What we mean by the curriculum
When we use the term curriculum we are referring to any formal learning activities undertaken by your school. This does not necessarily mean classroom based, but we would expect there to be some structure to the work and some clear learning outcomes expected as a result.
Curriculum appropriateness
Energy and water activities are appropriate for all age groups. Although national curricula predominantly introduce energy studies in secondary education, primary pupils are able to participate in simple activities to save energy and water. For example, they can carry out basic surveys around the school to assess energy and water wastage and usually show far more enthusiasm for ‘switch off’ campaigns and taking messages home.
Although activities on energy and water obviously fulfil Science, Maths, Technology and ICT requirements, there is great potential for learning to take place through other subjects such as English, Art and Drama. This is particularly true when trying to raise awareness of your school’s efforts to improve efficiency, through assemblies, posters, etc. Also, in Geography it would seem appropriate to link the school’s energy efficiency activities to local and global climate change issues.
What are the benefits?
Linking your energy and water management efforts with curricular activities helps to:
- Teach pupils the importance of efficiency measures and embed the process into daily routine
- Bring learning to life in a real world setting
- Increase the likelihood of a successful – and sustained - energy and water management programme in school.
How to get started
There are many websites providing curricular material to schools that are free to access. Some are listed at the bottom of this page to get you started.
Where to get further information
Some good sites for curricular activities are:
England
Teachernet – www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools
The Sustainable Schools 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 –www.create.org.uk/schools/teachers
The Teachers section of CREATE’s web site provides downloadable materials for primary and secondary schools and links to other sites providing energy education support. CREATE also provides a useful Links section to scores of web sites suitable for nergy education.
Energy Matters - www.cse.org.uk/cgi-bin/page.cgi?103
The Energy Matters resources are provided by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and cover Key Stages 1, 2 & 3.
QCA - http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/
The DfES ‘Standards Site’ comprises Schemes of Work, some of which relate to energy and water use. For example, there are suggestions for carrying out a geographical enquiry into resource planning and management of a suitable issue such as wind energy and water supply.
Science UPD8 - http://www.upd8.org.uk/
Science UPD8 is a new concept – translating the latest breakthroughs and science behind the news, into inspiring activities. There are activities on climate change and energy use for both primary and secondary pupils.
The Water School - http://www.thewaterschool.co.uk/
This web site has been produced by Water UK and comprises activities for improving water conservation in schools.
