Lesson activities: UNIT 1 and UNIT 2

UNIT 1Finding out about

global warming
Handouts 3. Explain to the pupils that in order to answer the
questions on their sheets they will need to collect
• Station Information information from each of the stations. Ask them to
Questions (one per group) organise the team so that at least one pupil visits
• Station Information each station and makes notes of the information
needed to answer the questions.
Sheets (one per class)
1. Organise the class into groups of four or five 4. Once they have completed their tasks and
pupils. Give each group a copy of the Station obtained their information in note form, each
Information Questions from the Climate Change pupil reports back to the group. Pupils then
Challenge Pack CD. seek to answer the questions together.

2. Place copies of the Station Information Sheets

from the Climate Change Challenge Pack CD
at seven stations around the room. The stations
should be labelled:

Station 1: Causes
Station 2: Effects on ice caps
Station 3: Effects on sea level
Station 4: Effects on water supply
Station 5: Effects on vegetation and animals
Station 6: Effects on weather
Station 7: Effects on health

UNIT 2 Journeys to school

The worldwide impact of global warming requires
massive, co-ordinated response by governments
and international organisations. A lot of the debate
concerns “solutions” on a scale that may seem to
dwarf the individual initiative and, at times absolve us
of the need to attempt to effect changes ourselves.
This is perhaps more so for pupils who may perceive
their role as passive as key decisions about their
lives are determined by their parents/guardians.
If pupils are encouraged to see themselves as
“agents of change” in their own lives, they develop
their self-esteem, sense of responsibility and
involvement. “Think Global, Act Local” means
adopting the outlook that says everyone can do
something to help solve the bigger problem. Pupil
journeys to school are a relatively small contributor
to global warming but they are one that pupils
have a say in.

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Lesson activities:
Activity 1
Prepare pupils by asking them to come to the lesson
knowing how far they live from the school. (Distances
can be calculated using an atlas or by using the
destinations function on http://maps.google.co.uk)
Find out how far pupils live from the school and ask
them to write the distance on a sticky note.
Tell them to colour code the sticky note:
Red = car
Blue = bus
Green = walk
Yellow = cycle.
Tell pupils that one corner of the classroom
represents the school and that the other is the
greatest distance anyone in the room has to travel
to school. Ask the pupil with the greatest distance
on their sticky note to stand in the further corner.
Explain to the pupils that there is a continuum line
between the two corners and they have to find their
correct position relative to everyone else in the class.
To do this they have to compare their distances with
one peer at a time. Pupils with the same or very
similar numbers should stand side by side at a right
angle to the main continuum line.
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UNIT 2
When they have arranged themselves ask them:
• Which appears to be the most common form
of transport?
• Have they noticed any relationships between
journey distance and mode of transport?
• What are the approximate distance ranges for
each mode of transport (e.g. walking 0.5km
to 1.7km)?
• Are there any overlaps?
(This can be replicated by drawing a large compound
histogram on the whiteboard and placing pupil sticky
notes at the relevant distances.)
• Explain that in terms of carbon walking and
cycling are emission free. Buses emit some
greenhouse gases but because they carry
many passengers the amount per journey per
passenger is low. Car journeys are by far the
worst way to get to school in terms of CO2.
• Q/A: Why don’t more students cycle to school?
• Take feedback and categorise the responses
e.g. distance, time, convenience, safety etc.
• Explain that surveys carried out by sustainable
transport charity Sustrans indicate that 45% of
UK pupils say they would rather cycle to school
but most don’t.
• Ask pupils to rank which they think are the
biggest barriers to cycling for pupils living within
a reasonable (e.g. 5km radius) distance from
the school.
NB In rural schools where distances to schools may
be longer, it is more likely that pupils living at great
distances or off school bus routes do have to travel
by car. Make it clear to pupils that walking or cycling
may not be possible for all but they are considering
the broader issue as well as the local.
Lesson activities:
Activity 2
Handout Case study:
Kesgrave High School
This school has a very high proportion of pupils
cycling to school. Before they read the case study
ask pupils to look out for factors to do with:
• increasing safety on the journey
• increasing safety in school
• increasing opportunities for cyclists
• reducing the space for cars
• boosting the image of cycling.
UNIT 2
Ask groups of pupils to find their top five reasons
why cycling is popular in the school. Write them on
five pieces of card or sticky notes.
Derive a class consensus for the top five overall.
Ask pupils to look again at these five most positive
factors and use a 1 (easy) to 3 (difficult) scale.
Mark in red pen on the cards.
Rank them again using a 1 (cheap) to 3 (expensive)
scale of likely costs (mark in blue pen).
Ask pupils how many of the factors could be
introduced into their own school in the future.
Which would be most effective, and which most
cost effective?
What else might be needed to get a similar scheme
into their own school?
Use a 5Ws (who, where, why, what, when?) question
writing exercise to encourage pupils to speculate
on the important questions that would need to be
asked and answered before a similar scheme in
their school could go ahead.
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Lesson activities:
Activity 3
Handout Sustrans School
Travel Plan checklist
Before the pupils read the Sustrans School Travel
Plan checklist, forewarn them that they will be
asked at the end to identify which steps in the plan
they think pupils could best support the school and
where there would need to be work with parents,
teachers and the senior team for additional support
and organisation.
Whilst some of the steps must necessarily include
higher authorities such as Governors and the Local
Authority, pupils can be actively involved in gathering:
• questionnaire evidence of current pupil data on
modes of transport, attitudes to travel by bike,
a “needs” analysis prior to pupils changing
current practice etc.
• video and photographic evidence of what traffic
is really like around school
• basic mapping of the facilities in school and
suggestions for future facilities
• map evidence of possible safer routes to school
from their homes using relevant mapping websites
to find out distances, off-main road routes etc.
– earth.google.com
– local.google.co.uk
– maps.live.com
NB Permission to conduct a survey and/or contact
parents should be obtained from the head teacher.
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UNIT 2
Sustrans School Travel Plan checklist
• a brief description of the location, size and type
of school
• a brief description of the travel/transport
problems faced by the school/cluster of schools.
(This should include all pupils’ travel needs:
journeys to and from school at normal start/finish
times, journeys to attend pre- and after-school
events and journeys made during the school day
to attend activities at other locations)
• the results of a survey to identify:
– how children currently travel to/from school and
– how they would like to travel to/from school
• clearly defined targets and objectives
• details of proposed measures
• a detailed timetable for implementation
• clearly defined responsibilities
• evidence that all interested parties have been
consulted; and
• proposals for monitoring and review.
Extension
Development of the class survey to a whole school
questionnaire along with mapping of school facilities
and devising safe routes to school are relatively
straightforward extensions of the initial lessons.
Top Tip: Make sure that your targets are SMART:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Realistic
T = Time-limited
and linked to the issues bulleted above. You should
assign tasks to individuals and mark clearly a target
date by when each stage should be ready.
Lesson activities: UNIT 3

UNIT 3 The home front

2. Teacher announces shock news – new research
Activity 1 shows that things are much worse and carbon
Handout My energy footprint emissions must be cut drastically. This means
a 100 unit cut must be made; what choices
1. Working as individuals or in groups, and using would they make?
the energy footprint handout ask pupils to
calculate the energy usage of a typical teenager 3. Q/A: How inconvenient/unpleasant would it be to
in a single day. Imagine they are asked to make be restricted to that degree?
a 20 unit cut in energy usage to help reduce a. What would you do to persuade people
emissions. What would they give up? to use less?
e.g. TV on in morning – 3 units?
b. How would you be fair?
c. Who might not be happy?
A LEAVING LIGHTS ON 6 HOURS 15 units
d. If it’s bad for you what would it be like
B WATCHING TV 1 HOUR 10 units for a whole region?
C HAVING A SHOWER 30 units
4. Key learning: Some of the decisions we may
D RECHARGING MOBILE 5 units
have to make will seem very unfair to someone,
E WASHING PLATES WITH but if we cannot rely on ever-increasing energy
30 units
A DISHWASHER because of its links to carbon emissions and
global warming we must do more with what
F DRINKING TEA/COFFEE AT HOME 5 units
we have got.
G BUYING VEGETABLES
15 units
IMPORTED FROM KENYA

H DRIVING TO SCHOOL 23 units

I BUS TO SCHOOL 7 units

J MICROWAVE MEAL 3 units

K HAVING A BATH 75 units

L WASHING UP BY HAND 5 units

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Lesson activities:
Activity 2
Handout Reducing the
energy footprint at home
Tell pupils they are going to find out about some
of the ways in which individuals can reduce their
energy footprint and ultimately reduce carbon
emissions. Explain that this is on a larger scale
and isn’t just about them but about their families
as well.
Use groups of 4–5 pupils to read through the
information on reducing the energy footprint of
the home. Assign sub topics such as design,
saving energy, garden and shopping. Each group
produces an A3 poster to inform others of the
best options for reducing the energy, which they
present to the class.
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UNIT 3
Activity 3
Handout Design the ideal
energy efficient citizen
The areas of potential solutions are broadened to
include transport and holidays in this audience and
purpose exercise. These may not be wholly under
pupil control or may not be an option for them yet,
but they should consider their opinions on family
and possible personal future actions.
1. Groups of 3–4 pupils read through the cards.
2. Groups have to pick a maximum of six attributes
that they think would be most important for a
truly energy conscious person to have.
Attributes on the cards are:
• Turn it off when not in use (lights, television,
DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc.).
• Turn down the central heating slightly
(try just 1 to 2°C).
• Turn down the water heating setting
(just 2°C will make a significant saving).
• Check the central heating timer setting –
remember there is no point heating the house
if everybody has left for work or school.
• Fill your dishwasher and washing machine with
a full load – this will save you water, electricity,
and washing powder.
• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need.
• Unplug your mobile phone as soon as it has
finished charging.
• Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly.
• Do your weekly shopping in a single trip.
• Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble
drying it.
Lesson activities: UNIT 3

• Go for a run rather than driving to the gym. 3. Ask groups to justify their choices and explain
how they reached their final decisions.
• Fit energy saving light bulbs.

• Install thermostatic valves on your radiators. 4. Explain that they have some blank cards to add
extra energy saving ideas gleaned from their
• Insulate your hot water tank, your loft and
earlier reading. If they add one extra idea they
your walls.
must explain how it would help the ideal citizen
• Limit your family to one holiday flight per year. reduce their personal footprint.
• 35% of heat generated in the house is lost
5. How might the choices change if energy
through the walls. Installing cavity wall insulation
prices soared?
could save up to £100 per year.

• By installing 180mm thick loft insulation you

could stop around 25% of your heating escaping
through the roof.

• Recycle your “grey” water.

• Replace your old fridge/freezer (15 years+) with

a new model with an energy efficiency rating
of “A”.

• Replace your old boiler with a new energy

efficient condensing boiler.

• Car share to work, or for the kids’ school run.

• Use the bus or a train rather than your family car.

• Try to buy clothes and products from closer

to home (buy less from distant lands such as
China and India).

• When on holiday hire a bicycle to explore

locally rather than a car.

• Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try

growing your own.

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Lesson activities: UNIT 4

UNIT 4 Home energy survey

Activity 1
Pupils to devise a questionnaire for their parents/
guardians on how they think they could save
energy in the home.
Activity 2
Ask pupils to devise a home energy monitoring
sheet or use the spreadsheet supplied on the CD to
calculate their home energy consumption (see below
for example). They could undertake limited tasks
such as looking at lighting and heating over one day.

To give you some ideas about which items to look

at in your home and some figures on how much
electricity some common items use look at the
spreadsheet on the CD with this pack.

Analysis of home electricity use (extract)

This should be completed as an individual

activity to allow for some variations in home
circumstances, permissions and to avoid any
possible embarrassments over costs.

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Lesson activities: UNIT 4

3. Now select another site and use their carbon

Activity 3 footprint calculator to work out your carbon
Calculating carbon footprints – figure for a year.

A web-based lesson a. Why do the figures for the two sites differ?

A carbon footprint is a convenient way of reflecting b. Which one do you think is the most reliable
upon how much impact each person, family or and why?
business has upon the production of greenhouse Hint: think about the categories of information
gases, measured in units of carbon dioxide. There are you had to supply. Were they just about
many “carbon footprint calculators” which try to sum energy used or the kind of methods in place
up the amount of carbon we create in our homes, to save energy?
schools, workplaces and travel.
4. All estimates can be wrong. Look back to your
They try to take into account a range of things that
predictions at the start. Which aspects of energy
could create CO2 such as the energy we use to heat
usage/carbon emission were left out of the
our homes, run our domestic appliances, the waste
web-based calculators and which should be
we recycle or don’t and the type of car we use to
added to make them more representative of
travel to school or work in. Whilst they don’t all give
your lives and homes?
the same picture they do help us question the way
we live and what we are prepared to do to actively
5. How might people’s attitudes to global warming
reduce our own contributions.
change if they all had to calculate their own
* REMEMBER the average carbon footprint for a carbon emissions?
home in the UK is thought to be between 6 to 9
tonnes of CO2 per year! 6. What if they had to pay additional tax for the
amount of extra carbon their homes and
1. Working in groups ask pupils to write down 10 travel emitted?
ways of using energy and creating carbon that
they think they might be asked to take into
account in the carbon footprint calculators (e.g. Alternative activities
how many air miles/year, house insulation, etc.).
Using a selection of the websites listed ask pupils to
calculate the carbon footprint of:
2. Select one of the carbon calculator sites on page
68 and, using the information collected for their • their last holiday
home energy survey, try to calculate their • their daily journey to school
carbon footprint.
• the daily journeys to school of the whole class.
a. Ask pupils to write down their estimated
carbon footprint in tonnes per year.

b. Is it more or less than the average?

c. Can they suggest why their figure differs

from the average UK figure?

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Lesson activities: UNIT 4

Websites
Global warming/climate change
http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/landing.asp?id=1278&gclid=CKKBxdmxoIcCFSNRQgodz0Mx5g
http://www.globalwarming.org/
http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/index.jsp
http://www.dar.csiro.au/capegrim/ghgasgraphs.html

Environment
http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/

Home
http://www.est.org.uk/
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.html
http://www.southampton-sustainability.org/carboncalc.htm
http://www.carbonneutral.com/pages/businesscalc.asp
http://www.climatecare.org
http://www.whatyoucando.co.uk/electricity_reduction_story

Travel (flights, cars etc.)

http://www.chooseclimate.org/flying/mapcalc.html
http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/
http://www.targetneutral.com/TONIC/index.jsp
http://www.eta.co.uk/tools/carcalcstart.asp

Schools
http://www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk/index.php?f=travel_plans.htm
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools/framework/framework_detail.cfm?id=37

Business
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/default.ct
http://www.carbonneutral.com/businesshome.asp
http://www.green-works.co.uk

Sites shown in green contain Carbon Calculator tools.

Websites last checked August 2007

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Lesson activities: UNIT 5

UNIT 5 Looking at industry

Royal Mail like any large organisation
is aware that with their delivery vehicles,
depots and offices requiring significant
amounts of energy throughout the year,
they have their part to play in the fight to
reduce carbon emissions. Royal Mail have
looked closely at their energy footprint
and decided to make it a lot smaller.
In fact they aim to be “carbon neutral” –
Handouts
• Case study: Royal Mail –
carbon neutral
• Options evaluation sheets
1. Pupils read through the case study information on
Royal Mail and identify up to 10 things they are
doing to reduce their carbon footprint.
2. Derive a whole class consensus as to the probable
advantages but also disadvantages of each method.

this means it will reach a point at which
greenhouse gas emissions from Royal
Mail have been assessed, reduced where
possible and the remaining non-reducible
emissions offset through high quality
renewable energy, energy efficiency or
forestry projects.
3. Explain that each method may be useful for other
companies to employ. They are going to evaluate
each method and rank it in terms of residual
positive/negative points (see table below and
evaluation sheet handouts).
4. Ask pupils to suggest any other method Royal Mail
might consider, bearing in mind what they have
read elsewhere in the pack or on websites (e.g.
office paper recycling, car pooling systems for
workers, incentives for those who cycle to work,
using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles etc.).

Instructions for pupils

To give a method of reducing a carbon footprint score first think of the possible benefits and give
them a ‘+’ score on the scale below:
+1 _______ +2 _______ +3 _______ +4 _______ +5
OK Good Very good

Then consider the possible negatives (e.g. Is it likely to be costly, difficult to maintain etc.) and give
it a ‘–’ score on the scale below:
–1 _______ –2 _______ –3 _______ –4 _______ –5
Not too bad Bad Very bad

You might end up with a score that says +3 (it has some real advantages) and -1 (there are few
drawbacks) – so the final score is +3 and -1 = +2
Or
Another proposal might score +3 (it has some real advantages) and –4 (there are some real
drawbacks) – so the final score is +3 and –4 = –1

Give the most positive final score the maximum rank of 1st and then rank the other methods in
order according to the final scores.

69