Activity Introduction
In this lesson, students will investigate the measurement of CO2 as outputs per individual and household, in terms of kilograms of CO2 per annum. They will examine the carbon footprint of average Australians in comparison to the world average and to countries such as Bangladesh, as featured in a clip from 2040.
Students will then engage in some mathematical problem solving by seeking to maximise their ‘household’ carbon savings given a set of constraints. This lesson can be used by students to extend on learning covered in 2040 – The Maths of Carbon – 5 & 6.
We’ve taken elements of this lesson and adapted them for remote learning. You can find this activity here.
- Students will understand about densities and masses of substances – solids, liquids, and gases
- Students will learn how CO2 output by humans and their households can be measured in kilograms produced ‘per annum’
- Students will learn that human CO2 outputs can be reduced and then develop teamwork skills by calculating ‘household’ CO2 footprints using addition, subtraction, and multiplication of large numbers
- Students will develop teamwork skills as they calculate household CO2 footprints using addition, subtraction, and multiplication of large numbers
- Students will realise that they can make a difference to global carbon dioxide levels by acting locally and encouraging others to do the same
- Topic: Learning Through Film, Climate Change, Consumption, Sustainability
- Unit of work: 2040 – Mathematics – Years 5 & 6
- Time required: 65 mins.
- Level of teacher scaffolding: High – Direct teacher instruction required in the warm-up and in Part B (explicit instruction), and scaffolding and guidance is needed to explain the activity for Part C (group work and problem-solving).
- Keywords: 2040 documentary, sustainability, climate change, pollution, carbon absorption, greenhouse gas, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), global warming, non-renewable energy, renewable energy, atmosphere, average, carbon footprint, carbon storage, density, drawdown, household, kilograms, mass, per annum, percentage, tonnes, metric, volume, weight
To view our Australian Curriculum alignment click here.
To view our NZ Curriculum alignment click here.
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student.
- A device capable of presenting a video to the class.
- 1 plastic or glass 1 litre jug – with measurement markings.
- 1 litre of water in a separate container.
- 1 small packet of rigatoni or penne pasta shells (uncooked).
- 1 litre bag or container of small pebbles or stones or sand.
- Small measuring scales capable of being set to zero (e.g. nutrition scales).
- Whiteboard and markers.
- CO2 Saver Choice Cards & Facts’ – 1 per 2 or 3 students of page 1 and 1 copy of page 2 only.
- ‘Our CO2 Saver Household’ Worksheet – 1 per 2 or 3 students.
- Access to the ‘Household CO2 Calculator‘.
- Summary slides – Optional.
- Sustainability Factsheet – Optional.
2040 is an innovative feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW! Director Damon Gameau embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream.
In Australia: Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for Australian primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.
In New Zealand: Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for New Zealand primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.
If you are teaching in either New Zealand or Australia, you can now organise a virtual screening of the film for your class. To enquire about this option, simply email [email protected] and the 2040 team will help you set this up! If you have already bought a DVD of the film and you have a ClickView account, you can email the team for permission to upload the film to your account to make it more easily accessible for your teachers and students.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Cool Australia, GoodThing Productions and Regen Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of Good Pitch Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and our philanthropic partners in the development of these teaching resources.
Teacher Preparation
