Teaching Sequence

20 minutes	Part 1. What is our environment and how can we help it?
20 - 30 minutes	Part 2. How are you already helping our environment?
30 - 40 minutes	Part 3. Sharing the news about helping our environment
10 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part 1. What is our environment and how can we help it?

Preparation:

Print the Our Environment Flashcards. Cut each card along the dotted line and paste the questions to the back of the corresponding image.

Step 1.

Begin by asking students to share words they think of when they hear the phrase ‘our environment’ and create a mind map on the board (or using a program like mindmeister or bubbl.us) to share student ideas.

Try to include the following words in your mind map: water, sunshine, air, fire, earth, animals, trees, and people.

Once complete, work with students to try and create a class definition for ‘our environment’, such as:

"Our environment is all the -plants and animals (including people) on death and all the things that are needed to keep the plants and animals alive, such as the air, water, soil and sunshine."

Write this definition on the board for students to see.

Step 2.

Now explain to students that they are going to think about why it is important to keep our environment healthy by thinking about who needs our environment.

Display the Our Environment Flashcards to students, and using the first three questions on the flashcards, engage students in a class discussion around why each of these places is important to humans and animals.

Tip for Year 2 Students:
Invite students to think about how we use natural resources, and how our use of natural resources is related to the health of our environment. For example, how does using less of a natural resource like water help our environment? Because that means there is more water for our environment, and our environment needs water to stay healthy.

Step 3.

Again sharing the flashcards with students invite students to think about the final question (question 4) on the flashcards and to suggest ways we can all help these places.

Part 2. How are you already helping our environment?

Step 1.

Now explain to students that there are many people and organisations around the world who are working hard to help our environment. One of these organisations is WWF, through their Earth Hour initiative.

For 10 years now they have been helping Australians understand how we can all help to look after our environment, including the annual 'Switch Off' event, where houses, schools and businesses are encouraged to switch off their lights for an hour, highlighting the connection between how humans can affect our environment.

If students are unaware of Earth Hour and how people have participated in the past, view these images, explaining that all these buildings and places are expressing their commitment to climate action by switching off their lights.

Explain to students that this year Earth Hour is inviting kids around Australia to think about the things they are already doing to help our environment, and how if we keep doing these things in the future then our environment will become even healthier.

Step 2.

Students will now have the opportunity to think about how they are already looking after our environment and to draw a picture of them doing something to help keep our environment healthy.

Suggested differentiation:

Foundation – Invite students to draw an image of them doing something to keep our environment healthy.
Year 1 – Invite students to draw an image of them doing something to keep our environment healthy. Students should also write a heading on their picture that describes what they are doing and why in one short sentence, e.g. "I am planting trees to give the birds in our garden more places to nest", or "I am saving water in the bathroom so there is more water for our Earth."
Year 2 – Invite students to draw an image of them doing something to keep our environment healthy (such as using fewer resources like water or energy). Students should also write a heading and a short description that describes why they are using fewer resources and how this helps our environment. The description could be about 4 or 5 sentences.

Step 3.

Invite students to share their drawings with the class and engage them in a discussion about why they chose to draw what they did.

Part 3. Sharing the news about helping our environment

Step 1.

Explain to students that they are now going to create a video about the drawings they did of how they are already helping our environment.

Ensure you have parental permission for students appearing in film or photographs.

Suggested differentiation:

Foundation -

Invite students to introduce themselves and to talk to the camera about what action they have shown in their picture and how this action will help the environment in the future (e.g. more water for our environment now and in the future, habitats for animals etc.)

Year 1 -

Invite students to introduce themselves and share the title of their drawing.
They could then talk about what action they have shown in their picture and why this action is important for our environment.
Students could then share their ideas about how this action will help the environment in the future and what it would be like if everyone did this action. Encourage students to think big in imagining how the area they live in would look if we all did this action (e.g. if everyone planted more trees then my neighbourhood would be so green and so full of birds singing!)

Year 2 -

Invite students to introduce themselves and share the title and description of their drawing.
They could then talk about what action they have shown in their picture and why this action is important for our environment (e.g. how does using fewer resources help our environment?)
Students could then share their ideas about how this action will help the environment 10 years in the future and how thing would look in 2027 if everyone did this action now. Encourage students to think big in imagining how the area they live in would look if we all did this action (e.g. if everyone planted more trees then our neighbourhood would be so green and so full of birds singing!)

You could film your students simply talking to camera, or you could pretend it was a TV news segment with the teacher or students conducting interviews with other students. If you choose the interview option, then you will need to develop a range of interview questions suitable for your age group.

For example:
What is your name?
What is happening in your picture?
Why is the action you have drawn important for keeping our environment healthy?
How would the world look if everyone did this action?

Step 2.

Invite other students, teachers or parents to watch your video and encourage your audience to participate in Earth Hour! In addition, you could distribute a Pledge poster to each audience member and ask them to add their pledges.

Reflection

Thinking about all the actions that students drew and described in this lesson, invite students to think about what other action they could pledge to do for Earth Hour. Students can complete this Pledge poster, or create their own.

Take it further

Has your school been involved with Earth Hour before? Have you got a record of our involvement? Consider creating an exhibition/display to celebrate your involvement and to share how far your school has come!

Earth Hour - Switching off for the Environment

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Curriculum Mapping

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