Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students consider the benefits and challenges associated with reducing carbon emissions using natural carbon sinks. They design a campaign to inform and encourage their local and global community to support natural climate solutions that reduce carbon emissions.

Subjects: English, Critical and Creative Thinking, Sustainability. 

Year Levels: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Topics: Economy, sustainability, climate change, advertising, nature, deforestation.

Teaching Time: 60 minutes.

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work Climate Change Solutions.

 

Cool would like to thank the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation for generously supporting the development of these lessons.

 

21st-century skills: 

CommunicatingCommunity EngagementCritical ThinkingDigital LiteracyGlobal Citizenship  

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Year 5

Content descriptions: Year 5 English:

  • Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)

Relevant parts of the Year 5 English achievement standards: They develop and explain a point of view about a text, selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources. Students create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for different purposes and audiences. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, taking into account other perspectives. When writing, they demonstrate understanding of grammar using a variety of sentence types. They select specific vocabulary and use accurate spelling and punctuation. They edit their work for cohesive structure and meaning.

Year 6

Content descriptions: Year 6 English:

  • Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)

Relevant parts of the Year 6 English achievement standards: Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects. They select and use evidence from a text to explain their response to it. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect. They demonstrate an understanding of grammar, and make considered vocabulary choices to enhance cohesion and structure in their writing.

Year 7

Content descriptions: Year 7 English:

  • Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas (ACELY1725)

Relevant parts of the Year 7 English achievement standards: They demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning. Students explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning. They select specific details from texts to develop their own response, recognising that texts reflect different viewpoints. Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience. They understand how to draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other sources to express or challenge a point of view. Students create structured and coherent texts for a range of purposes and audiences. When creating and editing texts they demonstrate understanding of grammar, use a variety of more specialised vocabulary and accurate spelling and punctuation.

Year 8

Content descriptions: Year 8 English:

  • Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)

Relevant parts of the Year 8 English achievement standards: Students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts. Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints. They listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate on discussions. Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain the effectiveness of language choices they make to influence the audience. Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and use accurate spelling and punctuation.

Year 9

Content descriptions: Year 9 English:

  • Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and advance or illustrate arguments, including texts that integrate visual, print and/or audio features (ACELY1746)

Relevant parts of the Year 9 English achievement standards: Students analyse the ways that text structures can be manipulated for effect. They evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own interpretations. They select evidence from texts to analyse and explain how language choices and conventions are used to influence an audience. They listen for ways texts position an audience. Students create texts that respond to issues, interpreting and integrating ideas from other texts. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, comparing and evaluating responses to ideas and issues. They edit for effect, selecting vocabulary and grammar that contribute to the precision and persuasiveness of texts and using accurate spelling and punctuation.

Year 10

Content descriptions: Year 10 English:

  • Create sustained texts, including texts that combine specific digital or media content, for imaginative, informative, or persuasive purposes that reflect upon challenging and complex issues (ACELY1756)

Relevant parts of the Year 10 English achievement standards: Students explain different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives through the development of cohesive and logical arguments. Students create a wide range of texts to articulate complex ideas. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, building on others’ ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding arguments. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, vary vocabulary choices for impact, and accurately use spelling and punctuation when creating and editing texts.

Syllabus outcomes: EN3-3A, EN3-2A, EN3-7C, EN4-1A, EN4-4B, EN4-2A, EN5-1A, EN5-2A

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – Discuss the IPCC report with students, guide their thinking on challenges involved with natural climate solutions, and support them in independent work.

Resources required:

  • A device capable of presenting a video to the class
  • Art supplies – coloured pencil and textas, white paper (optional)
  • Individual devices capable of accessing the internet – one per student (optional)
  • Student Worksheets – one copy per student (optional)

Related Professional Development: If you’re interested in learning more about how to approach challenging topics around climate change and sustainability in your classroom through a Hope and Optimism lens, consider our PD course.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions: Students will...

  • ... demonstrate ways in which net-zero carbon emissions can be reached by 2050.

Success criteria: Students can…

  • … explore a diverse number of solutions and explain, with evidence, the ways in which they reduce carbon emissions, and persuade members of their local and global community to support initiatives that enhance these reductions

Teacher content information:

The IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was created to:

  • provide policymakers (governments) with regular scientific updates about climate change;
  • highlight the impact climate change will have on the planet in the future; and,
  • offer some ideas about how to tackle the challenges of climate change's potential effects on the planet.

In 2021-22, the IPCC released their sixth assessment report. This is the most up-to-date physical understandin

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Student Worksheet

Thought-starter: Restoring degraded forests and expanding them by 350 million hectares will store a comparable amount of carbon as 900 million hectares of new trees due to the way forest ecosystems (including the soil) store more carbon than the atmosphere

Your task is to design a campaign that informs and encourages your local and global community to support solutions that reduce carbon emissions. This could be a letter to the government or your local paper, an advertising campaign such as a TV ad or poster, or organising a tree planting day or similar.

Optional: Research some of the potential challenges and solutions around logging and deforestation by reading the following articles:

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