Go Green Week is People & Planet’s annual national week of action on climate change in schools, colleges and universities. It takes place from 6th to 11th February, so here are a selection of resources if you would like to use the event in your classroom:

1) People and Planet – The official site has lots of great ideas and activities. Take a look at the suggestions for themed days and download Action Guides that are filled with resources.

2) Teaching Themes – The Environment – You can also find lots of ideas, resources and activities by looking at our themed page on Teaching Ideas.

3) Climate Chaos – Oxfam have published a set of resources called ‘Climate Chaos’ which are intended for use with children aged 9-11.

4) Twinkl - There is another large collection of eco, recycling and environment resources here.

5) Topic Box – This wonderful site lists lots of interactive tools that teachers can use. Here is their list of ‘environment’ resources.

6) BP – There are lots of interactive resources linked to energy and climate on the BP Young Science Investigators site.

7) Are you Eco Friendly? – Help the Environmental Intelligence Unit with this interactive game from the BBC.

8 ) Teaching Videos – There are a large collection of videos linked to different environmental issues on our Teaching Videos site. There are also lots of examples of ‘environment’ classroom displays on Teaching Photos.

9) Communication4All – There are lots of great display resources on this popular site.

10) RecycleNow – Get involved in recycling activities at your school using the information and activities on this site.

Do you know about any other great environment / climate resources online?

]]> http://www.teachingnews.co.uk/2012/02/10-resources-for-go-green-week/feed/ 0 http://www.teachingnews.co.uk/2011/07/top-five-discoveries-10711/ http://www.teachingnews.co.uk/2011/07/top-five-discoveries-10711/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:00:37 +0000 markwarner http://www.teachingnews.co.uk/?p=8828

Here are five great new resources that I’ve found online this week:

1) Quadblogging  - David Mitchell has set up Quadblogging as a way of encouraging pupils to publish online and comment on each other’s work. Lots of schools have already signed up and you can too! It’s a great idea and you can find out more about it in the Youtube video here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

2) Worldometers (shared by Dominic Tremblay) – This site shows lots of statistics about the world, which change in real-time. It’s fascinating (but slightly scary) to see some of the numbers rising so rapidly and it would be great for looking at data handling or geography / environmental work.

3) Plot Device – This video was featured on Tom Barrett’s blog. It’s a fantastic story, covering a range of genres, which could be used in a huge variety of ways in the classroom. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

4) Animaps (shared by Malcolm Wilson) – This site lets you create animated maps for free. Could you use it to report on a school trip somewhere, to retell a historical event or to tell a story about a fantastic journey?

5) Comix – Danny Nicholson wrote a blog post about this great comic creation tool, which is aimed at younger children. The rest of the site has lots of other tools which could be used in the classroom too.

If you’ve found something useful recently, please consider sharing it in the comments. Thank you

Yorkshire Water have developed a teacher-led cross-curricular learning resource called The Green Classroom for key stage 2 pupils that looks at the subject of water but uses key primary subjects like art and design, citizenship, maths, geography, english and science to communicate the key messages.

There are downloadable lesson plans, workbooks and certificates on the Green Classroom site. You can also find out more about the project in the Youtube video above.

Don’t forget that you can also find lots of water and environment themed resources on Teaching Ideas, and as part of the ‘Saving the Planet‘ Teaching Theme.

Sky Rainforest Rescue aims to engage school age children with the problems facing the Rainforests by including a fun series of projects on the Amazon Rainforest in the National Curriculum.

The Rainforest Rescue Schools Challenge helps children to understand how the things we eat, buy and use everyday are linked to the rainforest and think about how we can help protect it. It’s a great way to get kids more excited about Green issues as the Challenge will allow them to explore the animals as well as the landscape of the Amazon and apply the things they learn to their own school environment. There is also the chance for the schools involved to win some great prizes for their pupils and to take the children’s ideas to key political decision makers so that they could have real impact.

The Challenge, organised with Global Action Plan, is web based and interactive and will involve aspects of geography, citizenship, science, numeracy and PSHE. You can find more information on the challenge, how schools can get involved and the prizes available to the participating teams on the website at www.skyrainforestrescueschoolschallenge.org

I’m pleased to announce that the latest Teaching Theme has been published recently. The theme is called ‘Saving the Planet‘ and includes resources linked to Superheroes and Environmental Issues.

The theme includes:

• Lesson ideas and downloadable activity resources.
• Display material, with lots of new cartoon images which were created especially for this Teaching Theme.
• Educational videos which you can use in your classroom.
• Examples of classroom displays linked to the topics.
• Suggestions of places and maps that children can explore.
• Jokes which can be used as a starting point for activities or just for fun!
• Lots of links to other websites which may be useful.

I’m now planning for next month’s theme… Christmas! If you have any resources to share, or any resources that you would like to request, please get in touch.

Terracycle have started a new programme for schools where all money raised through it goes to the school. It also teaches children about social responsibility and encourages them to think about their own impact on the environment.

The programme is simple: a teacher (or a parent) registers their child’s school online and the school is sent a funky collection box with some posters and flyers. Children then drop all used pens, markers or mechanical pencils in the box, and when it is filled, the parent or teacher prints off a free Royal Mail label and ships it to Terracycle free of charge.

For each writing instrument collected, Terracycle donates 2p to the school, and another box is sent so the collection doesn’t need to stop. With the collected pens and markers, they create new eco-friendly products which range from desk organisers, to rubbish bins and even clocks. Sign up to get started!

Today is Earth Day, a day designed to increase awareness of the issues affecting the environment, to inspire positive actions in individuals and business, and to begin the process of reversing the current climate change trend.

www.healthyplanet.org/earthday.aspx

The Healthy Planet Foundation has produced a set of lesson plans and resources for each primary year group, which you can use today, during Earth Week (next week) or as part of curriculum activities throughout the rest of the year. You can download these resources in the Geography section of Teaching Ideas.

Support Your School is a new recycling scheme whereby schools across the UK can raise funds for their school by recycling used inkjet cartridges and unwanted mobile phones. The scheme is completely free for schools to join and participate in, and at a time of under funding for lots of organisations, gives schools a new, ethical way to fundraise.

www.supportyourschool.co.uk

The scheme also helps teachers and schools supporters with a fully integrated website where you can download support materials and manage your accounts in as easy and transparent way as possible. They have a special platform for 6-11 year olds called the RecyKids Area, where young people can learn about recycling and take part in activities that help educate them about the importance of being eco friendly.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) are running an exciting new initiative to get Energy Display Meters provided and installed into English state-funded schools, absolutely free. The meter provides real-time information about your school’s electricity use in an easy-to-understand format which can be used as a teaching and learning tool.

www.energydisplaymeter.co.uk

The device is linked to your school’s PC networks, enabling you to raise energy awareness amongst pupils and teachers. It is also an excellent customisable teaching tool. Register your interest on the Energy Display Meter site and you will be informed as soon as applications are open.

explore is a multimedia organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes. Their library consists of more than 250 original films and 30,000 photographs from around the world.

explore features a wide range of topics—from animal rights, health and human services, and poverty to the environment, education, and spirituality. Delivered in short, digestible bites, explore films appeal to viewers of all ages, from children learning about other cultures for the first time to adults looking for a fresh perspective on the world around them.

www.explore.org

The resources are well suited to supplement many types of lesson plans, from presentations on multiculturalism to interactive classes on environmental and wildlife preservation. Films range in length from minute-long segments to longer documentary pieces on a particular region (e.g., China, India, the Arctic).

The site’s FAQ explains that ‘the explore team is currently developing a set of academic curricula that incorporates some of our content’ so look out for some useful teaching resources linked to their work.