Introduction
Ask children to think about a place they like and brainstorm a set of positive words (strong adjectives) that describe it. Next see if they can list the opposite/negative words to these positive words.

Discuss with the class how these opposites can be attached to a scale, 1 being the most negative and 5 being the most positive term e.g.

Discuss as a class the descriptive words and select four pairs of words to fill out the...

Environmental Quality Survey
(Microsoft Word Document)

Main Activity
Explain to the children that they are going to conduct this survey in three contrasting places around the school e.g.car park, wildlife area and playing field. Children will need to understand the need to work individually as there is no right or wrong answer and everyone may have different opinions.

Conduct the survey at the three different locations.

Explain how to work out the overall rating by looking at the scores for one area and deciding on a score which best describes the area visually (e.g. calculate the mode if possible.)

Click here to see a completed survey.
Click back in your browser to return to this page.

Plenary
As a class produce a tally chart to record the environmental survey results of the whole class...

Recording sheet for tally chart
(Microsoft Word Document.)

Optional Activity

Ask children to draw a graph on the sheet provided and discuss with them what the results show. ( Discuss with children how to label each axis and remember that the bottom of the vertical (y) axis will be 0.)

• to ask and respond to geographical questions
  
• to recognise patterns
  
• to collect and record evidence
• to answer questions
  
• fieldwork skills
  
• how people affect the environment
  
  

Introduction
Revise the tally chart produced at the end of the last activity or create a class tally chart as an introduction to this session.

Demonstrate and then ask children to enter the data into either:
1) A simple graphing program like Starting Graph or
2) A spread sheet like Microsoft Excell.

Main Activity
1) Using a simple graphing program (RM Starting Graph)
Choose different groups to create tables for the different areas.

Playground Scores:

Demonstrate how to create a barchart from this data. Ask children to produce a bar chart to show the environmental quality scores, e.g.


Ask children to interpret and annotate their graph answering questions such as:
How many chidlren gave the playground the highest score, the lowest score.
Did most children like or dislike the playground?
Can we think of ways to improve the playground?

Plenary

Encourage the class to share the graphs of the different areas they created and interpret them by asking questions such as:

Which area did most children give a score of 5?
Which area did most children give a score of 1?
Which area are most children happy with?
Which area is most in need of improvement?

Spend time brainstorming ways of improving the areas around the school.

Main Activity
2) Using a spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excell)

Ask children to enter all the data into a table, demonstrate how to create a barchart from this data.



Top Tip In Excell, highlight the data that you want to use in the graph by clicking and dragging the mouse over the area and then click on the graph icon.

If you wish to create a graph with two rows or columns that are not adjacent to each other, highlight the first area normally, then hold down the "Ctrl" key on the keyboard and highlight a second row or column.

(If you use RM Number Magic, please try it first to see how it draws the graph. You may need to enter the data the other way round!)

Ask children to choose one area and produce a bar chart to show the environmental quality scores:

Ask children to interpret and annotate their graph answering questions such as:
How many chidlren gave the car park the highest score, the lowest score.
Did most children like or dislike the car park?
Can we think of ways to improve the car park?

Plenary

As a class create a graph to show all the environmental quality scores for all the areas.



Encourage the class to interpret the graph by asking questions such as:

Which area did most children give a score of 5?
Which area did most children give a score of 1?
Which area are most children happy with?
Which area is most in need of improvement?

Spend time brainstorming ways of improving the areas around the school.

• technique: to use ICT to create a bar chart.
• to interpret and analyse information in graphs.

• enter data and use bar charts appropriately.
• understand and talk about the information presented on a bar chart.

Introduction
Ask children to collect and weigh all the classroom rubbish at the end of the day for a week. Encourage them to estimate how much there is and then weigh it. (To minimise contact with the rubbish ask children to wear plastic gloves and weigh the rubbish in a transparent bin liner.)

Main Activity
Ask the children to enter the amount of rubbish each day into a simple graphing/data handling program. Encourage children to add each day's total to the preceding days to get a cumulative total:

Ask children to create a cumulative line graph:

Use the graphs to create an interactive display that shows the weight of rubbish throughout the week.

Plenary
Discuss with the children what this graph shows. Use it to answer questions like...
How much do we throw away in a week?
On which day did we produce most rubbish? How do we know? Why might this be?
How much rubbish might we throw away as a school?
What happens to all the rubbish we throw away? Where does it go?
What would happen if rubbish was not collected from school for a week? What about a month?
What can we do to reduce the amount of rubbish produced?

• to ask and respond to geographical questions
• to collect and record evidence to answer questions
• how people affect the environment
  

• become aware of the amount of waste within the classroom and how and why it should be reduced
• express a view on an environmental issue and justify it.
• understand that line graphs can be used to represent continuously changing data.

(Arrange for children who bring packed lunches to school to keep all their waste in their packed lunch boxes and plan this activity for the afternoon.)
Session 1:
Introduction
Discuss with children whether everything we throw away has to end up in a landfill site? What are the alternatives? Introduce the low impact lunchbox investigation by asking groups to sort the packed lunch waste into reusable and recyclable material or rubbish for the Landfill site.

Main Activity
Click here for detailed
Teacher's notes for this activity.
(Microsoft Word Document)

Ask children to complete
Recording sheet 1.
(Microsoft Word Document)

Once all the material has been collected and sorted into reusable and recyclable or rubbish, ask children to act as monitors to be responsible for collecting the different materials e.g.paper/cardboard, aluminium, organic waste (for composting), food scraps (not for compost), plastic and liquid. Weigh each material and record data to be used in Activity 3c; Using a simple graphing program to create pie charts.

Plenary
Discuss the results and improvements that the children have thought of whilst completing their recording sheet 1. Discuss with the children which types of materials might be recycled and how to go about it, eg using bottle banks, newspaper collection, compost heaps, jumble sales, aluminium collection. Discuss with the children why recycling is important.

Tell children (and carers) when the investigation will be repeated and challenge children to see whether they can make their lunchboxes low impact by producing as little waste as possible.

You may like to send home a letter to inform parents about this investigation.
Example letter to parents/guardians
(Microsoft Word Document)

Session 2

Introduction and Main Teaching
Repeat the investigation and record all information on
Recording sheet 2.
(Microsoft Word Document)

Plenary
Use the recording sheet 2 to discuss whether the class as a whole have managed to create less waste.

• to collect and record evidence to answer questions
• fieldwork skills
• how people affect the environment
• how and why people seek to manage and sustain their environment
• to use ICT to present findings
  

• become aware of the amount of waste produced by packed lunches and how and why it should be reduced
  
• express a view on an environmental issue and justify
  

Introduction and main activity
Discuss with the children they are going to enter their class data into a database to compare with other schools that have completed the low impact lunch investigation.

Right click here to save this file to disc, then open in Information Magic:
Low Impact Lunch database

Remind the class about fields and records. Show children the completed records and then demonstrate how to enter their data. (E.g. Click on edit and then add record.) Tell them that they will use the database to answer questions about the different schools...

Database Enquiry Questions
(Microsoft Word Document)

Plenary
Discuss with the children the answers from the enquiry questions. Suggest ways of improving the amounts of materials to be recycled. Discuss how their school compares to the other schools.

• key idea: that by collecting and storing information in a database, we can find the answers to questions.
• technique: to record numbers, text and choices

• enter data and compare with other records.

Use the data collected in Activity 3a, (the weights of the different materials from the children's packed lunch boxes before the follow up investigation.)

Introduction

Show children a copy of a data collection sheet like this...

Main Activity
Ask children to enter the class data into a simple graphing program and to create a pie chart. Ask children to print the pie chart and to record what it shows.

Plenary
Review the pie charts and children's comments.

• key idea: that pie charts can be used to make comparisons between populations
  
  
• technique: to use ICT to create pie charts
  

• produce pie charts using ICT and recognise that the larger the segment, the larger the proportion
  

• use pie charts to make comparisons between populations
  

Introduction
Discuss with the class what types of materials they recycle or re-use at home. Explain that they are going to carry out a survey to see how much recycling happens in their homes.

Main Teaching
Ask small groups to brainstorm the types of questions they will need to ask their families in order to collect this information. Explain that they are going to put the information into a database so the questions must have simple answers, e.g. yes/no or numerical answers.

Plenary
Discuss as a class the types of questions that have been devised and create a class data collection sheet such as:

Click here for an example
Data collection sheet.
Microsoft Word Document

Click here to see a completed data collection sheet.
Click back in your browser to return to this page.

Ask the class to think about questions they will be able to answer once they have collected the data, e.g.:

How many families recycle glass?
How many families recycle paper?
How many families recycle once a month/more than once a month?
How many families think we should recycle?
How many families who think they should recycle, do?

Homelink Activity
As a homework activity, ask children to collect the data at home (just completing one data collection sheet per household).

In order to keep the information anonymous assign each family a number and write this on their form. If you anticipate children may have problems completing this activity at home, they could collect the data from staff at school.

• to ask and respond to geographical questions
  
• to collect and record evidence to answer questions
  
• fieldwork skills
  
• how people affect the environment
  
  
  
  

• design questionnaires which match the structure of the database

This activity requires children to have collected the data from home or other memebers of staff at school.

Introduction
Using a simple database program (e.g. Information Magic) create a file using the fields that the class decided on for their data collection sheet.

Show the children the prepared database file and how to enter their information. Remind the class about fields and records. Look at the field types e.g. number, text and choice fields (yes/no).

Your database file may look like this...

Main Activity
Ask children to work in groups to enter their information into the database and then ask groups to swap information so that each computer has a full set of record cards in the database.

Once completed discuss with children how they can find the answers to some of the questions they previously devised. Pie or bar charts are appropriate for 'yes/no' fields. If pie charts are used, point out that the whole 'pie' represents all the families who responded. Compare pie and bar formats: what are the differences? Which do pupils favour, and why?

To find how many people recycle more than once a month, a bar chart may be displayed, or sorting or searching carried out. Ask the pupils to compare: which is best, and why?

Plenary
Share the answers to the above questions e.g.

How many families recycle glass?
How many families recycle paper?
How many families recycle once a month/more than once a month?
How many families think we should recycle?
How many families who think they should recycle, do?

Discuss with the children how they feel about recycling and whether they might try and change anything at home to improve the amount recycled.

Display Idea
Create a eco-promise board in the classroom or school where children can stick a pledge or an environmental target.

Here is the eco-promise board at the Canterbury Environmental Education Centre.

Children write their eco-promise on a feather and then stick it to Sebastian Swan!

• technique: to design simple questionnaires to record numbers, text and choices

• design questionnaires which match the structure of the database
• express a view on an environmental issue and justify it

Introduction
As a class, revisit the information collected during Activity1 and identify an area which did not score very highly. Discuss with the children how the area might be improved and who is responsible for improving the environment.

Main Activity
Divide the children into small groups. Ask each group to use word-processing software to write a report about the area to send to the governors, describing how the environment is being affected, suggesting ways of improving the area and asking if there are any plans to improve the area.

Plenary
Stage a mini debate between the class and an adult (playing the role of a governor or even a real school governor!) Encourage the class to present their findings to the "governor" to explore whether any improvements can be made!

• to investigate places
  
• to collect and record evidence to answer questions
  
• fieldwork skills
  
• how people affect the environment
  
• how and why people seek to manage and sustain their environment
  
• to use ICT to present findings

• appreciate the need for improvement in some places
• are aware that particular groups of people have some responsibility for improving environments