Procedure Discuss with the students how they have researched how other schools and communities have used a variety of actions to improve sustainability practices, adapt to a changing climate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and developed their own vision of what a sustainable classroom or school might look like.
Ask them to recall what they know about:
The school’s sustainability practices
The school’s adaptation practices
Factors that can affect a school’s sustainability practices
Factors that can affect a school’s adaptation practices
What uses energy and water at the school; what practices produce waste at the school; what types of waste are produced; what transport options are available at the school; and what options there might be to grow local food, trees and plants at the school
The range of possibilities that could improve the school’s sustainability performance, ability to adapt to change and minimise greenhouse emissions at the school
Ask the students to reflect on the type of actions that could be undertaken to improve the sustainable practices and/or adaptation practices of the school. Display questions like:
What improvements could be made to the school’s current practices to make them more sustainable?
What measures could be implemented to adapt to the challenges of climate change?
Are some solutions more sustainable than others? Why?
Are some solutions more cost effective for the school? Why?
What else could we do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
How will we know if the changes we make have been successful in changing people’s behaviours?
Ask students to use their learning journal, to define and document the actions that are most appropriate, sustainable and cost effective for the school to implement. See Resource 1.1.
Assessment Note Student writing or drawing samples in their learning journal about what to possibly change at the school may provide information about student learning.
Follow up Ask students to recall the schools that are factoring sustainability and/or adaptation practices into their management decisions. Ask them to reflect on the case studies they viewed in the earlier part of the unit about how other schools and communities have approached some sustainability and adaptation issues in their schools, villages and places of living and the solutions they developed as a school or community. Encourage students to re-read those sources for information about the resources they needed and used and the constraints (if any) they encountered and needed to factor into their projects for change.
Ask students to document those resources in their learning journal and consider the available resources they have for their sustainability idea, campaign, design or project at the school and note any constraints that might also need to be thought through.
Encourage students to use their research and to start generating ‘real ideas’ in their learning journal that they feel could be implemented in the school to improve sustainability and /or adaptation practices.
Ask students to report to others in the class on how the project ideas researched and initiatives learnt about work and their possible impact or effect on the school and its community.
Also, talk with the about approaches that can help the school and its community adapt to climate change as well as mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Invite students to consider some of the ways other children are adapting to their circumstances.
