Lesson Planning
Upper Key Stage 2 Climate Change - Mini Topic - NEW LOOK
Learn, Think, Act! - NEW LOOK
Session 1 What is Climate Change?
Objectives
Science
- Consider my existing knowledge/understanding of climate change.
- Understand what the greenhouse effect and climate change are.
- Carry out a comparative test, explaining which variables need to be controlled and why.
- Measure and record temperature changes over time.
Enquiry questions
What do we know about climate change? What is the greenhouse effect?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Discuss our existing knowledge, thoughts, and feelings about climate change.
- Use a comparative test to demonstrate the greenhouse effect.
- Measure and record temperature changes over time.
- Make predictions and draw conclusions from our results.
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Large sheets of paper
Glass beakers
Large glass jars
Thermometers
Heat lamps (optional)
Data loggers (optional)
Squared graph paper
Weblinks
NASA Climate Kids: games, activities, videos and information
The Met Office website: the science behind climate change
Session 2 Causes of Climate Change
Objectives
Geography
- Identify natural and human causes of climate change.
- Read and interpret different types of data to compare greenhouse gas emissions from foods.
- Locate countries on a world map; use a key to compare average carbon emissions per person.
Enquiry question
What are the causes of climate change?
Outcomes
Children will:
- List some natural and human causes of climate change.
- Compare greenhouse gas emissions of different food types by reading and interpreting information on a graph and in a table.
- Locate countries on a world map and complete a key to show their average carbon emissions per person.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Maps and atlases (optional)
Scissors
Colouring pencils
Weblinks
Explore the environmental impacts of food production at Our World in Data
BBC Climate Change food calculator
Explore global and regional carbon data using the Global Carbon Atlas
Session 3 Impacts of Climate Change
Objectives
Geography
- To identify some of the impacts of climate change.
- To retrieve and record information from the internet or information books.
- To describe in detail how a plant or animal species is being impacted by climate change.
Enquiry question
What are the impacts of climate change?
Outcomes
Children will:
- List and think critically about some of the impacts of climate change.
- Use the internet and secondary sources of information to find out how climate change is impacting some living things.
- Present information in a fact file to describe how a plant or animal species is being impacted by climate change.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Large sheets of plain paper
Scissors
Information books about climate change (optional)
Weblinks
This video from NASA uses an experiment to demonstrate how the melting of land and sea ice contributes to global level sea rise.
The WWF website could be used to research some of the impacts of climate change on plant and animal species.
Session 4 People and Climate Change
Objectives
Geography
- To consider what humans need to thrive.
- To identify ways in which children’s rights are being affected by climate change.
- To act in role to build empathy and understand that some people are being impacted by climate change more than others.
Enquiry question
How is climate change affecting children's rights?
Outcomes
Children will:
- List some of the things we need to ‘thrive’; collaborate to rank these in order of importance.
- Recognise some of the rights that all children have and suggest ways in which climate change is affecting these.
- Act in role to explore how some people’s lives are being impacted by climate change and how they are responding to these challenges.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Sticky notes or small pieces of paper
Weblinks
Song and animation about childrens’ rights [UNICEF. Choir: Crosby High Sch., Liverpool].
These teaching materials from UNICEF provide a useful introduction to children’s rights.
This short film clip gives an insight into how climate change is impacting the island of Tuvalu.
Resources from Oxfam could be used to explore the human impact of the climate crisis
Session 5 Let’s take climate action!
Objectives
PSHE and Citizenship
- To explain some different ways in which people are taking climate action.
- To identify some ‘green’ careers.
- To invent something that could help in the ‘fight’ against climate change.
Enquiry question
How are people taking action to tackle climate change?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Research a way in which people are taking climate action.
- Identify some ‘green’ careers.
- Invent something that could be used to help fight climate change.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Internet access
Newspapers (optional)
Weblinks
UNICEF stories: Some young climate activists share their experiences.
A collection of positive environmental news stories (2022).
‘Green’ jobs from BBC Newsround and BBC Bitesize.
Session 6 Designing a climate-friendly school
Objectives
Design
- To identify and compare ways in which schools can take climate action.
- To work with others to research, plan and evaluate a design of a climate-friendly school.
- To select from and use a wide range of tools and materials to construct a model of a climate-friendly school.
Enquiry Question
How can we take climate action at school?
Outcomes
Children will:
- To identify and compare ways in which schools can take climate action.
- To work with others to research, plan and evaluate a design of a climate-friendly school.
- To select from and use a wide range of tools and materials to construct a model of a climate-friendly school.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Scissors
Coloured pencils
Cardboard packaging
Scrap paper and material
Empty plastic bottles and containers
White glue
Lego (optional)
Weblinks
This selection of clips from Going Green could be used to provide inspiration for the children’s climate-friendly school designs.
As an alternative to model-making, children could use this Minecraft Education sustainability kit to build their climate-friendly school!
Join Let’s Go Zero 2030 - work towards becoming a carbon-zero school by 2030