GreenChoices

Teachers' resources for eco-friendly lessons

Green choices for teachers

If you are looking for resources and learning materials for green perspectives, then this is our starting point. If you haven't yet been to the young learners page then do so, especially if you are a parent or a primary teacher.

Some gateways for all phases and subjects

• Sustainable Schools: This area of TeacherNet is designed to support schools on their journey to sustainability, introducing the principles of sustainable development and offering guidance on how to embed these principles into the heart of school life.

• CREATE teachers zone, downloadable teaching resources on all aspects of energy.

• Global Dimension is a database of teaching resources about development issues whatever phase and whatever age.

• Birmingham DEC runs TIDE - Teachers in Development Education, which runs teacher projects in all subjects. There are one or two resources on the web. Essential learning is a discussion document designed to spell out the environmental and development education which all young people should be entitled. They have projects for early years, history, geography, science, citizenship, design technology etc.

• WWF learning has resources for all age groups on many subjects. Including a project for young people to make their views known to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002.

• Green Teacher contains over 100 activities and activity ideas on a variety of green themes that are freely downloadable.

• The Foundation for Environmental Education is a non-governmental, non-profit international umbrella organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education. Their member organisation for England is Encams, for Scotland it is Keep Scotland Beautiful and for Wales, Keep Wales Tidy/Cadwch Gymru’n Daclus.

• The Council for Environmental Education offices closed, and its staff made redundant on 30 September 2005, following the removal of core funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. However there are still a lot of resources for all ages and all subjects on their website.

Some subject suggestions

English

• Why do you need a web link? Get young people writing on environmental matters and publish them on the web.

• Unicef 's Teacherzone has information on the 'Rights of the Child' and Youth Voice provides a platform for children and young people, who want to create a world fit for children. This would be excellent stimulus for writing about social justice.

Mathematics

• Energy and pollution lesson plans from the American Alliance to Save Energy involve mathematics for various age groups.

Science

• The Wildlife Trusts are an important source of biological and ecological information for your area. Find your local trust here.

• The Association of Science Education has a series of green and global projects including solar partners and science across the world.

Design Technology

• The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is a long-established visitor centre and eco-village in mid Wales. It has a broad range of publications relating to renewable energy, other alternative technologies and sustainable living issues.

• The Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP), from Practical Action, aims to increase people's awareness of sustainable technology.

Geography

• The Environment Agency has a mapping facility for finding information on water quality, floods, pollution etc. by postcode.

• Staffordshire's Learning Net for Geography teachers has a range of web enquiries which explore environmental issues such a rainforest destruction, pollution and transport for ages 8-18.

Art

• Why not use waste materials from industry or elsewhere? Find where there is a ScrapStore near you.