like to share?

Part B. Class discussion and image analysis

Step 1.

Begin by engaging your students in a class discussion about the photos of their parents or caregivers that they collected. Ask students to share the answers to the questions associated with collecting these images:

Where was this image taken?
When did you go to this place? When was this image taken?
What did you love about this place?
Have you been back to this place and how has this place changed since you were there?
What places did you love when you were my age?

In addition, ask students to compare their parents/caregivers images and experiences of these places with their own experiences and image, and to speculate on the following:

How are they different?
How are they similar?
Have any of the places the adults visited changed dramatically and how?
Do you think older or younger people value these places more or less and why?

Step 2.

Share the following images with students (or ask them to view them on the Student Worksheet): Earth Hour - Place We Love - Images

Students should think up three emotive words to describe their responses to each image. They can add these to the Student Worksheet.

Once complete ask students to share their words and write these words on the board.

The images are of the following places:

Twelve Apostles, Victoria
Kata Tjuta, Red Centre
View from a rock in the Top End
Windjana Gorge National Park, The Kimberley

Step 3.

Using the instructions on the Student Worksheet, ask students to return to the image of their special place in Australia. Ask them to respond to the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How does this image make you feel? Think of three emotive words to describe your response to this image and place.
How does your response to the image of your special place compare to the other images looked at earlier (Twelve Apostles, etc)? How does having a personal connection to a place affect your response?
Describe why you love this place.
What do you think is the value of this place? How do you and other people value this place?

Part C. How will climate change affect the places we love?

Step 1.

Introduce students to Earth Hour, explaining that this year the theme of Earth Hour is 'Switch off for the places we love'.

Explain to students that many of the places that we love around Australia (and around the world) are at risk from climate change. A change in climate may change these places forever, and so this year, we are all being encouraged to switch off our lights and take action to save the places that we love. Read students the following from the Earth Hour website:

"This year Earth Hour is shining the spotlight on the impact of climate change on the Places We Love. One of the things that makes Australia so great is the beautiful outdoor lifestyle we live. From beaches, rainforests and rivers to snow-capped mountains, coral reefs and lakes, we have one of the most beautiful countries in the world. But the healthy, outdoors lifestyle we enjoy is under threat from rising temperatures and more extreme weather caused by carbon pollution - it only takes a small change in the climate to mess up the delicate balance of nature. That’s why we’ll be switching off to protect the Places We Love!"

Ask students to think about how climate change will affect our favourite places. Students should spend several minutes looking through the information on the Earth Hour Choose Your Climate Future Website.

Step 2.

Ask students to think about how climate change might affect their favourite places. Students should conduct a THINK PAIR SHARE activity in order to analyse the following questions.

Note: THINK PAIR SHARE requires students to (1) think individually about a topic or answer to a question; and (2) share ideas with classmates. Students may then amend their original answers based on what they discussed with their classmates.

What are the economic, spiritual, cultural and aesthetic values of your favourite place?
How do you think your favourite place may be affected by climate change? What will be changed and what will be lost?
How do you think climate change might affect the economic, spiritual, cultural and aesthetic values of this place?
How will climate change affect your experience of this place?

Part D. National Geographic article

Explain to students that they will now be pretending to submit an article to National Geographic about the place they love. The article should:

Follow article writing conventions and format (information provided on the Student Worksheet);
Describe their favourite place;
Talk about why it’s important, including personally, aesthetically, socially, culturally, environmentally and economically;
Describe how it might be impacted by climate change and how climate change will alter this place;
Explain what Earth Hour is and why it is important in the context of the places we love; and
Explain how people can get involved with Earth Hour.

The teacher can set the word count (suggested 200-300 words).

Students can spend several minutes looking at the National Geographic website to get an idea of what articles for this website and magazine look like.

Students can use the following factsheet for tips on article writing (also available on the Student Worksheet): Article Writing Tips.

The article could be written for either print or digital mediums and should include supporting images (students can use their own images or the images from the Cool Australia Earth Hour Student Toolbox).

You can use the following rubric to assess the articles: Article Assessment Rubric.

Reflection

Ask students to complete the Reflection Activity on the Student Worksheet.

Extension

Display students' articles for Earth Hour Schools Day and encourage other students, teachers and members of the school community to read these articles.
Invite older generations to come into the class and talk about their favourite places and how these places have changed over time.
Students could then reflect upon how the places that they love may have changed over time.
Use this lesson to help your students plan their own Earth Hour Schools Day action for this year.

Earth Hour - The Places You Love

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