Activity: Knotted up in climate change

Quick summary: In this activity students look at how transport, food and energy relate to climate change, and what actions around these issues individuals can take to help address climate change. Students begin by exploring the Cool Australia Climate Change Toolbox, then work together in a class-wide brainstorming activity. Students are then asked to participate in a kinaesthetic climate change exercise, investigating how transport, food, energy and climate change are related and connected. Finally, students are asked to identify personal actions for climate change, to share these actions with other students, and to carry out these actions in their own time.

Learning goals:

• Students understand some of the main causes and consequences of climate change.
• Students recognise the role of transport, food and energy in contributing to climate change.
• Students understand that climate change is a complex issue, and that it is difficult to identify single human activities that contribute to climate change.
• Students recognise that despite this complexity there are personal actions that can be taken to help address climate change.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability.

Australian Curriculum content description:

Year 5 Geography

• The influence of people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, on the environmental characteristics of Australian places (ACHASSK112)
• Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI104)

Year 5 English

• Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes (ACELY1796)
• Reread and edit student’s own and others’ work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features (ACELY1705)
• Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1707)

Year 6 Science

• Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect Earth’s surface (ACSSU096)
• Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE100)
• Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)

Year 6 English

• Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions (ACELY1709)
• Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience (ACELY1816)
• Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717)

Syllabus outcomes: GE3-2, GE3-3, GE3-4, ST3-6PW, ST3-4WS, ST3-9ES, EN3-1A, EN3-2A

Topic: Climate change

Time required: 60 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: High – facilitate brainstorming and mind map session, oversee ‘knotted up’ exercise, lead discussion.

Resources required: Internet access, student worksheet, open space for conducting ‘knotted up’ exercise. Climate Change Factsheet.

Digital technology opportunities: Mind map tools (e.g. bubbl.us or mindmeister), digital sharing capabilities.

Homework and extension opportunities: This activity includes opportunities for both homework and extension.

Keywords: Climate change, complex, agriculture, transport, energy, personal actions.

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