Get ready to introduce your KS2 class to the fascinating realm of blue carbon habitats - Earth’s hidden climate champions. In this exciting lesson, your students will: Uncover nature’s secret weapon: Introduce the concept of ‘blue carbon’ and learn how coastal environments are Earth’s unsung heroes in the battle against climate change. Find global habitats: Students locate and map major blue carbon habitats around the world. They’ll develop their geography skills while gaining a global perspective on these crucial ecosystems. ‘Do the math’ like real scientists: Dive into data analysis with a fun and engaging activity. Students will interpret real data to understand just how powerful these habitats are in absorbing carbon, bringing maths and science together in a meaningful way. Explore underwater forests: Take a virtual field trip to mangrove swamps, seagrass meadows, and saltmarshes. Students will be amazed to learn how these environments act as nature’s own carbon capture technology. Become ecosystem advocates: Inspire your class to think critically about conservation. They’ll use their newfound knowledge and data interpretation skills to make compelling arguments for protecting these vital habitats. This lesson brilliantly integrates elements of the KS2 Maths and Geography curricula, offering a perfect blend of data interpretation and global awareness. It’s designed to nurture analytical thinking while fostering a sense of environmental stewardship. By the end of this hope-filled journey, your students will: Confidently explain the concept of blue carbon and how coastal habitats store it Demonstrate improved map skills by locating major blue carbon habitats globally Show enhanced data interpretation skills, using numbers to support environmental conservation See the full Ocean Heroes KS2 unit on TES. Curriculum links Maths KS2 Interpret and present data Geography KS2 Locate globally significant marine places

This engaging exploration will transform your KS2 classroom into an underwater observatory, where students will discover the fascinating and sometimes concerning changes happening beneath the waves. Get ready to embark on an oceanic adventure where your students will: Become climate detectives: Unravel the mystery of how excess carbon in our atmosphere is changing our planet’s oceans. Watch as your students connect the dots between human activities and the transformations occurring in our marine world. Journey from pole to pole: Take a virtual expedition from the melting ice caps to the vibrant coral reefs. Students will be amazed to learn how climate change affects vastly different marine ecosystems. Explore a coral wonderland: Dive into a video case study of the Maldives’ coral reefs. Your class will explore this colorful underwater world and learn about the delicate balance that keeps coral reefs healthy. Hear from the experts: Engage with real quotes from scientists and community members in an exciting poster activity. This hands-on task will bring the human element of climate change to life, showing students how these changes affect people around the world. Become ocean advocates: Inspire your students to share their newfound knowledge through creative poster designs. This lesson beautifully aligns with the KS2 Geography curriculum, focusing on how environments change over time. It offers a perfect blend of scientific understanding and global awareness, encouraging students to think critically about the world around them. By the end of this ocean odyssey, your students will: Confidently explain how excess atmospheric carbon leads to climate change Identify and describe various impacts of climate change on our oceans Create compelling posters to share their learning and raise awareness See the full Ocean Heroes KS2 unit on TES. Curriculum links Geography KS2 How environments can change over time; focus on both terrestrial and marine systems and places.

This lesson is an exciting scientific adventure on the carbon cycle Perfect for KS2 students, this lesson will transform your classroom into a living laboratory where young minds will unravel the mysteries of one of Earth’s most crucial processes. Dive into the world of carbon with your class as they: Discover the building blocks of life: Students will be amazed to learn that carbon is all around us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. Become carbon cycle detectives: Through engaging activities and visual aids, students will piece together the puzzle of how carbon moves through our world. They’ll trace carbon’s journey from plants to animals, from the atmosphere to the oceans, and back again. Play the ‘Carbon Cycle Game’: Students become carbon atoms, moving between different parts of the ecosystem in this fun, interactive activity that brings the carbon cycle to life. Connect the dots to climate change: Guide your students as they make the crucial link between human activities, the carbon cycle, and our changing climate. Blend science and geography: This lesson intertwines concepts from both subjects, showing how carbon’s journey affects both land and sea, and how environments change over time. This lesson acts as a springboard, building on students’ existing knowledge of food chains and animal needs, while preparing them for more advanced concepts in environmental science. It’s designed to spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and foster a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of our world. By the end of this lesson, your students will: Confidently explain what carbon is and where it can be found Understand and articulate the stages of the carbon cycle Make connections between human activities and changes in the carbon cycle See the full Ocean Heroes KS2 unit on TES. Curriculum links Science KS2 Brings together learning on: transport of oxygen in humans and other animals; what plants and animals need to survive; how living things are, connected in feeding relationships; combustion through heating of materials. Geography KS2 How environments can change over time; focus on both terrestrial and marine systems and places.

This group activity is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the carbon cycle. It is aimed at upper primary classes, as it represents a simplified model of how carbon moves. Students will develop their understanding of how carbon moves between the atmosphere, plants, and animals, as well as how the burning of fossil fuels over the past 250 years has caused an imbalance in the carbon cycle.

This activity teaches students about the amount of carbon in the different stores, e.g. ocean, atmosphere, and fossil fuels. It is a group activity designed for between 4 and 6 students. Students will also learn about how carbon passes from one store to another.

This activity focuses on the processes in the global carbon cycle. It can be played individually or in small groups of two to four. Each player will move their counter around the board using the instructions. Players will use a dice to see how their carbon counter will move around the different stores in the carbon cycle.

Knowledge organiser covering the carbon cycle and climate change. This includes the following sections: Carbon cycle processes Where is the carbon? Climate change key words How has human activity changed where carbon is located? The greenhouse effect Climate change over time Atmospheric CO2 over time Evidence for climate change

This lesson reviews students’ knowledge about the carbon cycle within the context of the study of ecosystems for GSCE Science (Biology) and Geography, as well as the changing composition of the Earth’s atmosphere for GCSE Science (Chemistry). It covers the carbon cycle and major carbon stores and fluxes. The lesson combines a digital interactive carbon cycle diagram to reinforce knowledge of the processes in the carbon cycle, with a hands-on activity to introduce students to the size of the major carbon stores and fluxes. Exam style questions and a knowledge organiser provide a good revision focus. Learning outcomes Review basic processes in the carbon cycle Develop fuller understanding of the carbon cycle Compare the sizes of the major carbon stores Demonstrate their understanding of carbon fluxes and how changes have contributed to climate change

In this introductory lesson, we look at the scientific processes and concepts of the carbon cycle. This will enable students to grow prior knowledge of food webs, respiration, and photosynthesis, as well as the combustion of fossil fuels into a more complete model. The lesson starts with an exercise to illustrate the range of different forms of carbon and carbon compounds and where they are found. This is followed by a gamified exploration of the carbon cycle. Key vocabulary and an understanding of the carbon cycle and its link to climate change is developed through a dominos task and short answer questions. Learning outcomes Identify where carbon can be found Describe ten basic processes of the carbon cycle Demonstrate their understanding of carbon stores and movement between them Link increasing carbon in the atmosphere to climate change

This introductory lesson looks at the scientific processes and concepts of the carbon cycle. This will enable students to grow prior knowledge of food chains and feeding relationships to understanding the drivers of environmental change. The lesson starts with an introduction to what carbon is, followed by a scaffolded understanding of the carbon cycle, reinforced by a fun activity. The lesson will close by analysing how an imbalance in the carbon cycle is leading to increased carbon in the atmosphere, which is driving the climate crisis. An interactive carbon cycle diagram complements the lesson. Learning outcomes List where carbon can be found Describe four basic processes of the carbon cycle Demonstrate their understanding of carbon stores and movement between them Link increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere with climate change

This final lesson brings together all the previous learning as the classroom expedition returns to port, and the team delivers a press conference. The output from this lesson can be a written article, a blog post, audio report, press release, or video. These outputs can be shared at an assembly, parents’ evening, with the local press, or you can send a selection through to Encounter Edu (info@encounteredu.com) so that we can post them on our website.

This lesson introduces students to the wonders of the coral reef and the adventures of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. In this first lesson, students will embark on their journey to become coral explorers, finding out where coral reefs can be found, and learning from the experiences of scientists and the expedition team. They will then take part in their first virtual dive. This lesson provides the platform for further scientific discovery through the rest of the unit.

This is the final lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. Students will present their ideas for a low carbon future. Students will assess their own and peers’ work and complete a review of the unit learning. In their small groups, students will be presenting their ideas for a low carbon future to the class. Each student group will evaluate the other presentations. Once the presentations are finished, students will reflect on the whole experience. They need to consider what they contributed, what they discovered, what sources of information they used, and what they might change. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the seventh lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. This summary lesson sees students work in groups to propose how a low carbon future could be achieved through carefully planned electricity production. This summary lesson sees students work in groups to propose how a low carbon future could be achieved through carefully planned electricity production. Working in small groups students will consider how electricity should be generated in the future as part of a low carbon strategy. Students will need to evaluate different strategies to ensure that their proposals are robust enough to cope with the risks identified in the research. This research will be presented in the next lesson. Students will need access to computers for research, planning and creating a presentation. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the sixth lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. Students will consider and predict the electricity consumption of the UK. Specifically, students will have to evaluate whether renewable energy generation will be able to meet predicted demand. In this lesson students will be thinking about what our energy needs may be in the future, and how we will generate enough energy to meet those needs. Students will also study a diagram from an academic journal article to evaluate the reliability of renewable forms of energy. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the fifth lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. Learn more about renewable energy, including the limitations of renewable energy. Students will consider of renewable energy is enough to meet our current and future energy demands. Renewable energy is currently responsible for approximately 30% of energy production in the UK. This figure has steadily risen since 1990, but is the increase enough? Can we produce enough energy via renewable sources to meet energy needs? What are the issues faced when generating renewable energy? In this lesson students will evaluate the positives and negatives of renewable energy production. They will also consider how renewable energy is affected by the weather. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the fourth lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. This lesson focuses on developing students’ knowledge and understanding of different types of renewable and non-renewable energy. In this lesson students will learn about how different types of energy are generated and stored, focussing on examples of renewable and non-renewable sources. Students will also look at the energy production matrix of the UK, the Netherlands and the European Union, comparing and contrasting them. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the third lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. This is a lesson for higher level students, developing knowledge of climate modelling and accessing information in an academic journal article on the impact of climate on renewable energy production. The HIWAVES research team wrote an academic paper investigating the impact of predicted climate on renewable energy production. This lesson looks at how the research team used climate models as part of their work and then focuses on the academic journal article written by the team and supports students to access information from this level of research output. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the second lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. This lesson focuses on using isobar maps and satellite images of NW Europe to predict and explain weather conditions. In this lesson students will use all their knowledge of weather systems, and use a variety of satellite maps of Northwestern Europe to predict the weather for the next day. Students will then go on to use satellite images to describe the weather of Northwestern Europe and explain what has caused this weather and what conditions would be expected as a result of what is shown on the satellite images. The unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.

This is the first lesson in the eight lesson Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit for KS4 and GCSE. This lesson is an introduction to air pressure and weather systems and the impact they have on global weather. In this lesson students will learn about jet streams and the global atmospheric circulation model and how they affect the weather around the world. Students will be able to explain the global circulation atmospheric model through the use of either a drawing, a model or a physical display. The Global Climate and Renewable Energy unit provides a robust understanding of the latest findings promoting climate literacy, while being curriculum-aligned to GCSE exam body specifications, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges of the future. The unit and its associated activities and multimedia can also be accessed on the Encounter Edu website.