Learning From the News – Call to Protect our Woodland KS2

Lesson plan – Call to Protect our Woodland: English p.01

Worksheet p.02

Useful links and Teachers TV links p.03

Lesson Plan: Call to Protect our Woodland
Lesson overview: This activity is designed to encourage pupils to write down their thoughts about woods and environment
Key Stage 2 English: Speaking and listening
Objectives
Pupils will:
·  use vocabulary and syntax that enables them to communicate more complex meanings (1a)
·  identify the gist of an account or key points in a discussion and evaluate what they hear (2a) / Outcomes
Pupils should:
·  understand and debate a topical issue
Resources
·  Video lesson starter: http://www.teachers.tv/videos/call-to-protect-our-woodland
·  A whiteboard to show the video on
·  Worksheet on page 2 of this lesson plan
Starter
·  Whole class activity: Show the video http://www.teachers.tv/videos/call-to-protect-our-woodland
·  Ask the pupils to write down three key words and one sentence summarising the video. Discuss the words together and talk about what it was about
Main activity 1
·  Independent activity: Use the worksheet on page 2 to allow pupils to focus their ideas about woodlands
Main activity 2
·  Group activity: Ask the pupils to think back to the video they just watched. Using their words on their sheet of paper, split the groups up into ‘for’ and ‘against’
·  Have them debate whether or not the government should sell off sections of woodland to private owners
·  Before they begin, discuss the clip again to make sure they understood the arguments. They should discuss their personal feelings about the issue, but also understand the arguments from both sides. What emotive words can be used to defend and oppose the different arguments?
Plenary
·  Their debate could lead to writing an article for different audiences. For example, a local paper, leaflet, poster and an explanation of the issues to younger pupils, advertisement for a public meeting


Worksheet

Use this worksheet to write down your thoughts about woodlands. Write down the first things that you think of. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe:

An old tree

A wood

Planting a young tree

Wildlife in British woodland

Conservation

The worksheet and some of the ideas in this lesson plan were used with kind permission from the Woodland Trust: http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/learning-kids/schools-discovery/Documents/more-trees-wordywords-uk.pdf

Useful links

·  Woodland Trust lesson plan ideas: http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/take-part/plant-trees/Pages/englishandnireland-planting-resources.aspx

·  BBC News article on the concerns about selling off forests: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12261103

·  The Forestry Commission: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/

Related Teachers TV Videos

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/inner-city-forest

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/primary-cross-curriculum-two-successful-projects

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/the-eden-project

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