Encounter Edu links curriculum aligned education with global burning issues to inspire STEM careers and encourage environmental stewardship. Learn more about what we do at www.encounteredu.com or by visiting our TES Shop, filled with quality, free of charge resources.
The Sustainable Fisheries resources have been developed in partnership with nef (new economics foundation) and their work on fishing and fisheries policy.
A scheme of work for Science or Geography, with lesson plans and activities. It covers fish as a food source, marine food webs and changes to them, commercial fishing methods and an introduction to sustainability. The activities are focused on the seas around the UK and EU.
Includes the lesson booklet and all accompanying slideshows, images and activities
In this lesson students learn about the impacts of ice in the Arctic melting by watching a series of demonstrations.
The context of the lesson is the work of Dr Helen Findlay who was investigating the effect of environmental change on the Arctic ecosystem.
This full lesson contains:
Slideshow 5: How is the Arctic changing?
Lesson Overview and Teacher Guidance
Activity Overview 5a: The albedo effect
Activity Overview 5b: Sea level rise
Activity Overview 5c: Ocean circulation demonstration
Student Sheet 5a: Sentences card sort
Student Sheet 5b: Arctic issues storyboard
It forms Lesson 5 of 5 from the Frozen Oceans 7-11 unit of work. Take your class to the North Pole with this cross-curricular investigation of the Arctic Ocean. The lessons progress to cover varied topics and skills needed for a science research expedition in the polar regions. Themes include Arctic food webs, training like an explorer, expedition food, insulation and clothing, the impacts of melting ice and conducting a press conference. The lessons can also be combined into a Polar Challenge Day. All lessons and resources are available from Encounter Edu’s TES profile.
This lesson is focussed on food and nutrition for Key Stage 2 (KS2) students. Students learn about diet and the importance of a balanced diet through the experiences of polar explorers. Using creativity and scientific research skills, students will create a menu suitable for an Arctic expedition.
The lesson is introduced by Fran Orio, a specialist polar cook, who can make amazing meals in the most extreme circumstances.
This full lesson contains:
Slideshow 3: How do you eat like an Arctic explorer?
Lesson Overview and Teacher Guidance
Activity Overview 3: Pemmican recipe
Student Sheet 3a: Researching food
Student Sheet 3b: Polar menu
It forms Lesson 3 of 5 from the Frozen Oceans 7-11 unit of work. Take your class to the North Pole with this cross-curricular investigation of the Arctic Ocean. The lessons progress to cover varied topics and skills needed for a science research expedition in the polar regions. Themes include Arctic food webs, training like an explorer, expedition food, insulation and clothing, the impacts of melting ice and conducting a press conference. The lessons can also be combined into a Polar Challenge Day. All lessons and resources are available from Encounter Edu’s TES profile.
Climate and Energy is an exciting unit which invites students to explore the connection between the global climate and energy use both locally and internationally, with a focus on renewable energy.
Co-created with academics, industry experts and educators, the lessons promote knowledge of the global climate, before focusing in on Northwestern Europe. Once a solid understanding of these topics has been reached, students move on to understand how this climate can be exploited to produce renewable energy, while promoting critical thinking about the topic and encouraging students to create their own opinions based on the real-world data.
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.
This #GoogleExpeditions lesson develops students’ understanding of recycling and where waste goes.
Students develop their knowledge of recycling through a Google Expedition to the New York Department of Sanitation. They apply their learning in the form of a waste diary and develop values needed to reduce and recycle more of their waste.
Google Expeditions are immersive 360 degree photo stories designed for use in the classroom. For more see: https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/
To download Google Docs versions of the lesson plan and student sheet go to: https://goo.gl/UzlX1w
An in-depth introduction to the themes of extreme environments and how science is conducted in remote regions, for schools internationally.
The booklet includes lesson plans and activities about current research on snow and ice extent, ocean currents, ocean acidification and marine biology. Designed to be used in conjunction with the Encounter Edu Discovery Zone.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and include booklets with structured lesson plans, activity and experiment sheets, an interactive Media Player with videos and images from the expeditions, along with posters and other related resources.
Ocean Plastics 5-7 is a Key Stage 1 (KS1) cross-curricular introduction to materials and their properties, which focusses on plastic and its abundance. Students discover how many everyday products are made from or contain plastic, understanding its versatility and resilience.
They go on to discover what happens to rubbish after it’s thrown away and explore recycling, landfill and litter. Students find out how detrimental plastic is to marine life and create posters and models encouraging friends and family to recycle and reduce the amount of plastic they use. This unit encourages proactive and positive behaviours, for all our futures.
If you liked this resource, please rate and review below. This will help to promote oceans education in schools worldwide.
Plastic field work (school grounds) is a Key Stage 3 (KS3) lesson. This lesson provides a framework for conducting plastics fieldwork in the school grounds. As per most fieldwork, it consists of three phases: preparation, conducting fieldwork, and then analysis and conclusions. Depending on your school timetable and ability of your class, you will need to set aside three to four hours to complete this fieldwork activity. Suggestions for challenge tasks are included for more able students, if you teach a mixed ability class.
This is a single lesson from Ocean Plastic Geography. Ocean Plastics Geography is a Key Stage 3 (KS3) resource. The lessons address the issue of marine plastic pollution, the harm caused by plastics to the environment and communities, how we deal with all the waste, ending with a debate on approaches to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Fieldwork templates for investigating plastics in the local area are included as well as a wealth of case studies exploring both the human and physical elements of plastic pollution.
Get the whole unit’s resources here:https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/ocean-plastics
If you liked this resource, please rate and review below. This will help to promote oceans education in schools worldwide.
Coral Oceans Geography 14-16 delivers a comprehensive unit that covers the ecosystems portion of Geography GCSE. The download contains a teach booklet with student sheets for every lesson and 8 slideshows.
The unit uses photos, virtual reality content and videos from research on coral reefs around the world to bring this topic to life.
Students will work through a series of lessons, working towards an assessment on reef protection in Timor-Leste.
The lessons in the unit are:
Learning about the conditions needed for coral reefs and an introduction to Timor-Leste and the Coral Triangle.
A study of the formation of coral reefs and the different habitat zones within reefs.
A focus on the biotic and abiotic factors of coral reef ecosystems.
A look at how humans use coral reefs and an understanding of ecosystem goods and services.
An investigation of the threats facing coral reefs worldwide.
An understanding of the potential impact of coral reef loss.
A study of the strategies used globally to conserve coral reefs.
An exam-style assessment.
All multimedia materials and links to the opportunity to speak live to a coral scientist are available via https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-geography-14-16.
This lesson will be spent with students completing the assessment, which will include a variety of tasks such as exam questions and some skills-based questions such as finishing graphs.
This lesson is from the Coral Oceans Geograpy 14-16 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-geography-14-16
The unit delivers a comprehensive understanding of coral reefs. Through the use of our exclusive galleries, videos and online resources, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of what coral reefs are, why they are important and how to protect them.
The unit includes challenging lessons on abiotic components such as the nutrient cycle and biotic factors such as food chains.
To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Coral Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This lesson will look at the impacts of coral reef destruction, categorising those impacts. We discover the impacts to different stake holders in Timor-Leste through watching videos. Students will then write a letter to their local MP informing them of the threats the coral reefs are facing and why they need protection.
This lesson is from the Coral Oceans Geograpy 14-16 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-geography-14-16
The unit delivers a comprehensive understanding of coral reefs. Through the use of our exclusive galleries, videos and online resources, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of what coral reefs are, why they are important and how to protect them.
The unit includes challenging lessons on abiotic components such as the nutrient cycle and biotic factors such as food chains.
To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Coral Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
Plastic field work (local area) is a Key Stage 3 (KS3) lesson. This lesson provides a framework for conducting plastics fieldwork in the local area. As per most fieldwork, it consists of three phases: preparation, conducting fieldwork, and then analysis and conclusions. Depending on your school timetable and ability of your class, you will need to set aside three to four hours to complete this fieldwork activity. Suggestions for challenge tasks are included for more able students, if you teach a mixed ability class.
This is a single lesson from Ocean Plastic Geography. Ocean Plastics Geography is a Key Stage 3 (KS3) resource. The lessons address the issue of marine plastic pollution, the harm caused by plastics to the environment and communities, how we deal with all the waste, ending with a debate on approaches to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Fieldwork templates for investigating plastics in the local area are included as well as a wealth of case studies exploring both the human and physical elements of plastic pollution.
Get the whole unit’s resources here:https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/ocean-plastics
If you liked this resource, please rate and review below. This will help to promote oceans education in schools worldwide.
Ocean for beginners X-Curric 14-16 is a Key Stage 4 (KS4) resource.This series of three lessons sets the scene for students who are about to commence Ocean Plastics 14-16. The lessons build on prior knowledge of oceans and the species and habitats it encompasses. Students explore ecosystem goods and services and answer GCSE style questions reflecting on how we use the oceans. The unit then reviews what is meant by ocean plastics pollution and encourages students to critically appraise information from different media sources. Students then go on to consider careers in this field by evaluating the work of an ‘Ocean hero’. At the end of these three lessons students will be fully prepared to embark on the full Key Stage 4 unit - Ocean Plastics 14-16.
https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/oceans-for-beginners-x-curric-14-16
Ocean Plastics 7-11 is a Key Stage 2 (KS2) cross-curricular unit of work encompassing science and geography which also develops skills in mathematics, citizenship and spoken language. The unit addresses four key questions; what are plastics, where are plastics, what impact can plastics have and what can I do?
These questions are answered by developing students understanding of properties of materials, living things, habitats and human and physical geography. The unit explores the pros and cons of a variety of plastic products, investigates how plastic finds its way to the ocean and looks at what changes can be made on a local and global scale. Students understand the complex issues surrounding oceans plastics through this units optimistic and innovative approach to challenging attitudes and behaviour.
If you liked this resource, please rate and review below. This will help to promote oceans education in schools worldwide.
Plastics in oceans is a growing problem. This Key stage 3 (KS3) lesson introduces students to the topic of marine plastics. First, they visit the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ and find out what is happening in the middle of the ocean. Then, students will develop their knowledge of ocean currents and how they can concentrate plastic waste. Last, students will investigate how rubbish reaches the middle of the ocean.
This is a single lesson from Ocean Plastic Geography unit. Ocean Plastics Geography is a Key Stage 3 (KS3) resource. The lessons addresses the issue of marine plastic pollution, the harm caused by plastics to the environment and communities, how we deal with all the waste, ending with a debate on approaches to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Fieldwork templates for investigating plastics in the local area are included as well as a wealth of case studies exploring both the human and physical elements of plastic pollution.
Get the whole unit’s resources here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/ocean-plastics
Encounter Edu links curriculum aligned education with global burning issues to inspire STEM careers and encourage environmental stewardship. Learn more about what we do at www.encounteredu.com or by visiting our TES Shop, filled with quality, free of charge resources.
A series of fact cards on marine life in and around the Great Barrier Reef, giving information on feeding, habitat and threats.
Designed to be used in conjunction with the non-ICT Seaview classroom activities, looking at Classification, Food Webs, Mutualism and Symbiosis, and Threats.
These cards are suitable for ages 11-14 and 14-16 (KS3/4).
Students develop their understanding of simple food chains or webs and scientific vocabulary through making an Arctic life mobile.
They will also be introduced to the work of marine scientist, Dr Ceri Lewis, who has worked in the Arctic investigating the impact of environmental change on this fragile ecosystem.
This full lesson contains:
Slideshow 1: What organisms live in the Arctic?
Lesson Overview and Teacher Guidance
Activity Overview 1: Arctic mobiles
Student Sheet 1a: Researching Arctic organisms
Student Sheet 1b: Arctic organisms cards
Student Sheet 1c: Arctic life mobiles
It forms Lesson 1 of 5 from the Frozen Oceans 7-11 unit of work. Take your class to the North Pole with this cross-curricular investigation of the Arctic Ocean. The lessons progress to cover varied topics and skills needed for a science research expedition in the polar regions. Themes include Arctic food webs, training like an explorer, expedition food, insulation and clothing, the impacts of melting ice and conducting a press conference. The lessons can also be combined into a Polar Challenge Day. All lessons and resources are available from Encounter Edu’s TES profile.
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
Journey to the mangrove forests of Indonesia in this thought-provoking lesson that brings conservation and community cooperation to life in your KS2 classroom.
Prepare to transform your students into conservationists as they:
Explore a magical forest between land and sea: Take a virtual expedition to the mysterious mangrove forests of Indonesia, where trees seem to walk on water!
Become mangrove detectives: Guide your young explorers as they uncover the secrets of mangroves - from their unique adaptations to their crucial role in protecting coastlines and combating climate change.
Step into different shoes: Through an engaging stakeholder activity, students will role-play as various groups with interests in the mangroves - from local fishermen to government officials. This exercise in empathy will help them understand the complexity of conservation efforts.
Solve real-world puzzles: Challenge your class to balance the needs of different groups while protecting the mangroves. They’ll have to grapple with authentic conservation dilemmas.
Build bridges for a better future: Inspire your students to find creative solutions that bring diverse groups together. They’ll learn the power of collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.
This lesson beautifully aligns with the KS2 Geography curriculum, touching on globally significant places, physical geography, and human geography. It encourages students to think critically about the interplay between nature and human societies.
By the end of this mangrove expedition, your students will:
Confidently locate and describe the natural features of mangrove forests
Demonstrate a deep understanding of the importance of mangroves to both nature and people
Show improved skills in considering multiple perspectives on environmental issues
Develop and present creative ideas for collaborative conservation efforts
See the full Ocean Heroes KS2 unit on TES.
Curriculum links
Geography KS2
• Globally significant marine and terrestrial places
• Physical geography: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts
• Human geography: land use and the distribution of natural resources