Let Us Green Again
• Define the SDGs • Describe and understand what is meant by climate change (Causes and results) • Spread knowledge about climate change • Share ideas within the local community and other schools about how climate action goals can be achieved. • Take action to achieve climate change goals. • Communicate and collaborate with others locally and globally in order to promote awareness and action regarding climate change. • Develop English language skills. • Develop ICT skills. Develop collaborative and interpersonal skills. Develop critical thinking skills • Develop problem solving skills Develop and practice the following important behaviours: sense of responsibility, creative thinking, sense of appreciation to our planet.
Guess what is my climate zone? Students introduce themselves by updating their profiles in the TwinSpace, writing a short description about themselves and about the place they live in: Name of Continent, Name of country, is there a public park in their area? What kind of trees are planted in their town/region? What is the weather in their town/region? Did it change recently (e.g. extreme heat waves, extremely cold unusual winter etc.)? Students from each participating school choose one of the profiles their peers prepared and use an interactive climate zone map to discover information about their partner schools. Simplified activity for younger pupils: each class works as a team and explores the area of their school, one team takes a photo of a nearby park, another team interviews teachers/parents and older pupils about the climate change in their region, another group draws a map of their country. Each class will then upload their findings online and comment by posting questions to their peers. Example Tools : Climate Zone
1. A view from my home window: - Students use a photo of the view from their window as profile picture. Their peers from the other countries ask several questions about the view and the weather, exchanging information about their geographical and climate areas. Teachers can ask students to prepare a list of questions to ask or suggest the following questions: • What is the climate in your city/region? (continental, arid etc.) • What is the type of the soil? • How much rainfall do you experience on average each month? During the whole year? • Were there any outstanding weather conditions recently? Heat waves, extremely cold winters for example? Through these and similar questions students will learn about different climate and geographical zones in our world and will start reflecting about the effect of climate change globally. Simplified version for younger students: the questions can be posted by groups of pupils with the teachers’ assistance 2. Climate online meeting: Teachers arrange an online meeting between schools. During this first online meeting students will introduce themselves and get to know each other in person. Each partner can ask the following: 1- Do other students know what climate change means? 2- Do other students feel that climate change is dangerous? 3- Do students notice how lifestyle in their schools and local communities affects the climate? Discussion covering these questions will be led by students when each group will prepare a presentation on specific question. Teachers will summarize the results of the online-meeting and share it on the TwinSpace. Example tools: Adobe Connect (eTwinning online meeting tool, embedded in the platform) 3. Climate is changing?... prove it. Students work in groups. They have to prove that climate is changing. They search the web and collect data related to their country’s temperatures since 1990 – 2016. This link is a helpful link for such data: climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org simplified version for younger pupils: Teachers can provide them with data if the students are unable to get this kind of data), then students have to calculate the average of temperature for each year: and create a table of two columns: year and temperature. Following, students have to create a chart from these numbers using Ms-Excel or an online chart maker or they can do it manually , each school has to upload their chart in TwinSpace and post their opinion on the results in the forum about the changing of temperatures in their countries. Students are requested to review partner class’ charts and post questions in the forum. Example-tools: Chart Tool
Communication:1. Sustainability Conference Teachers organize an online meeting on TwinSpace for students to communicate and discuss the form of the pledge they want to take to continue spreading awareness about SDGs and “Climate Action”, and continue taking actions to combat climate change in their local communities. After which, they will agree on one pledge that will be signed by all participants in the project. The pledge will be uploaded on an interactive online collaborative board, where each student will sign the board using pen tools, and the board will be embedded in the TwinSpace. Example tools : Canva , online-whiteboard2. Green challenge: Working in in international groups, students create infographics related to climate action which they could take in their schools and local communities (their daily waste, food consumptions, recycling etc …). They will share their infographics on TwinSpace in the form of a Padlet wall. Students are then encouraged to comment on other group infographics. All partners will vote and choose several infographics that will represent the project. Collaboration1. Is the climate really changing? In international groups, students collaborate and share their previous knowledge using an interactive online mind map about Climate action goal, causes, and consequences, and answer questions such as, what is the difference between weather and climate? How does their lifestyle affect the climate? Each group will focus on one topic and create one mindmap: global causes (e.g industry), individual actions that cause climate change (overuse of plastic, consumption of non-sustainable goods, consequences for the environment and people (e.g air pollution, heatwaves), consequences for environment and animals (e.g habitat of wild species is disappearing, acidification of the ocean). Every group will create a mind map with their ideas on one of the topics mentioned above All the mind maps will be then brought together, saved as an image and reviewed in each class. The collaborative final mind map (composed of all mind maps patched together) will be embedded in the project’s TwinSpace and presented in the final dissemination activity. Example tools: Mind-Map-maker Simplified version for younger pupils: students can work in international groups and try to answer the questions above while being directed to website and resources in their own language that can help them to understand the topic. Also, each school can work separately on each question as a preparation activity while only afterwards pupils will be requested to work collaboratively and create a common output 2. Catch climate change by a photo Students take photos in their schools and local communities of aspects and wrong behaviours they think are contributing to climate change and share them on an online active-board. Each partner chooses a photo from other partners’ photos and makes the photo speak by recording a suggestion in their voices in English by using the Blabberize app. The recording should include suggestions from partners’ schools to change aspects and wrong behaviours that were presented in the photo. The content will be shared on TwinSpace and students will be encouraged to add their comments and exchange suggestions on a connected forum. Example tools: LINOIT ,Blabberize3. Green Calculator: Each school searches the web for more information about climate change such as (definition of climate change, SDG goal 13, ecological footprint, greenhouse gasses emissions, sea level, global warming, CO2 recycle, how CO2 is formed, why humans should reduce CO2 levels… ) they can use these links: un.org / national geographic / nasa.gov The information gathered from each school will be then recorded in one online google doc presentation. Each class will then add suggestions for a questionnaire based on the knowledge they have acquired. Through review of all partners and online discussion, students will choose a set of questions which will make up the green questionnaire. Each class will ask parents, other classes and teachers to complete the questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire will be then discussed and studied by participating classes. An example of an existing green questionnaire can be found here Based on the results of the questionnaire and a discussion of the results that will be followed in each class focusing on how can each individual reduce the ecological footprint s/he leaves, teachers can share this document with their students: Guide to save the world Version for older pupils: based on the analysis of the questionnaire results, pupils in international groups can create a “go green” campaign with concrete actions, slogans and activities that will suit their reality in their school/ community. For example, if in one partner country recycling is well established, there is no need to promote recycling, while in a school where pupils commute to school by car, students can create a car pool scheme, so each day another parent from a certain area brings pupils to school. This way, the questionnaire results can be used to create targeted actions on a local level. This can replace or be complemented by the activity “change your lifestyle not the climate” tools: Google Docs, Twinboard, footprint-Calculator4. Change your lifestyle not climate: Each school decides on an action that suits their school system and local community to combat climate change (for example: planting trees in the school garden, putting bins to recycle plastic/paper waste, modifying consumption behaviours, plan trees, establish a secondhand fair, create a clothes/toys repair workshop, find an alternative use for material that otherwise will be thrown away, plant a vegetable garden, organise a car pooll to school etc.…..). The suggested actions will be conducted by each school and then recorded as a short film of 2 minutes. Each film will be uploaded on TwinSpace, students then will gather all actions and create one film titled: “I can change… the climate change” Example tools: Clipchamp , Youtube5. Our eTwinning Earth hour: Partners collaborate in organising an event to simulate the Earth Hour (This event is held annually to encourage people all over the planet to turn-off electricity for one hour to raise awareness about energy consumption, more info here ). Partners will agree on what activities they will do simultaneously during this hour/event. Activities can be for example: reading stories about the earth to younger kids in the library with candle light, conducting a lesson where students are the ones to present various topics in candle light etc. In the event all students from all partnering schools will turn off the lights in their rooms (or classes if it is already dark outside in the afternoon) simultaneously for one hour and will light candles instead and conduct a parallel activity that will be agreed and discusses in an online meeting by all partners.. 6. Climate Glossary Students in international groups collaborate to create a Climate Glossary. Each group drafts an individual aspect of the glossary: one group comes up with the order and the terms, another groups with the explanation, another group with the translation of the term in all partners languages, another group with an image demonstrating the term, another group will take care of the layout of the glossary. The glossary will be then uploaded as an e-book on the TwinSpace and shared in the school’s newspaper and website. Modification for younger pupils: younger pupils can work in local group, when each group takes care of one aspect of the glossary. The collaborative aspect will be then to decide the terms of the glossary together. Example tools: Flipsnack
1. 3-2-1 exit card: Teachers will create a google doc presentation for students to write their exit-card for the project, including the following - Each student will be asked to note down three things they learned about climate action goal, two important details, one question they still have. Example tools: Google docs 2. plant a question…pick a change (Students reflection) Students will reflect on the project, what was the value of being part of it, what changed in their perspective after participating in the project, and what actions did they take to combat climate change. This can be done using the AnswerGarden app. Example tools: Answer-Garden 3. for younger pupils: Picking Emoji (Students Self-assessment) Students will do self-assessment to evaluate their work in the project by picking an Emoji they think expresses their feelings toward the project, then they have to write a reason why they have picked this Emoji. This form could help: Form4. Students peer review for one of the collaborative activities Students rate each group member’s contributions to the group. By writing one sentence describing the members’ contributions and a second explaining something they could have done better. This peer review could help: Form 1Form 25. Teachers’ Evaluation: Teachers write their evaluation on the project by going through each of the rubric in the link below and identify to what extent the project corresponds to this (below Standard, meet standard, above standard) for each item, they can add comments here then their evaluation will be shared on TwinSpace page titled: “Teachers’ Evaluation”, teachers discuss evaluations they shared.
Documentation: All information of the work done throughout the project is shared in the TwinSpace. Each page has sub-pages for schools to document their work, in the material section each school creates a folder with its name and upload all their work in it, all the external links for the project can be shared and embedded. Dissemination:1. Infographics dissemination Following students will disseminate the infographics they’ve created in their schools and communities for example: in the school journal/website, print them and hang as posters in the school, ask the local journal to publish the infographics Example tools: SNAPPA2. Celebration of Earth Day On 22 April the Students can celebrate Earth Day. Along with their teacher they prepare an art exhibition from recycled material such as plastic and paper. Parents and local communities are invited to the exhibition, students disseminate the idea of recycling and reducing wastes to serve climate action goals, they can also promote the exhibition on social media and on local radio stations. All art works will be collected in animated collage and uploaded to TwinSpace. Example tools: kizoa3. Unplug it campaign (can be also combined with the earth day activity) Students organise an event in their schools inviting parents and local communities to raise awareness of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing electricity usage in houses, they present project’s activities during the event. They present some guidelines for the audience about Unplugging electricity’s’ equipment while not using it and show them how this impacts greenhouse gas emissions, other suggestions and ideas on how to reduce one’s ecological footprint will also be presented to the public. Students will also present the agreed changes among schools and concrete steps in which they would put their plans into action in a school implementation plan. If possible, partner schools will meet online during the event through an online conference (using Adobe Connect on the TwinSpace) so parents and teachers can share ideas and outputs of their project internationally. As a follow up, a second online meeting will be organised a month after the first event, where students will present to each other all the changes and actions they have completed and discuss any challenges and solutions or advices they have to other schools Example tools: Youtube, Adobe Connect through the TwinSpace
Additional information
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Age from:7
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Age to:17
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Difficulty:Intermediate