Implementation of “The huge role of forests in dealing with the climate crisis” (SoI-GR-586)
Author: Eleni Byrou, Teacher/ Director of the 1st Primary school of Kalythies, Rhodes
Abstract/Introduction
This scenario is designed to introduce students to the various forest trees of our country, to raise awareness of environmental protection issues, to appreciate the importance of trees for human life and to learn about the dangers that threaten forests. The aim is also to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving the forest as a habitat and living space for various organisms and to promote participation and action on issues relating to the proper use of the land. The script is targeted to 6th Class of the 1st Primary School of Kalythies Rhodes which consists of 15 students aged 11 years old.
Activity time: 6 hours face-to-face.
Keywords: Natural heritage, forests in Europe, sustainability, experiential learning, environmental education in nature, cooperative learning
Educational material on the Internet: Google Classroom, Google Docs
- https://www.canva.com/el_gr/
- YouTube
- https://wordart.com/
- Google maps
Europeana resources used:
green-through-time-four-historical-figures-who-raised-awareness-of-the-environment
Main text
The narrative (Learning process/Stages of implementation)
1. First activity:
Students discover the forest wealth of Europe and their country.
Duration: 45 minutes.
Students are divided into groups and discover the national parks of Europe and Greece through Google Maps. The resource from the Europeana national-parks-of-europe portal is used as a reference.
They then present the results of their research to the class. They present their results in a digital table
They use a geophysical map of Europe and Greece. Vocabulary in English: the continents, the 4 climate zones, the names of Europe’s national parks using a dictionary.
I used the scenario from the Europeana website to introduce my students to the national parks of Europe and Greece, to raise awareness of the dangers that lurk and threaten the forests and thus the environment in which we live.
- Second activity:
The huge role of forests in dealing with the climate crisis
Duration: 45 minutes.
Students will be asked to watch some videos about forests, observe and note how trees survive and are affected by climate change.
Then they will work in groups to create a brainstorming cloud of ideas related to the topic we are working on at https://wordart.com/edit/cnbijxse6hed
Inspired by the resource from the Europeana Portal
green-through-time-four-historical-figures-who-raised-awareness-of-the-environment
- Third activity:
Interviewing a tree
Duration: 45 minutes
Students were asked to watch the videos and observe on google maps the Rhodope National Park and the Butterfly Valley located in Rhodes.
By watching the videos, students will be sensitized to environmental protection issues, learn about the various forest trees of our country, appreciate the importance of trees for human life and learn about the dangers that threaten forests. They will also develop their imagination by preparing an interview from a tree and become familiar with the formulation of ‘appropriate’ questions.
- Fourth activity:
Visit to the Valley of Butterflies
Duration: 3 hours
After that, the students will visit the Butterfly Valley near their area to connect more with nature and observe the structure of a tree.
The students visited the butterfly valley in Rhodes where, apart from acquiring basic knowledge about forests, recording and collecting information about them, they “awakened” their senses and their bodies by representing the trees or the whole forest. They also adopted their journalistic role during their stay in the valley, trying to gather as much information as possible in relation to it and its inhabitants. This may help the children to play their roles better later on, having the lived experience of this.
The interview included various topics in relation to the forest, such as: information about each tree, age, height, supply, what life in the forest is like, how it lives in the forest, how it lives with other organisms, what is the behaviour of visitors to the forest, conservation issues and legislation to protect the forest, what is the best season for the tree and why, what are its complaints from visitors, what advice the tree would give to visitors to the forest, a report of an incident that made the tree happy when people visited the forest, etc. etc. ‘When they returned to school they created a poster with the photos they took in the butterfly valley.
Also when we returned to school we planted trees in the schoolyard.
- Fifth activity:
Forests – Benefits and protection
Duration: 45 minutes
A forest is a complex ecosystem of plants, animals and abiotic elements, characterised by a high density of trees and covering a relatively large area. Forests and greenery in general are essential to our lives for the following reasons:
- They provide oxygen, timber and various other products
- They help to retain the soil – They provide habitat for plants and animals –
- They enhance the aesthetics of the peri-urban environment and the quality of life of people
- They are places where people can live
- Forests are preserved from the various threats to the biodiversity of the planet
The purpose of the Activity is for children to argue for the need to protect forests from various hazards based on the benefits they offer.
Students read the story from the print_story_tree and complete the worksheet
2. Outcomes (for you as an educator and for the students)
Learning outcomes for students
The activities of the first activity aim to introduce students to the forests of other European countries, to make them aware of the similarities and differences between the forests of different countries as a result of climatic and geomorphological conditions. To compare the threats to forests in different countries and to realise the importance of forests worldwide. Also to investigate the protection measures available for forests in different countries and compare them with the protective measures taken in our country in relation to them. They present their results in a digital table
By watching the videos of the second activity and doing the activities, students will understand that forests contribute to climate stabilisation. They regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, play an integral role in the carbon cycle and can help promote sustainable development. They will also understand that to maximise the climate benefits of forests we need to keep forest landscapes intact, manage them more sustainably and restore more of the landscapes we have lost. Halting the loss and degradation of forest ecosystems where it exists and promoting their restoration has the potential to contribute to one third of the overall climate change mitigation that scientists require by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
By watching the videos of the third activity, students will be sensitized to environmental protection issues, learn about the various forest trees of our country, appreciate the importance of trees for human life and learn about the dangers that threaten forests. They will also develop their imagination by preparing an interview from a tree and become familiar with the formulation of ‘appropriate’ questions
After the fourth activity in the valley, the students gained the experience of the interview. The interview included various topics in relation to the forest such as: information about each tree, age, height, supply, what life in the forest is like, how it lives in the forest, how it lives with other organisms, what is the behaviour of visitors to the forest, conservation issues and legislation to protect the forest, what is the best season for the tree and why, what are its complaints from visitors, what advice the tree would give to visitors to the forest, a report of an incident that made the tree happy when people visited the forest, etc. etc. ‘When they returned to school they created a poster with the photos they took in the butterfly valley.
The outcomes of the Fifth activity are the following:
- Understanding the interactions and interdependencies that govern the various organisms of the forest
- Awareness of the importance of the forest as a habitat and living space for the various living beings living in it
- Awareness of the wide variety of life forms present in the forest
- Awareness of the importance of protecting and conserving the forest as a habitat and living space for various organisms
As a teacher using Europeana resources in the teaching scenario, I gained many benefits such as:
1. Designing and implementing teaching scenarios about forests helps the teacher to deepen the subject matter and gain more experience in teaching related topics.
2. Interpersonal Skills: Communicating with students during the scenario develops the teacher’s skills in addressing learning needs and promoting classroom collaboration.
3. Personal Ambition and Satisfaction: The opportunity to share knowledge and love of forests with students can bring a special degree of satisfaction and achievement to the teacher.
4. Awareness and Influence.
Overall, the experience of teaching about forests is empowering for the teacher and helps to raise students’ awareness of the importance of conserving the natural environment.
Link to the learning scenario implemented: Τα δέντρα, η ζωή μας (EL-CUR-752) – Teaching With Europeana (eun.org)
Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.
CC BY 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Lusto – The Finnish Forest Museum.