OUR COMMUNITY-SUSTAINABILITY

SESSION FOCUS UNDERSTANDINGS

At the end of this unit, students will understand
INQUIRY FOCUS STATEMENT 1. Recycling rubbish will help the environment.
2. Creating strategies to be more sustainable will help the
As a class, we will be focusing on recycling and environmental issues that are linked to our community. environment.
Students will be immersed in activities to build on their knowledge about recycling and sustainability 3. What we are doing now is having a negative impact our future
issues to help the environment now and in the future. By completing the activities, students will be able lives.
to recognise the importance of recycling and portray this in their personal time and at school. 4.What we can do to help our community be more sustainable.
5.The environment is rich in resources.
6.We can learn about sustainable practices through books, internet
INQUIRY FOCUSSED QUESTIONS and stories.
Why do we need to recycle? SKILLS DEVELOPED
What effects does recycling have on our community? Identity- students will identify strategies to be more sustainable.
How can we be more sustainable? Analyse- students will analyse comics and rewrite a comic on saving
energy.
Navigate- students will navigate their way around the school grounds
TEACHING PROPOSAL finding and sorting rubbish.
Sustainability issues are extremely important to teach to students starting at young children. Students need to gain knowledge about what they can do to help the environment in order for everyone to Predict- students will predict what will happen in the future if they
live a life style in which we deserve. dont be more sustainable.
Students need to learn that human activities must have their limits, their needs to be fair sharing of the worlds resources and people who live in the wealthier countries must accept lifestyles that are in Investigate- students will investigate through mind maps different
the planets natural means (Gilbert & Hoepper 2013, p.392).
Sustainability has become a very important learning area. In 2010 the Australian government acknowledged that education for sustainability facilitates students on their development of an overall ideas to be more sustainable.
capacity to contribute to a more sustainable future in relations of environmental integrity, economic viability and a fair society for current and upcoming generations (Gilbert & Hoepper 2013, p.397). Create- students will create litter bugs, posters, mind maps, news
Sustainability is taught in conjunction with other learning areas such as geography, history, economics and business and civics and citizenship. By teaching sustainability through all of these subjects, reports and their own carbon footprint,
sustainability will be educated as a whole on a broader notion. This will give students a complete understanding and help them to make meaning of the situation, allowing students to embrace all Record- students will survey and present data in a graph on how we
elements of the topic (Gilbert & Hoepper 2013, p.404). come to school.
By using inquiry pedagogy, students can use this constructivist approach by finding the meaning of something. They will build on skills and use techniques such as: communicating, reflecting, analysing
and collaborating. Questions asked by both teacher and students will be taken seriously and students will gain a sense of curiosity (Lutheran Education Queensland 2007).
Prior knowledge will be built on and students will be actively involved in making their own understandings with the use of hands on experiences and research. Inquiry pedagogy allows students to
ASSESSMENT
reflect and gain feedback on their own understandings throughout their learning (Lutheran Education Queensland 2007). SUMMATIVE
When looking at the inquiry focus statement you can see that students will be educated on a lot of different topics about going green, recycling, ecosystems, water pollution, energy saving, helping the A Kahoots quiz in week 9 will show learning on the topic. The
environment and sustainability. This is so the students can get a basic understanding of the whole issue. The students will mainly be educated on what they can do to help their community. Edendale farm written text and the additional comments added to
In order for them to be involved in the activities, students will be able to research and gain as much information as possible so that they can make understandings of their own and make meaning of
the original mind map will also capture understanding and
what is being taught.
According to Preston, L (2017), students will never understand the world and will only understand partially from what they see or hear from books, teachers and pictures etc. knowledge. Inquiry projects throughout the lessons.
Students need to have a variety of representations to be able to make their own understandings of the world and what we can do to help the environment, starting with our own community. FORMATIVE
According to the Melbourne declaration on education goals for young Australians (2008), students should become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed Students will be assessed on their knowledge on their first
citizens.
By immersing students in activities provided in this unit, students will be benefited in such things as making sense of their world and thinking about why things are like they are, acquire skills to make session mind map (What it means to be green
knowledgeable learning decisions all through their lives and will prepare them for life roles such as family and the community. Self and peer assessment
This unit of work will follow the Victorian curriculum (2017). The activities and experiences used will allow students to gain knowledge, skills, values and world views that will encourage students to live Anecdotal notes prepared from teacher to
more sustainably, understand how environmental, social and economic systems relate to support and preserve our lives and allow them to inspect the range of views and values that impact sustainable
growth. offer feedback of their learning throughout
In this inquiry plan, students will be exposed to activities and experiences in the classroom and outside the classroom that will enhance their learning of sustainability. They will be able to be involved in the unit.
many environmental issues that affect them, their community and the world.
Students will have the opportunity to research as many avenues of the topic as they need and will be supported and encouraged by the teacher throughout the unit.
VICTORIAN CURRICULUM
Students will gain feedback on their learning from the teacher and their peers throughout the unit so that they can identify their strengths and weaknesses and allow the teacher to recognise where the Geography, History, Civics and citizenship.
student needs more help and understanding and address any problems instantly to put them back on the right track. Cross curriculum priority- Sustainability..
Students will also undergo a pre and post test. This will help the teacher to recognise what the students have learned in this unit. The test will evaluate student learning and can also be used as
formative assessment to share feedback to the student and can help the teacher to improve on future lessons.
Capabilities: Ethical capability and social
awareness and management.
 Session 1
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more
sustainable will help the environment, The environment is
rich in resources.
Activity- After watching What does it mean to be green
video, students create a mind map about what they believe it
means to be green.
Resource- What does it mean to be Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lieN18OTlME
Curriculum- VCCCG002, VCECD007
Assessment- Mind map
Session 6
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment, We can learn about sustainable practices
through books, internet and stories
Activity- students will learn about water pollution by
following through the Fred Fish Pollution story cards. The
teacher will read a the cards through one at a time, after
each card the students will follow the instructions and reflect
on how their action may effect Fred the fish
Resource- Fred Fish Pollution story cards
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCECU005, VCHHK073, VCGGK082
Session 11
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment, Creating strategies to be more sustainable will
help the environment, We can learn about sustainable
practices through books, internet and stories
Activity- Excursion to Edendale farm, students will learn
about worm farms, animal products, recycling, water use and
gardens
Resource- Edendale Farm
Curriculum- VCHHC069, VCGGC073 , VCGGK082
Assessment- students reflect on their visit to the farm, listing
all of the ways that they can help the environment
Session 16
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more
sustainable will help the environment, The environment is
rich in resources.
Activity- in pairs, students will read through the
greenhouses page, and will then, as a group, discuss what a
greenhouse is and why they are important. In groups
students create a greenhouse, planting a seed and using their
compost to fertilize the seed. Students create a video whilst
creating their greenhouse about what they are doing and
why.
Resource- What is a greenhouse webpage
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/,
ipads/computers
Curriculum- VCGGK082
Session 2
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment
Activity- As a class, students will participate in a rubbish sort
game, where they will sort rubbish into recyclables, compost
and waste. students will then go into the yard to collect data
on the different types and amount of rubbish around the
school.
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCHHC069, VCHHK073, VCGGK082
Session 7
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more
sustainable will help the environment
Activity- after reading the book, and analyzing the poster,
students will work in groups to create a list of essential things
that we would need to sustain life on the moon
Resource- Last tree in the City book, Stranded on the Moon
poster
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCGGK082
Session 12
Learning Outcome- What we are doing now is having a
negative impact our future lives
Activity- after listening to the online reading of the Lorax,
students will complete an online carbon footprint calculator.
They will then use this information to create their own goal
to reduce their carbon footprint
Resource- the Lorax online reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa82mcXO9AQ , carbon
footprint calculator http://calc.zerofootprint.net,
iPad/computers
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCECU005, VCHHC069,
Session 17
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more
sustainable will help the environment, The environment is
rich in resources.
Activity- BTN Solar energy video will start off the lessons,
where students will first brainstorm all of the different
electrical products the class has used in the past 24 hours.
Students will then plan and create a solar powered oven, to
toast a marshmallow inside.
Resource- BTN solar energy video-
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4183229.htm, boxes, foil,
plastic, card, tape
Curriculum- VCGGK082
Session 3
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment
Activity- After reading Litter bug Doug, students will use
pieces of rubbish and recyclables to create their own
litterbugs, using rubbish and recyclables, to go on display
around the school
Resource- Michael Recycle meets Litterbug Doug book,
pieces of rubbish and recyclables
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCGGK082
Session 8
Learning Outcome- We can learn about sustainable practices
through books, internet and stories
Activity- students will play the board game in groups. After
playing, for each of the flutters, students must decide on a
more sustainable action
Resource- Leaps and Flutters Board game, dice, counters
Curriculum
Session 13
Learning Outcome What we are doing now is having a
negative impact our future lives, What we can do to help our
community be more sustainable
Activity- students will survey their year level, finding out how
people get to school and how long it takes. This information
will them be organized to display how most people get to
school. Students will also play Go Green, an online game, in
which they have to complete the tasks with the least amount
of pollution and time.
Resource- iPad/computers, survey, Go Green online activity-
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/go-green/
Curriculum- VCECD007
Session 18
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more sustainable will
help the environment, The environment is rich in resources.
Activity- students have the opportunity to plan, design and create
a new appliance that uses renewable power source to operate.
The lesson will start with students watching a video and
brainstorming different things that could be used as renewable
energy. After creating a museum display to showcase their work,
students will participate in a kahootz quiz about renewable energy.
Resource- Nature works video
https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/renewable-energy/ , items
for the students to use to create a new appliance
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCGGK082
Assessment- Kahootz quiz
Session 4
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment
Activity- after listening to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, students
will discuss and create a class definition for what each of the
words means. students will then create their own song or
play to educate people about why and how to recycle, which
will then be shown to the class
Resource- Jack Johnsons Reduce, Reuse, Recycle song, iPad
Curriculum- VCECU005, VCGGK082
Session 9
Learning Outcome Creating strategies to be more sustainable
will help the environment, What we can do to help our
community be more sustainable
Activity- students will discuss and analyze poster, and will
create their own water saving posters to be displayed around
the school
Resource- Water Wasting Poster
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCHHC069, VCGGK082
Session 14
Learning Outcome- Creating strategies to be more
sustainable will help the environment
Activity- Using the Energy use poster, students will analyze
the energy using actions and decide which ones are power
saving, and which ones aren't. Students will the create a
comic that encourages power saving. Comics will then be
collated into a class power saving comic book.
Resource- Energy Use poster
Curriculum- VCHHC069
Session 19
Learning Outcome- What we can do to help our community
be more sustainable
Activity- in groups, students brainstorm some of the ways we
could make our school more sustainable. Each group then
takes responsibility for one particular area, then come up
with a plan and a model of how to improve their particular
area. Students will then reflect on their mind map and add to
what they think it means to be green.
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCHHK073, VCGGC073. VCGGK082
Assessment- mind map
Session 5
Learning Outcome- Recycling rubbish will help the
environment, We can learn about sustainable practices
through books, internet and stories
Activity- Students will discuss and create a timeline of what
happens to our rubbish. They will then create a list of
questions they have from which the will create their own
news presentation to inform others.
Resource- What happens to our rubbish?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCS6iOG5G68 , Great
Pacific Garbage Patch https://vimeo.com/11704000
Curriculum- VCECD007, VCHHK073, VCGGK082
Assessment- Peer assessments of video presentations
Session 10
Learning Outcome- We can learn about sustainable practices
through books, internet and stories
Activity- after watching the what is compost video, students
will have the opportunity to create their own compost in a
bottle, which they will add to every day
Resource- what is compost?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXNo7Ieky8 , soft drink
bottle, soil, food scraps, leaves and grass, newspaper
Curriculum- VCECD007
Session 15
Learning Outcome- What we are doing now is having a
negative impact our future lives, The environment is rich in
resources.
Activity- students create jigsaw groups, which, after reading
Energy Island book, research a type of renewable energy. In
the original group, students number off, and students with
the same number create a new group, research their energy
source, then return to their original group to share what they
have learnt.
Resource- Energy Island book, iPad/computers
Curriculum- VCECU005, VCHHK073, VCGGC073, VCGGK082
Session 20
Learning Outcome Creating strategies to be more sustainable
will help the environment, What we can do to help our
community be more sustainable
Activity- students prepare and present their improvement to
the school, presenting to their peers, parents and the
principal. Groups will be peer assessed o their presentation
as well as completing a self assessment.
Curriculum- VCECD007
Assessment- peer assessment and self reflection