School holiday shutdown!
Reducing the resources a school uses helps it become more sustainable and can save the school money. Giving students the opportunity to be part of this holiday shut down to save energy and water at school is a real life learning opportunity. Some of the activities will need to be negotiated with other teachers and the Principal.
For the teacher:
The following learning sequencewas developed to raise awareness of how student actions can make a difference. It should be used in conjunction with a wider focus on sustainability. Teaching resources are available to establish a context for the activities in the areas of energy, water, biodiversity, purchasing and waste, transport and grounds and buildings from the Environmental and Sustainability section of the Curriculum K-12 website.
Students are asked to go through the follow five steps to take action:
- Make the case - by investigating the current school practices when shutting down for the school holidays and conducting surveys of electrical appliances, water outlets, waste disposal and preparations for the care of the school grounds.
- Explore – by analysing the results of their investigations and surveys students can think about the options, decide on actions to be taken.
- Plan – in thinking about their options, developing a proposal for the school holiday shutdown and communicating the plan effectively to the school population.
- Take action – by putting their plan to work.
- Reflect – on the results and their learning.
- Make the case
Possible strategies - KWL chart, conduct interviews with school personnel, conduct surveys (templates provided, which could be enlarged).
A student may ask or be asked:
- Why are we doing this?
- What do we believe is happening with regard to electricity/water/waste in our school over the school holidays? (Make a prediction or hypothesis.)
- What are the tools/methods available to gather this information?
- Who is the data being collected for?
about how they will work
- Will they work as individuals, in a group or as a whole class?
- What skills will be needed?
- What equipment will be needed to complete the task?
- Explore
Possible strategies – brainstorm, discussion, think/pair/share
A student may ask or be asked:
- What information do we need to gather to test the hypothesis?
Students may need assistance or guidance:
- To decide which information is most important and how it should be recorded.
- To identify the order of steps or actions.
about how they will work
- In allocating roles and responsibilities
- In identifying skills or knowledge to share with others in dealing with any unexpected issues
- Plan
Possible strategies –brainstorm, group work, use of ICT – multimedia presentations, video, IWB,
A student may ask or be asked:
- If the results confirm or deny the hypothesis.
- What this means for the school holiday shutdown?
- How can the results be used and communicated?
about how they will work
- In allocating roles and responsibilities for developing and communicating the proposal
- In identifying skills and knowledge necessary to effectively communicate the proposal
- Take action
Possible strategies –group work/project teams, design brief
A student may ask or be asked:
- To clarify their roles or actions
- To ensure the safety of all involved
about how we will work
- As a team or individually
- Reflect
Possible strategies: revisit KWL chart, interviews of key stakeholders,
A student may ask or be asked:
- To clarify their understanding of sustainability and their role in taking positive actions
Further resources:
Curriculum K-12, Environmental Education website (focus areas)
Curriculum K-12, Environmental Education website (student learning objects)
Curriculum K-12, Environmental Education website (kitchen gardens)
NSW Sustainable Schools
School holiday shutdown!
Environmental Education Unit, Curriculum K-12 Directorate