CLIL unit for ESO3 (Science). Human Beings and the Environment

TEACHER: Marina Hurtado, IES Alqázeres	CLASS/LEVEL: 3º ESO (MEC-British Council Programme)
SUBJECT AREA: SCIENCE	DIDACTIC UNIT TITLE: Human beings and the environment

Although the area is Science (Biology), instead of designing this unit with a sheer scientific focus, I will always approach it from either a social, cultural and/or linguistic point of view (or all) as such is my current duty and my role in the MEC-British Council Programme at my school.

LEARNING OUTCOMES/ EVALUATION CRITERIA

To understand the relationship between humans and the environment. To understand the need to respect the environment as a guarantee of our own survival. To learn about the natural resources that humans beings require. To understand that human activities have an impact on the natural environment which changes the quality of the latter. To appreciate the need to use energy efficiently and to save energy. To understand the various uses of water and the measures required to manage it correctly. To be aware of the main environmental problems today. To understand the problems associated with waste and know the different types and to describe how waste is managed. To accept that sustainable development is the best solution to maintain and improve the quality of life without destroying the environment. The learning objectives are directly connected to the evaluation criteria.

CONTENTS

Natural resources: the students will be aware of the need to appreciate natural resources and the need to use them appropriately. The efficient use of energy. The students will understand the importance of being a responsible consumer and of different ways of saving. Water, the source of life and its uses and management. Environmental problems. I will try to encourage an interest in reading, watching and understanding environmental topics. Waste. Waste management. Sustainable development and the environment.

ACTIVITY 3.1. LINK TO MY FILE

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q6Ao1FnZlwH0H8rpOfheYlx5ctnqSJhj/view?usp=sharing

SESSION 1.

WARMING UP: SPEAKING

1. Throw a ball around the room and use it to ASK QUESTIONS like What is something you like about the environment?

Ask students to define environment; ask students to name something that they do not like but they see it is happening in the environment. Ask more questions like: • Do you reuse, reduce and recycle? • Do you know what your carbon footprint is? • What is climate change? • Why are plastics a big problem? • Have you heard of Greta Thunberg before?

POSTER DESIGN

2. You are going to watch MAN, an animated film, by Steve Cutts two times. During the first time just focus on watching and understanding. Then, your teacher will give you an A3 sheet where while watching it for the second time, you must write down and/or draw all the ideas you see in the film in the shape of sun-rays (the sun will be the title you will choose for this short film whereas the rays will be the ideas that come to your mind while watching this video).

Teacher: Model an example with the class. At the end of the class, display the students' posters on the walls. A class discussion on CAUSE and EFFECT is also possible: Ask the students What does the word "effect" mean? Or What are the effects on plants, people, animals round the world who come into contact with dirty water? Ask the students to name a couple of causes (reasons why) the environment is becoming damaged; ask the students to name a couple of effects that this damage has on people, on animals or on the environment.

LINK TO THE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU&t=27s

OUTPUT SAMPLE: https://alqabritish.blogspot.com/2018/12/man-by-steve-cutts.html I have already put into practice these two activities and this was the result, if you wish to have a look.

SESSION 2

The students will be given a worksheet with a pre-listening, while-listening and a post-listening task.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

3. VOCABULARY: Greta Thunberg's speech at UN Climate Change COP24 Conference.

A. PRE-LISTENING. Preparation task: Match the words to their definitions

1. headlines 2. on behalf of 3. economic growth 4. biosphere 5. sacrificed 6. crisis 7. fossil fuels 8. equity 9. beg 10. run out of

a. be used up. b. ask someone earnestly or humbly for something. c. the quality of being fair or impartial. d. news stories important enough to appear on the front page of newspapers. e. any combustible organic material, as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived from the remains of former life. f. as a representative of (someone); (speaking) in place of or for someone. g. a turning point in a situation. h. destruction of something important for the sake of something having higher claim. i. gradual increase in the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and goods and services. j. the part of the earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.

B. WHILE-LISTENING. Now watch the video and answer some comprehension questions.

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkQSGyeCWg (Greta Thunberg's speech at UN Climate Change COP24 Conference)

Comprehension questions will be included in the same worksheet as the vocabulary activity.

C. POST-LISTENING. CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING. Explain the following sentences using your own words.

1. you are never too small to make a difference you are never too small to make a difference.
2. the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake.
3. Our civilisation is being sacrificed for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money.
4. It is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few.
5. Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what it's politically possible, there is no hope.
6. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis.

D. FOLLOW UP

Using the text-to-speech application available at: http://www.ttsdemo.com/ some questions will be posed:

What do you do to improve the world? Did you know about Greta Thunberg and the students' movement? How big do you think is your own carbon footprint? What can you change to improve the world? What can governments do? Do you think plastic can become part of the food chain and enter our bodies too? Can you think of different ways to avoid plastic at home and recycling and reusing plastic?

Fast-finishers can work on a vocabulary activity that can be designed at https://www.wordsmyth.net/ This activity could be used as a good filler at any point during the development of the unit.

SESSIONs 3, 4 and 5

Gallery Walk¹

1Based on the directions and ideas provided at www.theteachertoolkit.com

The students will be actively engaged on the theoretical framework of the unit as they walk throughout the classroom. They will be working together in small group (six groups of four students each) to share knowledge and respond to meaningful questions and problem-solving situations. STEP 1. Six stations will be created, one per theoretical content: STATION 1. Natural resources and the need to use them appropriately. STATION 2. The efficient use of energy. STATION 3. Water, the source of life and its uses and management. STATION 4. Environmental problems. STATION 5. Waste and waste management. STATION 4. Sustainable development and the environment. STEP 2. The students will be grouped into six teams. Each group should start at a different station. The students will provide from home the following materials: Images, documents, problems, or quotes that may be used to mark the stations and illustrate the theoretical points covered. That will be HOMEWORK. The teacher will prompt six questions/prompts about the current unit: Human Beings and the Environment. You can use the template provided at: theteachertoolkit.com (http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/uploads/documents/Gallery_Walk_template_sec.docx) or you could design your own worksheet with a quiz, for instance. These questions will be placed in the different stations around the classroom that have already been created. STEP 3. The students must gather all the information about their station using the book and/or some extra information from the internet, so we will need the laptop for this session. They can later display the information in the output of their choice: it could be a poster, an infograph, different cards, etc. At least one full session should be devoted to this step. At the stations, groups will read what is posted and one recorder should write the group's responses, thoughts, and comments on the worksheet provided. STEP 4. After a few minutes in a station, the teacher must ask the students to rotate to the next station, until all groups have visited each station. To involve all group members, the teacher can have groups switch recorders/readers at each station. The teacher will be monitoring the stations while the students are actively involved in them. STEP 5. The students go back to their first station to read all that has been added. STEP 6. The teacher must bring the class back together to discuss what was learnt and make final conclusions about what they saw and discussed.

OUTPUT SAMPLE: https://alqabritish.blogspot.com/2019/04/gallery-walk-in-history-class-eso1.html I have recently put into practice a modified version of this gallery walk in the History class and this was the result, if you wish to have a look.

SESSION 6

FOLLOW UP AND EVALUATION

Each group will create an interactive quiz on kahoot (https://kahoot.com/ ), as an informal assessment in which the students will be aware of their own knowledge acquisition as well as the impact of that knowledge on the rest of the group.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Some food for thought

Watch the following video: The Man Clearing 9,000 Tons of Trash From Mumbai's Beaches at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtGsdiYdObQ&feature=youtu.be

After watching the video, discuss these questions in pairs What is your real level of compromise with the environment? Would you accept a cleaning-nature challenge? Will you post it on your social media? Would you go on strike asking for action on climate change? Why/why not?

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Marina Hurtado Alvarado