Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Tune In: Environmental Causes
15 minutes	Find Out: Shared Understanding
30 minutes	Take Action: Environmental Activism
5 minutes	Reflection

Tune In: Environmental Causes

Step 1

Begin by reminding students of, or ask them to recall, all the activism events they saw in Wild Things. You could play the following clip to remind them of these different events:

Wild Things - Environmental Activism In Australia (https://vimeo.com/531509723/fdad2cb52f)

Step 2

Working independently in small groups, students research and analyse one of the activism actions/events featured in the documentary, focusing on why people were so passionate about these issues and why they felt they needed to stand up and make their voices heard.

Break the class into groups. Give each group a number from one to seven. Assign each group with one of the following topics based on their assigned number:

Green Bans (resources here and here and here)
Franklin Dam (resources here and here and here)
Jabiluka (resources here and here and here)
School Strike for Climate (resources here and here)
Stop Adani Coal Mine (resources here and here and here)
The Tarkine Rainforest logging (resources here and here and here)
Climate emergency (resources here and here and here)

Each group needs to conduct research to find out:

What is the history of this action/event? (Summarise in two to three paragraphs)
What do you think were/are the greatest achievements for this action/event?
What potential environmental damage are the protesters concerned about? (Summarise in one to two paragraphs)
Do the protesters involved in this issue practice 'non-violent action'? What is the definition of this term? What are some examples of non-violent action in relation to protests about this issue?
In your opinion, were/are the protesters ‘right’ to protest on this issue? Why or why not?

Allow students time to conduct their research and record their findings. Students can work collaboratively to conduct research and discuss their answers; however, each student is required to record their own answers on the Student Worksheet.

Step 3

Now invite students to come together to form larger groups, where each group is made up of members of each numbered group (i.e. each group should have representatives from group 1, group 2, group 3, group 4, group 5, group 6 and group 7).

In these larger groups, a representative from each numbered group should share their answers to the research questions with the group. Encourage peers to ask questions, and to compare and contrast the ways the actions/events are similar and different. For example (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What is different about these actions/events?
What is similar?
Are the measures of success the same for each action/event? Why or why not?

As groups share their research, move between the groups prompting students with questions such as: Can you tell me more about that? You could also record any key points or issues raised by students; these could be used to guide further discussion or inquiry.

Find Out: Shared Understanding

Step 1

Pose the following question to students:

What is environmental activism?

Work as a class to discover a definition by suggesting keywords that relate to this term, before trying to join these keywords together to form a definition.

One suggested definition might be:

Environmental activism is when a group of individuals and/or organisations come together to advocate for the protection of a place or an environmental issue.

You could also share the following quote from Wild Things that may also help to explain the purpose of activism in the context of an environmental issue; forests:

"Under the Tasmanian Liberal government, this area is available for logging. Lawful doesn't always mean right. There's nothing right about destroying ancient rainforests. You know that you are the thing that stands between these forests being destroyed and them being protected." - Scott Jordan

Take Action: Environmental Activism

Step 1

Now pose the following question to students:

Why do you think people choose to be environmental activists?

Watch the following clip:

Wild Things - Why do people become activists? (https://vimeo.com/531512847/f3fb7e511f)

Invite students to again work as a class to reflect on the clip using the following questions to prompt their thinking:

What are the people in the clip passionate about?
What are they standing up for?
Why were they standing up for these issues?
Why do you think some people feel they have no choice but to be environmental activists?

Step 2

Invite students to work in pairs to answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet). Prompt students to discuss their ideas by reflecting and sharing on their personal experiences:

How do the experiences of the people in this clip compare to your own experiences? Did anything really resonate with you? Explain.
Are you passionate about any environmental issues (e.g forests, energy or climate change)?
Have you ever felt like it’s hard to make your voice heard on an issue that is important to you?
Have you ever participated in a protest?
Would you ever participate in a protest? Why or why not?

Step 3

Independently, students write a letter to humanity featuring a call to action about how they are treating the natural environment. This letter should explain students’ views on the environment, and communicate their passion for this cause.

Read the example letter to the class:

Dear Humanity,

I am writing to you because our planet is in trouble. Every day, forests are disappearing, oceans are filling with plastic, and animals are losing their homes. The Earth gives us everything we need, fresh air, clean water, food, and shelter but in return, we are polluting and destroying it. This must change.

I believe that we all have a responsibility to protect nature. When I walk outside, I see the beauty of trees, hear birds singing, and feel the warmth of the sun. But I also see rubbish on the ground, plastic floating in waterways, and people wasting precious resources. It makes me wonder - do we really appreciate what we have?

The choices we make today will shape the future. If we continue to harm the environment, future generations will inherit a planet that is struggling to survive. But if we work together, we can fix this. We can plant trees, reduce waste, use less plastic, and treat nature with the respect it deserves.

My call to action is simple: be kind to the Earth. Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference. Pick up rubbish when you see it, switch off lights when you don’t need them, choose reusable items over single-use plastic, and speak up for the planet.

Humanity, we must do better. The Earth is our home, let’s care for it before it’s too late.

Sincerely,
Ms Jones

Reflection

Invite students to brainstorm how they will share their letter in their spheres of influence (friends, family and community).

Wild Things - Finding Your Voice

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