Sustainable Development

Student teachers must

• Embrace locally and globally the educational and social values of sustainability, equality and justice and recognise the rights and responsibilities of future as well as current generations.
• Value as well as respect social, cultural and ecological diversity and promote the principles and practices of local and global citizenship for all learners.
• Demonstrate a commitment to engaging learners in real world issues to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, and to encourage learning our way to a better future.

(Standard for Provisional Registration with GTCS, benchmark 1.1)

During your eight serial days, you should gather this information, by observing, speaking to class teachers and other colleagues, interacting with learners, reading school policies, and any other appropriate activities. You should consider and identify the most appropriate ways(s) to record this information.

• Mapping of school grounds/area.
• Evidence of existing engagement with sustainable education within the school such as garden area, recycling bins, litter picking ‘wardens’, bird boxes, and so on.
• Consideration of actual play space for children and its suitability.
• Discussion with children on these aspects of sustainable education.

 

After observing the environment and having discussions with the children and staff around the school, as well as having a look at school documents and policies in relation to sustainable education, I have learned about and seen the activities the school carries out for the children, gathered information about the resources the school uses and been shown first-hand how the school promotes sustainable development within education.

Firstly, the children were able to tell me a lot about what they do to be sustainable within the school. They informed me that they are an eco-school and that they have achieved the green flag award. They told me that they enjoy learning about the environment and what they can do to help.

The children informed me about their eco committee and what roles they play in it. The committee is mostly all child led with minimal adult involvement. The children are responsible for accessing their environment and coming up with ways to improve it. They hold meetings at least once every two weeks and aim towards maintaining/ improving areas and aspects within their school. For example, the garden area, recycling and maintaining the bug hotels and grassy areas. The eco committee involve the whole school and give the whole school a voice in what happens in the running of these areas and other aspects of sustainability within the school.

Secondly, the children took me on a tour around the school where they showed me the play areas, places where they plant flowers and some small vegetables and other various areas such as litter bins, bird boxes and recycling bins. There are also litter pickers at lunchtime, who work in rotation each term to help the janitor pick up stray litter around the grounds of the school.

The children then showed me around the infant area of the school first. Here, there is a garden area which promotes messy play, there are different materials situated here for the children to experience, such as, leaf covered areas, grass, bark/woodchip and mud/soil. There is also a garden shed and hedge tunnels for the children to learn about the outdoors as well as a bug hotel to learn about insects and small creatures.

Next, the children showed me where they play during interval and lunch time. The play space is very vast and diverse for the children. There is both large concrete and grassy areas fir the children to play on. All children have access to the play areas. The concrete areas are where the children usually play sports and games. The staff around the school also told me of the trim trail that the school has around the concrete. However, this is very popular with all classes within the school and the school is very big. Because of this, there is a timetable to ensure all classes have time to use the trim trail. In my personal experience within the school, I haven’t seen many children playing on the grass. I didn’t find out why this was the case. The only reason I can assume is the weather making the grass slippery and sludgy for the children to play on which puts them off playing on the grass.

Lastly, the children showed me around the other parts of the school. They showed me the litter bins, both in and outside of the school. As well as this, they told me that every class has a blue recycling bin which the children empty into a bigger paper bin twice a week.

In the dining area, the children have a general waste bin and a food recycling bin. The school promotes two ‘eco warriors’ each term and they are in charge of making sure that the children are disposing of their food and other material correctly within the dining hall.

Throughout the school, the children were eager to tell me more about what they do. They told me that they enjoy keeping the school tidy as it looks better and its better for the environment as there is not any rubbish lying around. They also like the idea of planting some of their own vegetables and plants because it is fun to do and they taste and look very nice. Some classes have the opportunity and responsibility of growing and maintaining small plants within their classroom such as cress and rapeseed.

Whilst on my serial days, the class also went on a trip related to sustainable development where they were learning about energy and growing plants for food and crops. The children were so engaged with the activities and were keen to answer any questions about the topics. After the trip, I also asked what they had learned and if they had enjoyed the trip. The majority of the class said that they were more informed about the topics and could realize why learning about these topics were important. For example, pupils said that they know now that energy won’t keep coming unless we are careful with it. They now had a better understanding of how we get electricity and energy etc. The class said that they want to learn more about this type of stuff and carry out more of these activities (indoors and outdoors) in school because it was fun and exciting.

Here is a map of the school grounds, this was created using Digimap.

Sustainable Development- Diversity

The last input of the module was focussed on the topic of Diversity. We looked at diversity in terms of bio-diversity and cultural diversity. Bio-diversity is the diversity in terms of different genetics, different species and different ecological aspects and how they all depend on each other to survive and evolve.

Learning Log

This week when learning about diversity, I was surprised to learn just how much everything depends on each other around us. For example, I had never thought about the decline and change that would occur if one piece of an environment or one species were to become extinct. For example, I had never thought about what would happen if coral were to die out in the ocean, I had never really thought about what would happen to the species that lived there or what impact the destruction of coral would have on the other aspects of the ecosystem such as the water and plants.
In terms of bio-diversity, I feel that I now have more of an appreciation for the world around us and will now think more openly and carefully about the impact that some actions may have on the eco-systems and species around us.

Cultural Diversity

This is diversity in the respect of different religions, cultures, morals and knowledge, as well as many other factors. Cultural diversity is something that I have thought about frequently due to recent cases of terrorism and debates about religion and culture but I had never really thought about the importance of cultural diversity. For example, I had never really thought about the range of aspects and knowledge that different cultures and ethnicities can bring to our own culture and country. Not only this, the diversity and knowledge that it can bring into schools.
In schools, children could learn about culture and diversity through different activities and topics such as different countries, festivals, languages as well as our own here in Scotland. I would have the class explore these topics through having wall displays, books, guest speakers and through exposing them to different parts of the culture such as real food and clothes. I feel that by having these sorts of activities and lessons, it will be easier for children to develop an integrated view of cultures in the sense that there does not need to be an ‘us’ and ‘them’ view but rather a view of looking at the differences in cultures but realising that we are all the same because we are all human beings with the same rights. If children are exposed to and know their rights from an early age, I think that they are much more likely to become involved in their classroom rules and have a much more open view to other cultures because they will realise that we all have the same rights.

Learning Log
This week in the module, we were learning about energy and how we use energy. We also discussed issues such as, how long finite sources will last us as well as looking to the future when these sources run out or become scarce. We then looked at other forms of energy such as wind, solar, wave and nuclear.
As a class, we then moved on to the two workshops of the day. Firstly, we took part in a science workshop which showed different experiments and activities that we could use to teach children about energy in the future. This included experiments which related to all the different types of energy.
From this workshop, I feel that I have developed skills in relation to skills as a future teacher. Through this workshop, I feel that I have developed more in the skill of organisation and creativity. I feel this way because I feel that after today, I have a better understanding of how I would set these activities up and how I could ensure that they ran smoothly through stations instead of whole class activities. I also feel that I have developed in creativity because I now have a better understanding of activities I could not only use, but how to implement them into different areas of the curriculum and of how to change parts of them to suit learners needs and skills.

Secondly, we had the opportunity to take part in a workshop which involved debating. We had to look at different sources about wind energy and pick out the key points and the positives and negatives of it. The class the split into two teams to debate, a for and against team. This task developed my skills mostly as a learner. I found that I have developed my skill of critical thinking/critical literacy because I was reading a text that I would normally struggle with and was able to make connections between the key points and the positive and negatives of the subject. I feel that I have also developed in confidence from the input because I was able to talk in front of people and contribute to the group about a subject I was not familiar with at all. Before this, I normally wouldn’t have had the confidence to contribute much about something I didn’t really know about due to feeling that I would look stupid or that my points would be automatically invalid but I have realised that this is not the case and that even if information is not totally accurate, I should still contribute to a group because they will most likely help me and support me.

Week 2- directed study task
I was absent from the second week of them theme, however, my peers have informed me of the learning involved and also the task that was set. This week, the class were learning about STEM Teaching (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). This was delivered from a guest speaker from Onthank Primary School who is interested in STEM Teaching. The class informed me that the guest speaker talked about the importance and encouragement of making mistakes in order to build confidence in learning and in personal skills.
For the practical task, the class were challenged with making an anemometer and then delivering a lesson plan as though they had taught this lesson to a class. Although I did not take part in this task, I feel that the skills that could be developed through it could be initiative to read about STEM Teaching if not already known about, risk taking, lesson planning and a willingness to learn and resilience to and allowing mistakes.

Sustainable Development- Natural Disasters

For the past two weeks, we have been focussing on natural disasters in the Sustainable Development module. I thought that I knew quite a bit about natural disasters, however, after sitting in the inputs for two weeks, I have since discovered that this is not the case.

In the first week of the topic, we looked at what natural disasters actually were. We were looking at types of natural disasters which I thought I had a relatively good understanding of, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanoes. We then began to look at other aspects that come with natural disasters such as response and preparation, government involvement and case studies/differences in countries.

I was very surprised to see how much preparation goes into preparing for a natural disaster. This is something I had never really thought about before and so I do feel that I have a better understanding of this crucial part of the topic after further research and learning about it in class. We also looked at two different case studies that used different preparation strategies with very different outcomes. I always thought that different parts of the world just got these disasters worse than others but after these workshops I have come to discover that this is not the case. Infact, it depends on how well prepared a country is before and during these disasters what the outcome of the country will be.

We also looked at teaching this topic and if we would feel comfortable teaching this to primary school children. I feel that children do need to learn about this topic to inform them about current news issues and for the future in general but in a controlled and safe way. I think that the material we use needs to be appropriate for the age group and must be child friendly, e.g- not using pictures of dead bodies or talking excessively about death rates etc.

Another activity we looked at in a workshop during this topic was implementing this into the curriculum. We looked at different types of experiments that we could carry out in the classroom which was very interesting. We looked at using baking soda and vinegar to create a replica of a volcano exploding lava, making fossils out of clay and using maps to locate where different disasters occur. These experiments and activities can be used in cross curricular activities such as writing about volcanoes, labelling parts of a hurricane, writing news reports about a disaster and so on.

 

For our directed study task, we were asked to create a presentation to present to the other groups in our section. I wasn’t looking forward to doing this but once I had done it I felt better and even during it I felt quite confident presenting to the class which I was surprised about. I also found it interesting to learn about the other groups finding on other natural disasters.

Learning Log

Before this topic I thought I knew mostly all I needed to know about natural disasters but I have changed my view on this substantially. I would like to teach this in a class but I would be very careful to approach it in a way that is suitable for the age level. I feel that children would gain a lot because the topic is so cross curricular. I feel that a skill I have improved upon during this topic is the skill of time management because we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the presentation we were asked to do. I did manage but I did have to manage my time very effectively which is something I will have to carry with me into my career as things can be thrown at us without warning. I think that the task benefited me as a result even though it was a bit of a struggle at the time. Overall, I have enjoyed learning more about this topic.

Over the last two weeks we have been learning about interdependence. Interdependence is the way that two or more living species, things or organisms rely on one another to grow and flourish (Phalhelke,2009).

This topic was delivered and taught very different that usual to us. For this input we had the opportunity to visit two very different farm in Mauchline and Tarbolton. The first farm we visited was a farm that was recently developed/built with very modern features. The second was an organic farm that used more old school methods to look after the cows. Both farms were similar in the sense that the cows are kept indoors and that they were both ethically and positively involved involved in the farming process, the organic farm

Farm 1- Stranhead Farm (modern farm)

This was the first farm the group visited. The farm is very modern with robotic machines carrying out the majority of the work. The cows on this farm are not allowed outside and are fed the same diet every day. The cows do live comfortably and have a rather luxurious life because they get to choose when they eat, sleep, lay down, get milked and so on. The state of the art technology allows the farmers to detect any problems straight away with the cows. This technology allows the farm to be less hands on while still generating a great profit and still be sustainable. The other farm is a lot more hands on as it doesn’t have any fancy equipment. The cows are milked at certain times of the day.I liked this type of farming better from a personal opinion because I think that the cows have a better quality diet and lifestyle.

Here is some of the pictures of the first farm.

 

Here is some of the pictures of the second farm.

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It was interesting to see how different these two farms are but yet they still make great profits and are both sustainable with the way they run and operate their farms. I thought that this was a great way to introduce this topic as it was very hands on and actually getting to visually see for ourselves. I am now beginning to see where the topics link instead of thinking of them as all separate issues.

 

Directed study task

This week we were asked to read about Sustainable Seas. I was very shocked to find that there is so much over fishing going on in the seas. I found this topic very interesting and something I would never have really thought of engaging with.

We created a info graph as group surrounding this topic. Here is the link below.

https://studentmailuwsac-my.sharepoint.com/personal/b00302615_studentmail_uws_ac_uk/_layouts/15/download.aspx?docid=02bedda05a7154f27aa1352e7dad5ed89&authkey=AYBWrwMlE89q493uFULMXsw&expiration=2017-12-19T12%3a33%3a37.000Z&slrid=5fcf269e-7018-4000-9693-ad8ae0018ef9

I found this activity very engaging as it allowed us to work together where we haven’t had to really before in this topic. I would love to do this sort of activity with a class of my own in the future. Perhaps with p5-7 ages. I think that this software/programme could be used with almost any topic and it is a fun way for children to work on in groups or on their own.

I think it would help develop skills such as communication,confidence within themselves and with using technology, teamwork skills,patience and many more.

Overall,a great two weeks and I look forward to learning more about this topic in my own time.

 

References

Pahelke, R. (2009) Introduction to Sustainable Development: Globalization, Interdependence and Sustainability. UNESCO ELOSS [online] Accessed 26th October 2017

 

Continue reading Interdependence- Learning Log →

Over the past 2 weeks in the module,we have been learning about climate change and the impact that this is having in the world we live in. For the directed study Task, we had three tasks to complete. Here they are below.

Task 1- Carbon Footprint Task

I found this task very interesting and engaging as I had never actually thought about my carbon footprint before, or even knew what it was in great detail. I was very pleased to see that I have a low score in my carbon footprint.

I also found that the breakdown of my carbon footprint was useful as I can improve on what I am doing in my everyday life to lower my score even further. For example, I will try to use more locally source food when I can and try to use more sustainable ways of energy, such as energy saving light bulbs.

 

 

Task 2- Carbon Footrpint Toolkit

I found this task excellent as it shows many resources that can be shared with children to improve their knowledge of the issues of climate change and carbon footprint in a child friendly way. It is an excellent way to incorporate different subjects such as science and maths but also how to incorporate other subjects such as geography and business studies together. It was brilliant to see such an interactive website for both teacher and pupil that is pitched at so many levels for children and so is easy to niavigat around it whilst providing children with knowledge that is important. It is also an interesting and fun way to deliver this information to children.

 

Task 3 – Antarctica on the Edge

After watching the video, I picked out the key facts and points.

1)Antarctic and Southern Oceans influence the whole of global weather systems and currents. Antarctica is the largest source of new water in oceans.

2) Merts glacier 2010- around 75×35 km ice chunk broke off knot the ocean and dramatically changed the flow of ice and exposed ocean floors to study for the first time.

3) The scientists discovered a huge underwater cavern underneath a glacier where the sea water was warmer than expected Anderson there was unusual evidence of melt(rotten) which was not expected.

4)warmer currents are no where flowing further towards Antarctica. Melt seen here will contribute more than a meter to sea level in this century and 13m over the next 500 years.

5) unexpected bubbles were found 7m in the glacier school contained salt water. Meaning that warmer ocean currents are weakening glaciers underneath.

6)in the Balloney Islands further east, It was discovered that animals store carbon dioxide in their shells and end up getting buried in rocks/mud/sea bed when they die. Entire skeletons of some creatures are made up totally of carbon. These creatures are providing small amounts of balance when fossil fuels are burned.

7)over the last 100 years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen dramatically, mostly because of execesive burning of fossil fuels.

8) creatures found will be preserved and their DNA will be analysed to give detailed data about their distribution in diversity.

9) explored sea floor at 900m, found strange activity between sea star and fish, sea stars ate fish which is unusual. 10 examples of Thisbe behaviour logged which is important for understanding climate change.

10) all the carbon which is contained in the fish is transported to the bottom of the ocean and buried there.

11) On scott Island, lychen and moss grow in cracked volcanic rocks. The scientists discovered a mite never seen there before which suggests species are travelling and evolving.

12) less than 1% Antarctica is ice free.

13) on Mount Siple, there weer a colony of Adeli penguins found. This colony were flourishing but to the east of this colony it is a different story. The area I see warming faster than any place on Earth Andy the penguins are moving south for colder habitats and there breeding habit such are upset.

14) there is dramatic evidence of climate change as the sea ice is changing in distribution and pattern, sea ice is warming, glaciers are retreating and optic sea ice is at its lowest yet known.

15) we need to be concerned about the future and global warming. We need to act now as there is  not much time to postpone action The the future.

16) there is overwhelming evidence that the planet is warming and that climate change isn’t posing a threat to the sustainability of life on earth. We all need to accept the problem and take action.

 

My own answers and realisations.

1) I knew that climate change was a thing and that carbon dioxide was causing many problems for the environment but I never realised how much it was causing problems to our wildlife and eco systems. As well as our waters.

2) I could do a bit more for the environment, for example I could stop leaving my to in over night before I go to sleep and I couldn’t recycle more, I don’t normally bother to recycle and I have now realised how much this is affecting the environment through my small part of laziness. This would in turn stop a small part of global warming which leads to the effects that I seen in the video, which in turn effects not only places around the world that are no where near me but my hometown aswell.

3) some of the tips I have learned is to be more effective with thing a I am buying and places I go to. For example, I should think before, I buy certain products, if I really need them or am I just buying them for the sake of it. I could also walk to certain places rather than get the bus or train if it is within walking distance which would help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

4) as a society, we all need to do our part and thing not just of the wider community but of the wider world and the effects that our actions now are affecting people all over the world. We also need to change our actions for the future generations as we are destroying our own planet for future generations. If we don’t improve as a society, things will only get worse for ourselves, others around us and the environment. We need to start thinking of the people and things around us another just ourselves anymore.

 

 

 

 

The Environment

 

The first two weeks were focused on learning about the environment. This included learning about the environment in general and also about our urban environment. In the lecture we learned about sustainability and why this is important for our environment and. We also learned about the benefits of teaching sustainability in a classroom setting to children. Sustainability is when we try to use the resources we have at a balanced level or reasonable rate. “The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations.”

(Scottish Government, 2010, p. 4)

Sustainability is important to help our global eco systems and help improve our living standards for the future. If we are not sustainable enough we will not be able to carry on living using the amount of resources, we are using currently. “The disproportionate overuse of resources by industrialised nations has raised living standards in many countries but at a huge cost to the health of the Earth’s living systems”

(Scottish Government, 2012, p.6)

 

There are many benefits to sustainability/sustainable development. This includes health benefits, better use of resources, environmental improvements, relevant education etc.

 

Workshop 1

In the first workshop, we were outside and exploring the Japanese garden which is in the university grounds. In this workshop we were asked to take identify different trees and leafs in our environment and take tree and leaf rubbings. We were then carrying out some activities which involved analysing snails and looking at food chains. These activities were very fun and engaging. I also felt a bit more informed about the environment and how some of the environment around us works in harmony with each other such as the animals in the environment.

Workshop 2

In this workshop we were outside for the two hours. I particularly enjoyed this activity as I was learning a bit more about the environment that I was normally exposed to. For example, I didn’t realise that there were many different types of lichen and to start with I didn’t actually know there was a name for it. I liked looking for different types of leaves, trees and animals as it was quite relaxing to just have a wander around during our sensory walk and enjoy the space and environment we were working in. It was also very nice to be outside learning rather than in a classroom all day.

 

 

In general, we learned more about the environment we live in by having an opportunity to learn outside. On a personal level over the two weeks, I have learned more about my environment as I have been paying more attention to what I can see around me. I have noticed more things in my environment such as different types of trees, animals and birds etc. For example, I have noticed that there are different trees such as, birch trees, cherry blossom trees and elm trees in my area, whereas before, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to this. I have found this topic very interesting and eye opening as it has allowed me to engage much more with my own environment and actually allow myself to experience the nature that is around me instead of immediately disregarding my environment because it is considered drear with not many good things about it. Before I started this module, I never really appreciated the environment and never really thought that there was anything exciting or great about it but I have now begun to change my perspective on this.

 

During these two weeks, I have allowed myself to be more engaged with my environment and what is in it. I have begun to notice what is around me more and have been trying to appreciate what is there more. I have also realised how important this kind of learning will be for children in a primary school as it is very important for them to learn about the outdoors, even if this is just going for a walk around the school grounds. This also relates to primary education as activities like this could be used for all ages and will keep children engaged and focussed on what they are learning, perhaps without even realising they are learning. It will also give children a better insight and more appreciation to their environment.

 

References

Scottish Government (2010) Learning for Change Report. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

Scottish Government (2012) Learning for Sustainability: The  Report of the One Planet Schools Working Group. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

 

 

Useful resources for learning/primary teaching

Woodland trust website

Stevenston is a town which makes up an area called ‘The Three Towns’. This is made up of Stevenston,Ardrossan and Saltcoats. I live in stevenston and so will mainly focus on that in this post but I will refer to the other two towns at some points aswell.

Stevenston is situated on the west coast of Scotland and has a population of 135900 people (2016 census). In Stevenston/The Three Towns there are mainly roads which are main roads leading to other surrounding towns/by passes and retail parks. There are not many green spaces except from a few parks and fields but the fields are directly next to main roads, are private land or are being turned into new houses. However, there are a lot of beaches in my environment. I really like the fact that there are a lot of beaches because it provides a place to have a bit of peace when you need it rather than the noise coming from the roads and busy streets.

The houses in my environment are mostly semi detached/ detached or four in a block flats. I live in a four in a block flat which I don’t really like about my area because of the noise from other neighbours/surrounding houses. Most buildings in the area are very close together and are mainly very old, however,recently there has been some renovation work on some old buildings and there is currently some new houses/buildings under construction near/in green spaces. This is related to the Peri-urban space.

The main modes of transport in my area are buses,trains and walking. I would say, based on personal experience that most people use cars and buses on an every day basis. This causes some problems due to heavy road traffic especially in the mornings and evenings. Buses are often extremely late and roads are often so busy it’s almost impossible to cross roads at certain times of the day. However, when running according to schedule, the buses and trains are very frequent and useful to get to certain places such as Glasgow and Edinburgh as there are direct trains/bus links to these places. Walking is also a regular mode of transport for many people in The Three Towns. I think this is because of the poverty in the area as many people cannot afford to drive or have never had the opportunity to learn how to drive. This is a benefit to the environment as his reduces air pollution. The air pollution in North  Ayrshire is considered low, at a rating of 3.

There are a lot ofwork places and a variety of community places and shops in my area. There are many chain shops such as supermarket and clothing stores but there are also many indeoendent businesses such as takeaway hops, hairdressers, dairy farms(in surrounding areas) and pubs. In terms of community spaces, there are 12 primary schools and 3 secondary schools,  3 community centres which provide clubs such as brownies and scouts. Finally, there are some but not many recreational sites. This includes a golf course,libraries and a leisure centre. I wouldn’t say there are many job opportunities in my environment in terms of jobs that allow you to move forward in a career. It is also very hard to find a job as most buisnesses are independent and do not require many staff. In the other hand there isn’t a lot of communication in the environment through these businesses and schools because there are a lot of people using the same facilities.

As you can see from the images above, there is a variety of land such as buildings and businesses but there is some green spaces. The problem is, a lot of the green spaces cannot be accessed as it is private land.

Ted Talk

1) Urbanisation can be seen to have impacted the world in a negative light due to violence and crime,extensively in south countries such as Mexico and African Countries. This could be due to growth in these countries at a rapid speed. I also gathered from watching the ted talk that this could be due to age,gender,lack of structure in life and life experiences. For example. Life expectancy is lower in a lot of urbanised countries that are associated with being violent. Life experiences could also encourage violence and crime in urban areas as a lot of people in these areas have lost parents at a young age,had a lack of education, are related to gang culture and have had experiences with alcohol and drugs in early life due to parents or self exposure to these substances.

2) I think urbanisation has increased dramatically because of the need for more affordable living costs I think that a lot of people move to urban areas rather than rural areas because of living costs and convenience. I believe that many people can afford to buy or rent a house more easily as living costs are more affordable in urban areas bacuase of smaller houses which then reduces the cost of living expenses such as gas and electricity as there isn’t a need to spend as much on a space that may not be needed. Also, there is more convenience of more shops and supermarkets etc in an urban environment that a rural environment and so money would be saved on travelling and cheaper shopping. It is also more convenient to get to places such as neighbouring cities or certain places in an urban area rather than a rural area.

3) EU policies are trying to encourage countries/cities to become more sustainably efficient by using what resources there country/area has to offer. In doing this countries are co-operating with EU policies and are contributing towards the goal of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

P5 Urban Environments Task

In terms of planning an activity for a P5 class, I would perhaps develop it into a term topic. But for an initial lesson/day lessons. I would take the class out on a walk around there environment, such as the surrounding areas around the school and ask them to list the things they like/dislike about their environment, what they notice,I.e, smells, textures, what they see etc.

After this, I would then get them to research or provide them some materials about the history of their town and environment and get them to explore the differences and consistencies in the materials. They would then be asked to write a short story/draw a picture about what they saw/are surprised at etc. This way they are learning about the history’s of their environment and realising that the environment around them is always changing.

As a term topics, I could follow on I could also ask what they see whilst coming to school/how they get to school etc. And then carry on by teaching them about population, air pollution and other activities related to environment and so on.

I can compare and contrast a society in the past with my own and contribute to a discussion of the similarities and differences.

SOC 2-04a

Having explored my local area, I can present information on different places to live, work and relax and interesting places to visit.

SOC 2-10a

I can discuss the environmental impact of human activity and suggest ways in which we can live in a more environmentally- responsible way.

SOC 2-08a

Resources used

http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc134_c/index.html

Google maps satellite view

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