How to use this resource...

Our Forest, Our Future helps teachers and pupils to explore the interdependence of people and forests and the vital role forests play in sustaining our environment – in the past, the present and hopefully the future.

The Scots Pine forests in Scotland and the Congo Basin rainforest in Africa provide case studies through which pupils will begin to understand why our forests are under threat and the implications for our planet. Further information about these forests is provided in the following documents.

In making connections between consumerism, people and the environment, pupils will be encouraged to see how they and their actions have an impact on the lives of others globally. It encourages reflection on the possible futures of the world's forests and ways of taking positive actions for a future where people and forests co-exist in a sustainable way.

The resource is structured around a global citizenship framework devised by Oxfam.

The reflection and evaluation sections in each activity support formative assessment and ongoing monitoring of pupils learning.

Additional assessment opportunities are indicated by...

Outdoor learning opportunities are indicated by...

Homework activities are indicated by...

Taking Action for Change

Education for Global Citizenship is committed to enabling pupils to bring about positive actions for change either locally or globally. This process should support pupils to make their own informed choices through a critical evaluation of the options open to them and the possible implications of those choices.

Throughout the resource there are ideas for possible actions, such as reflecting on our power as consumers, peer education and tree planting. Your pupils themselves should be encouraged to think creatively about the many actions they could take, critically evaluate the impact these actions might have and then evaluate what they have done.

The materials below support your pupils through this process.

> Making connections

6. The Web of Life in a Scots Pine forest

What you need:

Four labels with sun, grass, sheep and person written on them
Scotland role card set [pdf] There are 16 cards – it may be necessary to make duplicate copies of the plant, aphid, caterpillar and vole cards so that each pupil in the class can have a card
Lengths of string
Outdoor or large indoor space for running the activity

Aims

To find out about the ecosystem in a Scots Pine forest

To illustrate food webs in the forest and the interdependence between plants, animals and the sun

To reflect on how changes to habitat can disturb the whole ecosystem

What to do

Stick the labels (sun, grass, sheep and person) to the back of four pupils and ask them to put themselves in the correct order – without talking – to indicate who gets energy (food) from whom. Once they are in the correct order ask them to guess what their label says. Discuss with the pupils that this is an example of a food chain. Can they think of others? Give each pupil a card from the Scotland role card set and a handful of lengths of string. Explain to the class that they are going to link up to the animal or plant which gives them energy.

Ask the pupil representing the sun to stand in the centre. The other pupils now ask the sun or the species which they get energy from for a piece of string. For example, the Scots Pine tree will ask the sun for string, the fungi and bacteria will ask all the animals and plants for string.

Discuss with the pupils that they have created a web of life. What do they notice about it? How are they linked? What is the ultimate source of energy?

Now ask the pupils to imagine that some of the forest is being cleared for a housing development. A bulldozer knocks down some of the trees. Pupils who are trees should sit down. Any species sharing a length of string with the felled tree should also sit down. Discuss with the pupils how they feel about what happened. At the end of the activity hold a plenary discussion using the questions below.

Teacher prompts

What would happen if one of the sources of energy, such as the pine cones or squirrels disappeared?
Why was the Scots pine tree so important in this web?
What happens to the animals at the top of the food chain when they die?
Why is the sun so important?
Where do people get their energy from?
The trees were cleared for a housing development. What do pupils think about this?

Reflection and evaluation

Forests support their own ecosystems and 'webs of life'. If one element is removed from the web it can have an impact on other organisms in the web.

Green plants are the only things that can make their own food. They make food from water and carbon using sunlight, a process called photosynthesis. Animals rely on the food made by plants by feeding directly on them or on other animals that do. Photosynthesis also produces oxygen which all living things need.

Human activity can impact on these webs of life in both negative and positive ways. Sometimes it is difficult to balance the different needs of people and forests. Lots of activities in this resource go on to explore this relationship.

Homework activity

Can pupils trace the contents of their lunch box / breakfast / evening meal back to a living plant and ultimately the sun?

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4