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

7. Animals and plants in the Congo Basin rainforest

What you need:

Prepared sets of Congo Basin forest cards [pdf] – 1 per group
Prepared sets of Congo Basin forest role cards [pdf] – 1 per group
String

Aims

To find out about animals and plants in an African rainforest

To increase awareness of the variety of ecosystems in the forest

To recognise some of the similarities that forests in Africa and Scotland share

What to do

Discuss with the class what animals, plants, birds and insects they think they might see in the Congo Basin rainforest.

In groups, ask pupils to categorise the animal and plant cards the same ways they did for the Scots pine forest. They can also create food chains from the card sets.

Using a suitable space, organise the pupils to represent the web of life in the Congo Basin rainforest in the same way they illustrated the web of life in the Scots pine forest.

Give two pupils the role cards and ask the group to think about what role they might play in the forest eco-system. The pupils with the roles cards should allocate them to particular species and plants.

Hold a plenary discussion using the teacher prompts below.

Teacher prompts

What did you notice about the web of life in the Congo Basin rainforest?
Were there similarities to the Scots pine forest?
Were the roles played in the forests by the different animals / plants the same?
Were there any similar animals and plants in both forests?

Do any belong to the same family?

There is a greater variety of animals and plants in the African rainforest than in the Scots pine forest, Why do you think this is the case?
What has happened to the Scots pine forests in Scotland?

What impact has this had on the animals and plants which live there?

What are some of the similarities between the two forests?

Reflection and evaluation

All forests share similar characteristics and fulfil a number of important functions. They help maintain eco-systems and support bio-diversity.

A decline in forest coverage impacts on the animals and plants which live there which can result in a decline or a loss in particular species. This disruption within an eco-system can therefore cause a ripple effect and impact on a number of different species.

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4