Earth Hour - School Audit for a Cool Planet

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

• creative thinking
• critical thinking
• communication
• ethical understanding
• global citizenship
• problem solving

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description:

Year 9 and 10, Geography

• develop and evaluate strategies using environmental, economic or social criteria; recommend a strategy and explain the predicted impacts (AC9HG9S05)
• causes and effects of a change in an identified environment at a local, national or global scale, and strategies to manage sustainability (AC9HG10K04)

Relevant parts of Year 9 and 10 achievement standards: Students explain the effects of human activity on environments and the effect of environments on human activity over time. Students develop and evaluate strategies, predict impacts and make recommendations. 

NSW Syllabus outcomes:

• analyses management strategies for places and environments for their sustainability (GE5-5). 

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy, Personal and Social Capability  

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability 

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low - allow students to explore the topic independently by watching the video in the Student Worksheet.

UN SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

• Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

• Device capable of displaying audiovisual material
• Student worksheet (one per student)
• Whiteboard

Earth Hour is a WWF-Australia initiative and the world’s largest community-driven climate change campaign. At the centre of Earth Hour is switching off lights to show a commitment to action. Thousands of educators use Earth Hour’s education program to enrich their curriculum and provide pathways for young people to create change in their world. For the most up-to-date Earth Hour dates, times, and events, check here.

How to Teach Sustainability With Hope

Quick Summary: This course will help you bring hope to challenging, upsetting or worrying topics around sustainability.