Subject taught
- Biology

Link
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/deforestation/

Type of Product
- Web Site/Portal

Language Skills Developed
- Reading

Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
• To observe, analyze and describe phenomena belonging natural reality and to the aspects of daily life • To formulate hypothesis and verify them • To use simple schematizations and modelling • To acquire and understand information and know how to connect it • To face problematic situations

Description
General aims
To make it clear that the greenhouse effect, within certain limits, is a natural phenomenon that allows the heat necessary for the development of all life forms to be retained on Earth. Unfortunately, this limit has been largely exceeded in recent years, causing a worrying increase in the average temperature across our planet.
According to many scientists’ opinion, greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide have been significantly increasing due to industrial activities and deforestation. In particular, carbon dioxide is the main cause of global warming and in recent years it has reached levels never reached before. It is continuously produced in all combustion phenomena: from industrial exhausts to means of transport, to heating systems and domestic air conditioning
In particular, this resource examines deforestation and the consequences it has on the atmosphere and on the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Linguistic aims
• Improving language skills in L2
• Enriching scientific vocabulary
• Knowing how to move from one linguistic register to another
• Producing clear and coherent texts in L2
• Summarizing written texts
Subject specific aims
Knowing the greenhouse effect and its consequences, identifying the relationships between human behavior and climate change

Target group age
14-15 age

Level of competence in English (CEFR)
B1

Time required to use the resource with the students
2 h: 1h presentation and analysis of the resource
1h discussion with the class

How to use it
In the first meeting, the teacher guides the students in the analysis of the resource, also recalling the topics learned previously with the study of the other resources. The teacher then divides the class into small groups that will have to study and collect data about deforestation in a specific geographical area
In addition, they will have to produce a short report with personal suggestions for solving the problem or part of it.
In the second meeting, after a brainstorming, data and possible solutions will be compared.

Possible difficulties for the students
The resource does not present particular linguistic or comprehension problems.

Comments
Strength/Weakness The resource clearly and effectively describes the phenomenon and induces serious and profound reflections on the issue Scientific reliability The resource is present on the Climate Council website From the site: “The Climate Council is Australia’s leading climate change communications organisation. We provide authoritative, expert advice to the Australian public on climate change and solutions based on the most up-to-date science available. We’re made up of some of the country’s leading climate scientists, health, renewable energy and policy experts, as well as a team of staff, and a huge community of volunteers and supporters who power our work. As an independent voice on climate change, we get climate stories into the media, produce hard-hitting reports, call out misinformation as we see it and promote climate solutions such as the transition to renewable”. “...The Climate Council’s work and people have been recognised and celebrated as recipients of a number of different awards.” Pedagogical value (e.g. collaborative learning, self–directed learning, peer assisted learning, etc) The methodologies used for this resource are: Cooperative Learning, Flipped classroom, brainstorming and problem solving. The Cooperative Learning takes place working together, through mutual help which also promotes socialization. The linguistic competence of everyone is a valid mutual support for all students. Researches show this methodology is very effective, allowing students to achieve prefixed goals, stimulating their potentialities and critical capacities, leading them to better self-confidence and helping them to overcome stress and anxiety. The Flipped classroom has the advantage of saving a lot of time in the classroom because the students can study at home before school hours. The teacher must "guide", encourage, support students in personal research, collaboration, sharing and comparison of knowledge, but he must pay the highest attention to the personal resources selected by the students. Therefore, different videos and e-learning resources are widely used at home, while in the classroom students experiment, collaborate, carry out laboratory activities and start discussions with each other to clarify and discuss the concepts learned independently. In this way, the student "learns to learn" and becomes an "active" person in his learning process. The brainstorming is essential for this type of activity because by comparison of different ideas, it stimulates and encourages student's creativity. Furthermore, through this methodology, the students can express themselves without any conditioning, learning to overcome anxieties and fears and acquiring greater self-confidence Finally, problem solving is a very important learning method because it develops a series of fundamental skills for students. In fact, this method develops the ability to analyze and evaluate one's cognitive activity. It stimulates creative thinking, as opposed to the reproductive one which proceeds by automatisms. A creative approach allows to analyze the problem from different points of view, to have a global vision of the situation, to grasp the various aspects of the problem and the links connecting them. Finally, it develops a critical spirit to face a global and ever-changing reality

Related Video Lessons

The Greenhouse Effect

The Biogeochemical Cycle of Carbon