Climate Change Showdown Guidebook for Environmental Educators
By: Manon Gartside, Laura Packham and Renate Sitch
Contents 1. Summary of Responsibilities & Compensation for Environmental Educators 2. Contacting schools 3. Recording bookings details 4. Information about the workshop for teachers 5. What to take with you 6. In the classroom - 15 minutes before the workshop 7. Workshop Lesson Plan 8. Immediately after the workshop 9. Follow up email - the day after the workshop 10. Reminder email - 3 weeks after the workshop 11. Follow up lesson/visit – 5 weeks after workshop 12. Data entry 13. Example emails 14. Appendices 1) Summary of Responsibilities & Compensation for Environmental Educators
The table below shows the breakdown of tasks performed by environmental educators (EE'S) for each workshop and the compensation paid for each task. More details are provided about each task below.
Workshop type Duties # Tasks Basic* Deluxe 1 Booking & Communication $15.00 $15.00 2 Material Prep & Admin $15.00 $15.00 3 Workshop $100.00 $100.00 Follow-up visit (& 4 Communication) N/A $50.00 5 Contest Entry $20.00 $20.00 Total Paid to EE's $150.00 $200.00
*Please note that the Basic workshop will be phased out in most regions for 2012-13 depending on funding agreements. And the (#4/5) Duties are only paid if classes return over 20% of contests-no follow up visit is needed if 0-20% of contests are returned-just pick up from school is fine.
Responsibilities/duties of the CCS program for Environmental Educators:
1. Booking & Communication with Schools:
a. Contacting Schools/Teachers to make bookings – use existing schools list (may need updating or creating)
b. Emailing materials to teachers – incl. contests, carbon footprint quiz, worksheet)
2. Material Prep & Admin: (Note that most of this should be done during training time for new EE’s)
a. Review of Lesson Plan, all workshop materials, games and familiarisation with this document b. Preparation for workshop delivery, including practising delivery and getting materials together 3. Workshop delivery:
a. Travel costs to workshop is not covered by BCSEA unless pre-approved by the Program Manager (PM).
4. Follow-up visit & Communication:
a. Follow up emails with teachers – reminder of timescales and contests collection
b. Follow up visit to classroom and contest pick up
5. Contest Entry: Unless discussed with the PM, all EE’s enter their own contest data.
Extra duties: If asked to coordinate the below duties (by PM) you may invoice for hourly duties at $16/hr Acquiring prizes and mailing/delivering prizes - some prizes may be sent from Renate, but acquiring donations through the year from local businesses is recommended
Pizza party for winning class – organisation and attendance, CCS to pay or EE’s invoice for
Things Environmental Educators may like to consider: Workshop Consistency The CCS program includes a fun, interactive 90 minute workshop for G4-7 students. You will be delivering the same workshop each time but you can adapt your own ‘style’. The workshop content must be consistent across the province to satisfy our supporters who have agreed to fund our curriculum and workshop format. To keep things varied and fun for you, there is the option to play different games and change how you run the Future Scenario portion . This combined with your interactions with students will keep your experience interesting. It is also satisfying to hone your skills and get in to your groove.
Cost effectiveness The budget for delivery of each workshop includes preparation, travel time, workshop delivery, follow-up visit/contest pick-up and contest entry. You can increase the cost effectiveness of each workshop if you deliver more than one per school on the same day and if you combine follow up visits. Likewise, the time it takes to make bookings may vary per workshop and the number of contests to be entered for each class will differ (you may spend longer entering data for some than others) but overall it will balance out. Working Independently It is possible that you will be the only environmental educator in your region delivering the program so you should be self motivated and enjoy working on your own (with the support of the program team!). In regions where there has previously been an educator for CCS we will connect you with them for training and guidance purposes. The program manager and assistant will communicate with you via email and by phone and you can share ideas with other educators.
2. Contacting schools & Bookings
When contacting schools use existing contacts from previous years and find contacts for new schools using school websites to get contact details of Grade 4-7 teachers. Send out an introductory email (See Appendix 1: Example Email 1) and, if necessary, follow this up with a phone call to the school. Try to talk to the teacher directly (messages left with secretaries don’t often get responses). See phone script document (for more details. If teachers ask for more information before signing up send them the “CCS Workshop Introductory Information” document
3. Recording bookings details There are two “Master” spreadsheets for sharing bookings information. The spreadsheets are stored online using Google documents, one for the Metro-Vancouver region and one for the rest of BC. Depending on your region this will be shared with you by the PM and the links are:
Click here for Metro Van
Or copy/paste link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApmOmcWtO3- ZdF8zZVJnV19NN0lpTC03ZTU0Y3VDM2c#gid=0
Click here for other regions in BC Or copy/paste link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApmOmcWtO3- ZdDNSZzQ2T2JRdzY2YWJuWjQ3SUJBTUE#gid=0
(save these links in your favourites - and let the PM know if you don’t have permission to view)
The Master list has a front page that lists targets for workshops and total completed for each educator (to be completed by the PM) as shown in the image below. You are responsible for: The tab for your region (please be sure to click only this tab). When contacting schools we recommend that you create a separate Excel spreadsheet with the same column headings for you to keep track of communication that you have with schools.
Once you have confirmed a booking: Add the school/class information to the Google Master document. The column headings for school details should be self-explanatory.
After the workshop: Put a 1 in the first column to show the workshop has been delivered (this is so the program team can easily track how many are complete).
Follow up email: Email the teacher the follow up email (1-2 days after the workshop) and note the date in the spreadsheet, and again in 3 weeks email the reminder email for picking up contests and put the date that you sent this email, and the contest pick up date in the spreadsheet o There is a column for pick up date
o Once you have collected the contests note how many were returned in the Master document.
o Once you have entered the contest data please enter total points per class in the Master document. 4. Information and workshop materials for teachers (email) ***All up-to-date documents are located here and below: http://www.bcsea.org/documents/climate-change-showdown
About one week prior to the workshop send the teachers an email (See Appendix 1, Example Email 2) outlining the workshop format and documents for printing: (if you’re in a region where someone else is booking , check with them prior to sending) o "CCS Pre-Workshop Activities" pdf document: carbon footprint quiz and word association game instructions for teachers - one copy o "CCS Carbon Footprint Quiz and DVD worksheet" pdf document: to be completed before the workshop along with Word Association Game - double sided - one per student o "CCS Teacher Preparation and Commitment form" pdf document: completed and signed for collection at the workshop - one copy
Print several copies of the contest form at a professional print-shop to take with you to the school (and take a copy on your USB memory stick): BE SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT REGION as it DOES matter depending on the funding region.
“CCS Contest” pdf document. In the email, either attached the contest for printing (stress the importance of LEGAL SIZE) or tell the teacher that you will bring the Contest form for photocopying
Letter to Principal. If you think appropriate, attach the Letter to Principal to the email letting them know they can forward it to the principal if they want to formally inform the principal. The letter thanks the principal for supporting their students and staff who are taking part in CCS and attach the:
o Letter to Principal (personalised) See Appendix 2, Letter to Principal
5. What to take with you:
Climate Change Show DVD **Test first!!**
Take paper copies of all documents (Carbon Footprint Quiz, Worksheet, Contest Form and Teacher Commitment Form)with you in case you need to get any photocopied: (you may wish to print 30 copies of each document in case the teacher didn't print them)
. Thermochart - with small white stickers and coloured stars (available at dollar stores or stationers)
. Contest form for photocopying - MUST be professionally printed on legal size paper-double sided (high quality printing is very important as the parents need to easily read this as well)
Memory stick- with “Who Wants to be a Climate Change Superhero” game on it
ABCD cards – x 24 (6 sets of 4 ABCD)
Who am I? Objects game cards – if doing pairs, pair cards ready to use (30 or 60 in total) with 30 pegs
Skits game cards x 7 (with scenarios on)
Optional Demonstration kit (with CFL’s, LED’s, low flow shower head, pressure gauge, etc) *Please use your own examples - don’t buy as we can't reimburse you.
Envelope or folder for teacher to store contests in once collected (could be re- used). Write your name, CCS, and date of pick up and detail of documents to be returned (Contest forms and carbon footprint quizzes)
Take your laptop as a back-up if you like
6. In the classroom - 15 minutes before the workshop
Once in the classroom check if the teacher has printed:
o Carbon footprint quiz and DVD worksheet (should double sided on one sheet)
o Teacher commitment form
o Photocopy the Contest forms – double sided on legal paper using your professionally printed version to copy from Pick up the teacher commitment form with the teacher’s contact details, class info. and signature. Test the DVD in the DVD player or laptop with projector (teacher or students are often useful for this).
7. Workshop Lesson Plan (see Appendix 3 – Lesson Plan)
8. Immediately after the workshop - ask the teacher to do the following: Ask the teacher if they are clear with the instructions for the contest
Suggest ways to motivate the students by:
o Incorporating into a science/social studies mark (many teachers do this already)
o Talk it through with the class once or twice a week and discuss how the contest is going at home
o Students could get back into their groups each week to report on how they are doing and to help each other
Contest forms are to be collected after 4 weeks and held for collection
Say you will send them an email with a link to the teacher feedback survey at the end of the contest period.
9. Follow up email - the day after the workshop Send the teacher an email thanking them for inviting you into their classroom. In the email:
o Re-iterate how important the Contest home-activity is and how we grade the contest form and what kind of answers we are looking for.
o Suggest some interesting follow up materials or internet based videos. Teachers might ask you questions about environmental problems and solutions and may ask you for links to resources. Try to reply as best you can. We are very often one of their few sources of environmental information for them. If you have any questions you can email Manon at [email protected] or Laura at [email protected]
See Appendix 1 - example email 3
10. Reminder email - 3 weeks after the workshop Send the teacher an email after 3 weeks to remind them that students should be well on their way to completing the CCS contest and ask them if they can please collect them in after 4 weeks.
Remind them that they will be picked up on the arranged date.
Compose a short polite email in your own words (no example for this one!)
11. Follow up lesson/visit – 5 weeks after workshop
Purpose Collect contests
Quick recap
Draw winners (about 1 for every 8-10 students that return their contest)
Aim It is hoped that this visit by the Environmental Educator, 5 weeks after the workshop, will increase the return rate of the contests as well as speeding up the data collection and results processing.
The knowledge that the Environmental Educator is returning to see how the students did and to hear their stories should be a good motivator, as well as a prize being drawn for some lucky winners out of the students that return their contests.
Plan 2 minutes: Hello, reminder of who you are and that you have come to collect the Climate Change Showdown Contests.
5-10 minutes: Talk to the kids about their experience – positive and negative. Note down any feedback and lessons learned. Encourage the kids to keep on doing the actions as the GHG emissions savings are based on them continuing their actions for a whole year. Encourage kids who had problems to overcome them and start doing the actions anyway – for the Climate’s sake! 2 minutes: Draw some winners – use the returned contests to randomly draw winners for the small prizes and tell them that the class will be entered into the draw for best class in the region and the student with the highest points will receive a prize too.
1 minute: Goodbye, keep up the hard work!
Total (approx 15 minutes)
12. Data Entry Once the contest forms have been collected the points for each student should be entered into the “Data Entry Spreadsheet” for your region (the Lower Mainland or the rest of B.C). This can be found on the resources-for-educators webpage. You will also find a document with more information called “Contest Data Entry Instructions”. Once all the data has been entered send the spreadsheet to the Program Manager to check. This data will be used to determine winning classes and winning students. It will also be used to calculate GHG savings. Appendices
Appendix 1 Example emails (1-3)
Example email 1: To be sent to entice teachers to participate Subject line: Free Climate Change Workshop for your G4-7s - sign up now! Please forward to your colleagues.
Dear Teachers (or Mr/Mrs),
I am pleased to be writing to invite you and your class to take part in the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association’s fully funded Climate Change Showdown Workshop offered FREE for Grade 4-7 students across B.C. in English and French.
The interactive workshop runs for 90 minutes and will train your students to be Climate Change Superheroes, equipping them with the skills and enthusiasm to undertake the 4 week home activity, The Climate Change Showdown Contest, where they will work with their families to reduce their carbon footprint at home.
Prizes will be awarded for top classes and top students but our aim is that all students will continue to make the behaviour changes they learn on the Contest for the rest of the year and onwards into the future.
Sign up by replying to this email and we will send you more information. Please forward to your colleagues. Funding from ……allows us to deliver this workshop several times in your school.
Workshops are being offered from October XX – November XXth 2012 and January – April 2013. Please indicate a preferred date and time (or just a time period) for your workshop. This years’ Climate Change Showdown workshop is new and improved! Read more below. We look forward to working with you. Kind regards, Name ………………………………….. Name Environmental Educator Climate Change Showdown BC Sustainable Energy Association www.bcsea.org/ccshowdown Tel: XXXXXXXX Climate Change Showdown workshop is new and improved! After running successfully throughout BC for the past 4 years, we have undergone a development process over the summer taking into account feedback from teachers, educators and sponsors. New features: · Carbon Footprint Quiz - pre-workshop activity will give pupils a personal baseline to work towards reducing · New Games including, Who wants to be a Climate Change Superhero Quiz Show, Climate Change Heroes in Action – Skits, Who am I? Energy objects game. · Revamped CCS Contest – with a choice of extra actions so that more students have a chance of getting maximum points (students are not penalised if they can’t do an action or if they already do it) and some actions can be completed at school and signed off by teachers. · Follow up visit/collection. This will prevent your Contest forms getting lost in the mail. All you have to do is have them ready for collection 5 weeks after the workshop! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Example Email 2: Send 1 week prior the workshop. Adjust the information for your region. Subject line: Climate Change Showdown workshop - documents and format – School Name Dear Teachers (or Mr./Mrs),
I am writing regarding the upcoming Climate Change Showdown workshop booked with your class(es) next Tuesday, Dec 1 at 10.15am Before the class please print the materials attached to this email: "CCS Pre-Workshop Activities 2011-12" pdf document: carbon footprint quiz and word association game instructions for teachers - one copy
"CCS Carbon Footprint Quiz and DVD worksheet" pdf document: Carbon Footprint Quiz to be completed before the workshop along with Word Association Game - double sided - one per student
"CCS Teacher Preparation and Commitment form 2011-12" pdf document: completed and signed for collection at the workshop - one copy
Please read the Teacher Preparation and Commitment form for more information on the content of the workshop. We appreciate your help with facilitating the activities on the day. We have also attached a letter to your Principal if you would like to formally inform them of your participation, ensuring their support and encouragement of the students whilst they take part in the contest with the chance of representing the school as the winning class or student.
We look forward to working with your class. See you on the …! Best Wishes, Name Environmental Educator Climate Change Showdown B.C. Sustainable Energy Association www.bcsea.org/ccshowdown …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………
Example Email 3: send within 48 hours after the workshop. Adjust the information for your region. Subject line: Contest form distribution, grading, prizes - Climate Change Showdown workshop – Dear Teachers,
Thank you for hosting the Climate Change Showdown (CCS) workshop earlier this week. Your class was fantastic.
If you haven't already done so, please distribute the CCS contest forms to your students. The students are to take the contest forms home, do the activities with their parents for 4 weeks and then return them to their teacher in the week of XXX. Also please have the students repeat the carbon footprint quiz at the end of the contest so they can test themselves to see if their footprint has gone down. We do not need the carbon footprint quizzes to be returned but we will discuss the results in the class when we pick up the contests. Please have the contests ready for pick up the week of XXXX
The CCS “Thermometer Chart” on the classroom wall will help you keep track of their progress and provides them an incentive to do the contest.
Completing the Contest and grading system:
Please note, the workshops are funded by the City of XXX, XXX and XXX and our funding depends on the contest return rate. Parent’s initials (or teacher’s initials). The parent’s initials are to be placed in the box every time the student completes an action. Teachers can sign off in-class internet based actions. The CCS webpage has links connected to actions. Please see www.bcsea.org/ccshowdown and click Contest Links! Almost all actions have associated questions to be answered (ex. Car-free: What car alternatives did you try? Where did you go?). Answers should be written in the space provided in the box. No points will be given if there are no initials or the questions are not answered. Half points will be given where questions are half answered. (ex. car-free requires 2 answers). Meat free. We are looking for a vegetarian meal (without fish or chicken!). Some good protein alternatives include eggs, yoghurt, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, etc, in fact all vegetables contain some protein. Students should try to avoid cheese as it is actually very carbon intensive to produce so best not replace meat with cheese! Please make sure the students name, phone number, school, grade, teacher, date and the parent’s signature are filled out. Results: Each activity receives points and has an estimated quantity of GHG savings (in grams CO2 equivalent) associated with it. At the end of the year we will add up each class's GHG savings and we will email the teachers their class's results. There will a prize draw for all returned sheets (no matter what the points total) The class per district that gets the highest points will get a class prize such as a pizza party or a class trip at the end of the school year and maybe a visit from a city councillor. The teacher whose class gets the highest points will get a prize. The student(s) per district who gets the highest points will get a prize. Teachers who return 50% of their class's contest forms will receive a thank you gift.
Useful websites for teachers with more information
Overview and motivational: Action Aid PowerDown – Kids in England present the argument for Powering Down and cartoons and skits explain Climate Change Science: http://vimeo.com/367866
Locally grown food: Vancouver Foodshed http://foodshed.100milediet.org/ 100 Mile Diet Vancouver http://foodshed.100milediet.org/ Get Local BC http://www.getlocalbc.org/en/ Vancouver Farmers Markets http://www.eatlocal.org/ There is a farmers market at Nat Bailey Stadium during the winter.
Turn it off: Check out The Sustainable Region TV on Vampire Power. Episode 36: http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/tsr_tv/Pages/default.aspx Vampire Power Awareness from iGo – funny cartoon about phantom power with good facts (USA). Maybe a bit scarey for G4’s! http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mNcHUrg9EQY&feature=related Electricity Vampires - TAKE A BITE OUT OF YOUR BILL! http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7EsWSz6bIEE&feature=related
Low flow shower head and cool clothes: Fortis BC promotional clips: http://www.fortisbc.com/NaturalGas/Homes/SavingEnergy/HomeEnergySavingsTips/Pages/Sav e-onwater-heating.aspx
Good Resources for teachers: BC Sustainable Energy Association (bcsea): http://www.bcsea.org http://www.bcsea.org/learn/resources-for-educators/climate-change-showdown Earth Future: http://www.earthfuture.com/default.asp http://www.earthfuture.com/theclimatechallenge/ http://www.earthfuture.com/theclimatechallenge/teachers.html http://www.earthfuture.com/theclimatechallenge/downloads/Teachers_Guide.pdf
Why don’t we act faster? UK DEFRA Climate Challenge Video If we could see the gases, the causes of the problem would be obvious to everyone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsTGsjboO60
Fun songs/raps Mr Eco Go Green Rap song: http://ase.org/resources/green-life-mr-eco Raise Your Voice – Do one Thing song: http://www.acespace.org/
For G7 Energy waste animation from Age of Stupid - http://vimeo.com/8563259
If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me either by email or by phone.
Kind regards, Name Environmental Educator Climate Change Showdown B.C. Sustainable Energy Association tel: www.bcsea.org/ccshowdown Appendix 2 - Letter to Principal
DATE Dear Principal,
Climate Change Showdown workshop to be run with Mr/s……………G4/5/6/7
We are delighted that your school is taking part in the Climate Change Showdown (CCS) workshop and home contest. The interactive workshop trains students to be Climate Change Superheroes, equipping them with the skills and enthusiasm to undertake the 4 week home activity, The CCS Contest, where they will work with their families to reduce their carbon footprint at home.
The Climate Change Showdown aims to promote a raised awareness about our impact on the environment and to inspire long lasting behavioral change in all students, teachers and families that take part.
This workshop is delivered free in schools across the province of British Columbia coordinated by the BC Sustainable Energy Association and funded by Cities and utility companies. The workshops have a value of $350 and our funding depends on getting the contests back from the students after a 4-week period.
Students will be awarded with points for each action that they complete on the contest and the winning class and individuals in the region will be awarded with prizes, announced in the press, published on our website and where possible students will attend City Council meetings in recognition of their hard work.
We appreciate your support and look forward to working with you and your students.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Renate Sitch
Program Manager-Climate Change Showdown B.C. Sustainable Energy Association 604-564-0016 [email protected] www.bcsea.org/ccshowdown Appendix 3 – Lesson Plan
Climate Change Showdown Lesson Plan 2011-12 By Manon Gartside and Laura Packham
Pre-workshop activity: Teacher to play warm up game with children “Climate Change Word Association” game, followed by a Carbon Footprint Quiz (to be repeated at end of 4 week contest period to see if their carbon footprint has gone down). This replaces the survey done in previous years.
Lesson Plan Introduction Introduce yourself and the workshop (about Climate Change and that they are going to be trained to be Climate Change Superheroes). Briefly describe what BCSEA does. There are 4 training levels; they have already done the level 1 – carbon footprint quiz, 2 levels in the classroom (DVD and Game) and the final level is a 4 week take-home challenge called the Climate Change Showdown Contest. Ask “are you up for it?”. Hopefully you will get an enthusiastic “Yes”. 2 minutes Background knowledge Ask the students about the Carbon footprint quiz and what they thought of the results – go over the marks and find out how many “Carbon Stars” you have. Explain the kids will be able to remeasure their footprint at the end and beat their own score! Ask the kids if they have heard of Climate Change and get them to tell you what they know. What do they think the future might look like in 30 years time, what will they be doing? Bare in mind that there is opportunity to talk about the specifc actions on the quiz later on. 5 minutes
Future Scenario Aim: to give the students a glimpse of an exciting green future, where they can see how they fit in. Describe a future they want to live in and want to participate in creating. See notes for ways of going about this. Keep succinct and engaging. Outcome: The future was better than the present. Sounds like a pretty cool future doesn’t it? Had any of the students heard of those jobs before? No? Well people are already working on those things today but they are not very common. The will be the normality in the future! You are the generation that gets to change the world and make it a better place than the present. Any questions? Are you ready for level 2 of the training - The Climate Change Show? 10 mins
DVD and activity sheet with Action Planning pair-share activity Aim – to learn about Climate Change Science and how we are causing it. To carry out an activity to generate their own ideas. See notes for more details Answer questions 1-6 with the DVD. Leave DVD paused after Q6 – on the pie chart. Pair Share Activity – Action Planning (Q7). Ask the kids what they think they can do to reduce their GHG emissions. Divide the class into 5 sections and assign each section of students an area to think about (Space Heating/cooling, Appliances/lighting, Hot water use, Transport and Food). Have each pair (or a selection of pairs) quickly report back about what they think they could do to save energy/reduce GHGs. If you like continue to play the DVD to hear from the sheep how we can reduce our GHG emissions, but you might find unnecessary (and save yourself time. You can use your teaching aids here (low flow shower head, lightbulb etc) Q8. Stop the DVD (if you played it) at 16mins 26secs. Tell the kids you want to hear from them what they know about alternative and renewable types of energy generation. Talks about renewables on different scales and expand and their answers and talk about our lifestyles needing to become less dependent on fossil fuels and how in the future our towns cities etc will be designed much more sustainably. The solution in not going to come from one particular fix. See notes below. 30 mins
Students stretch / yoga / jumping jacks 1 minute
Introduction to Contest and Thermochart Show students the contest but don’t give it out yet (ask teacher to distribute after the workshop). Contest is new and revised! More actions to choose from if you can’t do one you can exchange an action from the additional activities box. Students will do 10-15 actions on the contest sheet to get 3000 points (check what the total points are for basic actions section in your region). There are 14 standard actions with 4 Additional Activities available if they can’t do one or already do it. Students create 1 energy saving idea them selves (write or draw). Explain the importance of parent’s signatures - no signature - no points! Depending on your regions contest, about 4 internet based actions can be carried out with the teacher if students don’t have the internet at home (teacher to sign). This is the chance for the students to become the teachers. They will teach their parents about climate change, how to reduce their energy consumption and how to save money. They will learn more about the contest actions during the game so only go in to enough detail to help them understand the information they won’t acquire in their game. The Thermochart: This can be used in the classroom for teachers and students to track their progress with completing actions over the 4 weeks. Ask for volunteers to colour the thermometer in red and tell them that they get to put a white sticker over the red with their name beside it if they do 4 actions at the end of 2 weeks to make the temperature go down…etc (see thermochart for details) 5 mins
Game Students will learn about the contest through the game. There is a choice of games to play depending on the dynamic of the class and the time frame. See game instruction sheets. Who Wants to be a Climate Change Super Hero Quiz Show - PowerPoint slideshow in groups Climate Change Heroes in Action Skits - groups role-play carrying out contest actions at home. Who am I object cards – energy saving or energy hungry objects pinned to students backs CCS board game with edited playing cards (being phased out in some areas). Note: You will get a feel for how much to talk about the contest and actions before the game depending on the game you play. For example the Quiz has lots of questions that the students will learn from. 20 mins Follow up and prizes You will come and pick up the contests in 5-6 weeks and do a prize draw for all who return their sheets. Then there will be an award at the very end for students with highest marks and the class with the highest marks will win a prize. Teachers who return over 50 % of forms will be given a gift. Detail prizes if possible, give examples from last year if you need to tell them something! 5 mins
Close: Well done. Recap the importance of doing our bit to help fight climate change and have fun being Climate Change Super Heroes! Give out contest or say the teacher will give it out later. 2 mins
Notes/More info on each section of the Lesson Plan
1. Notes about the Introduction
Superhero You could say you are already trained and you are going to teach them what you know (EE could be dressed as superhero or with ID or bracelet or ‘tattoo’ showing you have completed training).
2. Introducing the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA): advocates for wind, solar energy, reduction in energy use, solar BC, Green classrooms, Climate Change Showdown where we teach climate solutions to students, etc… 3. When discussing the students carbon footprints and climate change: o Students must have answered all questions to add up their points, otherwise they will get a lower score than they should. You may need to check the kids scores and tell them to estimate if they don’t know. Actions in the carbon footprint quiz with low numbers are good habits to get into because they use less energy /created fewer GHGs than their alternative (Example: bus, walk, bike, carpool uses less energy than driving to school). Kids should aim to do more number 1’s! o Some discussion points (note that you don’t have that much time here and these subjects will come up later). o A major reason why the climate is warming is because we use too much energy, the wrong kind of energy (produced using fossil fuels) and a lot of it is just wasted. o How many of us have stuff in our homes that we have never used and probably never will use? o Everything we buy and everything we do uses energy. And almost everything creates GHG emissions. o 1-5 litres of water will go down the drain if you let the tap run while brushing your teeth (10 litres/day/person is the average water consumption in Africa. 329 litres/day/person is the average in Canada, which is more than twice as much as in Europe). It takes energy to provide us with clean, drinking water. o Eat less meat. Producing meat takes more energy than producing vegetables and grain (It takes 7 kg of grain to make 1 kg of beef, 3 for pork and chicken and all that grain needs energy, water and land to grow). I eat meat 3 times a week and beef once every month or two. (Use your own example here). Cows should be eating grass not corn. Growing corn warms the climate. And cows burp one third more methane when they are fed corn than when they are fed grass.
Notes on the Future scenario (this is just a guideline, feel free to interpret them!)
The setting. You could be a Climate Change Super Hero with a time machine, or a scientist who was asked to take part in a time travel experiment by your boss who is friends with some climate scientists. You can go into the future/went into the future earlier today and saw what it would be like in 30 years time and to see if things have changed, and what people are doing because of Climate Change. If you are going to time-travel now leave the room (you might be away for a couple of hours in the future but in the present it will only be minutes). Or tell the story of having time travelled earlier in the day. Come back in again and describe the future where people have acted on climate change. Tell the students that you actually went to their city or town and they were there (aged about 40 years old). If you like, bring some things back (a vegetable that was grown on the school roof and some flowers that someone gave you that were growing all around) or you could be wearing a solar powered watch or you were given a cool gadget that everyone has in those days. Say you came to this school and through the window you saw solar panels on the roofs, a wind turbine in the distance, fruit trees and vegetable gardens, really safe bike lanes on the street, playgrounds where students were playing and outdoor classrooms were used when ever the weather permitted. The students came to school on electric bikes - some of them solar powered. Say you saw some of them in the future (“Hey, I think I saw you there! But you had really long hair and it had a streak of grey!”) If the kids were all in the classroom say you though it was strange but explain they were all there because it was a school re-union and they got together every 5 years to tell each other what they were working on. Go around the students and tell them what amazing roles they were playing/jobs they were doing in the positive Green/Clean Energy Future. Describe a future they want to live in and want to participate in creating. Making observations about their appearance will make them laugh (keep succinct and engaging).
2a. Roles and jobs of the Green Future The green jobs that will cool the climate are grouped into 3 main areas: Reduce consumption of energy, materials and water by making things differently (urban planner (transformed towns so that you could everything you need in walking distance, places for kids to hang out) transportation planner/designer (safe bike lanes, street cars, electric trains, coop electric cars, cars fueled on biogas, methane from garbage), architects (passive homes). Materials engineer (eco-cement - cement that captures CO2 when making it), Repair our ecosystems so that they will be functional (especially for carbon sequestration) while producing food, cloths, paper and wood products. For example, urban farmers, teaching farmers how to grow food without emitting GHGs (agronomist), organic farmer using permaculture, forest restoration, greening the desert (stopping it spreading), restoring wetlands to prevent floods (getting rid of paving). Produce alternative forms of energy. Making electricity from the sun!: Solar panels, wind turbines, taking CO2 from power plants and storing it underground or making cement with it, sails on cargo ships to reduce oil use, geothermal energy from our coastal area . Hydro electricity from run of the river hydro (instead of huge dams that block river). Making oil from pond scum – algae oil! Recycling waste oil/grease. Human and animal energy, human powered transport – bikes! Artist and performers make cities a nice place to live. Policy maker that banned gasoline cars in cities. Renewable energy laws to make renewables more feasible. Environmental lawyer and environmental banker, make the above jobs possible. Community leaders that organises local food sharing. Green business consultants helping business have a zero carbon business Note. You will have to tailor the jobs according to the age level of the students and the amount of time you have.
2b. Things that students of 2041/2 will be doing! . Riding solar powered electric bikes to school, Wind powered lights and chargers on your bike/scooter, Playing on climbing frames, skate parks on every street, Learning in outdoor classrooms most of the day, Going away on trips to learn and help in the community once a week, Growing food for the school canteen. 2c. Other cool inventions that already exist or are being developed. . Solar Paint, Solar highway – road with solar panels in.
3. Climate Change Show and Pair Share activity notes
Introduce the Climate Change Show DVD. Now it’s time to learn what climate change is and how we are involved in creating it! The kids should have the activity sheets on the reverse of the Carbon footprint Quiz. Tell the students you will play the “Climate Change Show” DVD and get them to listen for the answers to the questions. Some of the questions at the end you want to see if they can answer on their own.
Tell the students to raise their hand when they hear the answer in the DVD and pause the DVD to allow the students to write down the answers. Play the first two thirds of the DVD that covers the causes of Climate Change and consequences. Pair Share activity Pause the DVD at 14mins 34secs when the pie chart comes on and ask the students for their ideas about how to reduce the energy consumption before we find out from the sheep. Ask them to pair-share/talk with their partner about ways they can save energy and reduce GHG emissions at home and when traveling. Divide the class into 5 and assign each section of students an area to think about (Space Heating/cooling, Appliances/lighting, Hot water use, Transport and Food). Have each pair or some pairs quickly report back about what they think they could do to save energy/reduce GHGs. If you think necessary continue playing the DVD to show them the ideas suggested by sheep. If you think the kids’ replies are good enough, no need to play this, and save time! Stop the DVD at 16mins 26secs just before they show solar power in the desert (this is a misleading message as we can use solar power almost everywhere and the rest of the movie is out of date) and ask the students if they know of any kind of renewable energy. Discuss any of the following: solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, tidal, biomass, biogas, algae oil, hydrogen fuel cells, Combined Heat and Power, on-grid, off-grid, decentralised energy etc. Renewables can be used on different scales – community scale vs solar farms for example. Also talk about how our communities can be transformed to use less energy by being walkable and bikeable, with passive houses etc etc. Tell the class that the Earth’s climate is already warming and affecting the planet and that we need to start now in changing our behaviour and pressuring our politicians and business people to make changes. We can all make changes in our everyday lives. Show them the power point slides if you have a laptop and projector available. You may want to mention that the 1990s are no longer the hottest decade on record but 2000-2010. In fact 2010 has been the hottest year since scientists have been keeping records. Also, you should mention that there are women among climatologist type A and type B.