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OzonAction Education Pack

A Guide for Primary School Teachers

Elementary

Description

The ESD resource aims at educating students about the protective role of the ozone layer and the causes and consequences of its depletion. Through a variety of practical, hands-on activities students learn concrete and simple solutions to help protect the ozone layer and ways to safely enjoy the sun. The classroom activities teach students simple protection steps they can take to help reduce their UV health risks and from the harmful effects of the sun. Teachers can choose the activities amongst those suggested according to their time schedule and their teaching environment.

Activities include:

  • using an UV meter to experiment and observe the presence of invisible UV rays and their intensity
  • learning to use the UV Index as an informational tool
  • brainstorming about human activities and common products that can be harmful to the ozone layer
  • writing a short text describing their town/village 50 years from now
  • evaluating the average time they spend in the sun per day
  • identifying the actions they can take to protect the ozone layer
  • looking for ozone-friendly products at the local market or at the grocers’ shop
  • learning how to communicate in a familiar environment on ozone layer depletion and preventive measures
  • talking about what can protect them from UV rays and learn about the sun protection rules
  • designing and creating a protective hat for a friendly competition

Each unit contains all the background information needed to implement the corresponding lesson as well as various teaching ideas/activities.  The Guide also proposes suggestions for setting an Ozone and Health Action Plan at school, aimed at student’s direct participation in a school project for collective and individual responsibility toward the ozone layer and health protection.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • communicate ideas and information to a specific audience
  • conduct experiments
  • make observations
  • record information

Strengths

  • Teachers can choose the activities amongst those suggested according to their time schedule and  teaching requirements.

  • Even though the Education Pack is targeted to primary school students in general, some activities are appropriate for higher levels.

  • Each lesson clearly states its learning outcomes, describes the activity and identifies the materials needed and preparation required.
  • The resource is well organized and appealing.
  • The resource allows teachers to meet curriculum expectations through engaging and environmentally-focused learning activities.
  • The resource contains detailed background information for the teacher and students.
  • Links to resources on the web are provided.
  • The activities are age-appropriate and can be adapted for other levels.

 

Weaknesses

  • Lack of ready to use rubrics for assessment
  • Lack of accommodations for students with learning difficulties.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

  • Ozone Depletion

Human Health & Environment (2)

  • Environmental Contaminants & Health Hazards
  • Health Promotion

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

  • The resource aims to increase knowledge, build positive attitudes and values, enhance skills and provide support for a responsible and healthy lifestyle. The resource presents different points of view to encourage and participate in ozone protection along with self protection from the sun.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

  • The resource presents the environmental, social and  health issues related to ozone layer depletion.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good
  • The resource aims at providing young students with the means to understand that they can both help prevent ozone layer depletion and adapt themselves to its potential for adverse health effects by being sun-safe.
Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

  • The resource provides the Ozone and Health Action Plan at School which is aimed at encouraging students to demonstrate their understanding of the issues related to ozone layer depletion. Through student’s direct participation to reach out to other members of the school and their families, ozone action planning can help students develop a sense of ownership of their own environment and reinforce sun protection behaviours.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Satisfactory
Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered
  • Not considered in this resource.
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Good
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

  • The resource provides concrete solutions concerning how to be protected from the sun and adapt oneself to increased levels of UV radiation.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good
  • The activities are based on a wide range of educational methods from opening discussions and debates to experimentation and observation, field research, writing and reading, creativity, role playing and games. Many activities encourage interaction and students’ participation.
Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Satisfactory
  • Science
  • Health
  • Social Studies
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

  • The activities are based on a wide range of educational methods from opening discussions and debates to experimentation and observation and field research.  Many activities encourage interaction and students’ participation. Some of the lessons are constructed so students can discover and build knowledge for themselves.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

  • The activities are based on a wide range of educational methods from opening discussions and debates to experimentation and observation, field research, writing and reading, creativity, role playing and games. Many activities encourage interaction and students’ participation.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good
  • Some authentic experiences are used,
Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory
  • Students work in groups.
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

  • The “Who Knows?” cards will help the teachers evaluate students’ understanding of the main issues addressed throughout the programme. At the end of the teaching programme, teachers will find a review of the preventive and protective rules everyone should follow to protect the ozone layer as well as to be protected from the sun. They can use this review to sum up the whole programme and evaluate students’ understanding of these rules.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Good

  • The project Ozone and Health Action Plan at School is aimed at encouraging students to demonstrate their understanding of the issues related to ozone layer depletion. Through student participation to reach out to other members of the school and their families, ozone action planning can help students develop a sense of ownership of their own environment and reinforce sun protection behaviours.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Satisfactory
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Satisfactory
  • Some opportunities to enhance the learning are suggested.
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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