Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part B: How Humans Threaten The Environment On Lord Howe Island
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Differentiation:

Where students have completed the previous lesson:
1. Invite students to return to their Lord Howe Island Library Padlet and to remind themselves of what they already know about human impacts on Lord Howe Island - have there been or are there any major problems for the island's natural environment that can be attributed to humans? Would the arrival of invasive species on the island count as a human impact? Why or why not?
2. You can then explain to students that they will be exploring human impacts on the environment of Lord Howe Island in more detail in this lesson.
Where students haven’t completed the previous lesson:
1. Display a map of Australia on the board and direct students to Lord Howe Island. Invite students to share what they already know about this island.
2. Digitally distribute the Lord Howe Island - Overview Factsheet to students and invite them to work in pairs to read through the factsheet and to make note of any interesting details about human impacts on the environment of Lord Howe Island. They can record their ideas in the workbooks and then share these with the class.
3. You can then explain to students that they will be exploring human impacts on the environment of Lord Howe Island in more detail in this lesson.

Step 2.

Now explain to students that they will be thinking about human impacts on the environment in general. They will be doing this by participating in a barometer activity.

Lay a long piece of string across the floor of the classroom. Access your Agree Disagree Signs. At one end add the AGREE sign and at the other add the DISAGREE sign. As you read out each of the statements, invite students to think about whether they agree or disagree with the statement, and to move to the place along the line that aligns with their opinion.

Each time you read out a statement, allow for some time to discuss students' opinions and reasons. You can use the discussion points below.

Statements (including discussion points):

Statement 1. Humans impact our natural environment in many different ways
Discussion points: Unfortunately there is a long list of ways that humans have impacted our environment. Some of these have negative consequences for our environment and some have positive consequences. Some of the negatives include plastic waste, land clearing, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Some of the work people are doing to improve our natural environment include biodiversity restoration, reduction in plastic waste, invasive species removal and eradication, conservation of native species and habitats.
Statement 2. Humans can reduce their impact on the natural environment
Discussion points: You don’t need to be a scientist working on a rodent eradication project on Lord Howe Island to have a positive impact on our environment; there are plenty of things we can all do to reduce our impact. These include making careful choices about the products we buy to avoid unnecessary resource use or waste creation, thinking about the transport we use so that we create fewer emissions, using energy efficiently, and picking up waste and making sure it goes into the right bin.
Statement 3. Human activity threatens the natural environment on Lord Howe Island
Discussion points: We have already seen that invasive species threatened the health of the natural environment on Lord Howe Island, including the survival of native animals. In addition, just like everywhere else in the world, climate change threatens the health of the environment. And because Lord Howe Island is an island, it is surrounded by the ocean, and our ocean ecosystems are struggling with the issue of plastic waste.
Statement 4. There is nothing I can personally do to help protect the environment of Lord Howe Island without going there
Discussion points: It’s certainly hard to believe that we can do anything to help the environment of Lord Howe Island if we don’t live there, but because issues like plastic waste and climate change are global challenges, the actions we take at home to meet those challenges have global impacts. The things you do at home really do make a difference!

Part B: How Humans Threaten The Environment On Lord Howe Island

Step 1.

Now explain to students that they will explore some of the most significant environmental challenges facing Lord Howe Island.

Distribute one copy of the Student Worksheet to each student. Break the class into two groups. Give half the class access to the Climate Change Factsheet and the other half access to the Plastic Waste Factsheet.

Students should read through the factsheet they have been assigned.

Step 2.

Once complete, invite them to team up with one or two other students who read the same factsheet to identify the following (each student should record their own ideas on their own Student Worksheet):

Question 1. What environmental challenge did we read about?
Question 2. What are some of the main ways this challenge might impact Lord Howe Island? List as bullet points.

Step 3.

Now invite each student to team up with a student who read the other factsheet. Students should share what they found out about the environmental challenge and how it relates to Lord Howe Island.

The aim here is for all students to recognise the ways that climate change and plastic waste might impact Lord Howe Island.

Part C: What Can We Do To Help Look After Lord Howe Island?

Step 1.

Ask students to remain in their pairs to now conduct research into actions that people can take to help meet the challenges of climate change and plastic waste (depending on ability or available devices, groups could work in pairs, or each pair could team up with another pair to create larger groups).

Students need to conduct research online to find one action that people can take to address each of the bullet points they recorded under question 2 of the questions they answered in response to the factsheets (so if they have three bullet points they need to find three actions):

Question 2. What are some of the main ways this challenge might impact Lord Howe Island? List as bullet points

They need to conduct research into both climate change and plastic waste.

Some resources that students could use to guide their research into climate change could include:

Some resources that students could use to guide their research into plastic waste could include:

Plastic Waste Factsheet
Take 3 - https://www.take3.org/
Australian Marine Conservation Society - https://www.marineconservation.org.au/
Clean Up - https://www.cleanup.org.au/
Plastic Pollution - WWF - https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/plastics

Step 2.

Still working in their pairs/groups, students should create as many small labels as they have bullet points (each student will need one copy of each label, depending on whether they work independently or collaboratively in the next activity). Each label should include one impact of either climate change or plastic waste and one action we can all take to help meet this challenge. The labels can be created out of paper and can be decorated for impact.

Students who have created a Padlet library can photograph and upload their labels to their Padlet.

Step 3. Differentiation:

For students who haven’t completed the previous lessons in this unit:

Explain to students that they will now work individually or in their groups to create a 3D model of Lord Howe Island. The 3D model will show the main features of the island and will incorporate the labels they created, showing how climate change and plastic might impact their island.
Students can use this map and this image to help guide their model making and can refer to the Lord Howe Island - Overview Factsheet for additional information about the island (other resources can also be found here and here).
They can create their model out of paper and cardboard, or out of modelling clay or playdough, or a combination of both.
They can then add the labels they created to their island in relevant places (e.g. labels relating to the sea could be placed in the water, labels relating to the shoreline could be placed along the edge of the island, and labels relating to vegetation could be placed on the land).

For students who have completed the previous lessons in this unit:

Explain to students that they will now build on their previous work of creating their own island. They will be doing this by refining their island design and building a 3d model out of paper and cardboard, or out of modelling clay or playdough, or a combination of both.
Students should refer to:
- Their initial island designs with the natural geographical features
- The animal they invented and information about how it is adapted to the island
- Information about invasive species and the possible impacts of these on their island's environment
- Their Padlet library for other information about island features
- The model should also include the labels on the impacts of climate change and plastic waste. These can be added to relevant places around the island (e.g. labels relating to the sea could be placed in the water, labels relating to the shoreline could be placed along the edge of the island, and labels relating to vegetation could be placed on the land).
- Students can add any other information or details about their island that they think would add to the island (i.e. more animals, details about plant species, fictional historical sites etc.).

Step 4.

Provide students with an opportunity to share their models with the class. In addition, you could provide students with the opportunity to share their work with a wider audience (especially for students who have completed the full unit). An important part of real-world learning, such as in this project, is the opportunity for students to present their learning in a public arena. This could mean:

Hosting an exhibition where the process and final products of students’ projects are displayed; or
Preparing an article for the newsletter about students’ projects; or
Producing and screening a two-minute film that documents students’ projects.

Reflection

Invite students to respond to the following prompt. Students could work collaboratively to discuss their ideas before working independently to record their own ideas on the Student Worksheet:

The story of how Lord Howe Island eradicated its rodents shows the value of working together as a community to look after our environment. How might we take these lessons about the community working together to our own community? What actions could we all do together?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Lord Howe Island - People Power

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