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. Needs and Wants

What you need:

Set of forest Needs and Wants cards [pdf] per group

Aims

To find out the difference between needs and wants in a forest setting

To make the connections between needs, wants and rights

To understand that all people have the same fundamental needs and should have the same rights

What to do

Ask the pupils to imagine that the forest will be their home, or take the pupil's outside to a wooded area and run the activity there. Tell them will need to find everything they need to survive in the forest. However, the soil in this area is poor and we're not sure about the water quality.

Each group is given an envelope containing the cards. There are 3 blank cards and they can decide, as a group, what else they would need to survive in the forest and can draw / write them onto the blank cards. Explain that the government respects and supports their forest community and they can select 15 cards that they think are the most important to support their group's wellbeing.

Once pupils have made their selection, explain that the government is struggling to provide the support your community needs as they need to spend money in the cities on building new hospitals and schools. They must now take away 7 more cards.

Once pupils have made their selection explain that there has been a change in government and they believe the forest people should move to designated areas in the forest and use existing resources. Therefore they are reducing their support for your community. Pupils must take away 4 more cards.

Have a class discussion using the teacher prompts. Encourage the pupils to identify the basic needs which are required for survival.

Explain that these needs are supported by 'rights'. Explain rights enshrined under the Universal Declaration of Rights by the UN and that there is also a special UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – a big list of things that people all around the world have agreed that every child should have.

Teacher prompts

Was it difficult to decide what items they would have to get rid of?
Were there any disagreements in groups?
Did groups have everything they needed?
Did groups have everything they wanted?
What is the difference between a need and a want?
Do you all have these things (needs items)?
Should all children have these things?
Do you think all children in Scotland have these things?
How was the forest able to meet your needs?
Did the forest meet all your basic needs?

Reflection and evaluation

All children have the same needs and rights wherever they live in the world. Sometimes our basic needs are met in different ways depending on where we live. A child living in the Congo Basin rainforest would still have their basic needs such as food, water and shelter and be looked after by their family and community. However, sometimes the rights of communities living in the forest are not properly respected as Governments think they do not own the land they live on. This issue is explored further in the activity Whose forest?

In section 4 the activity Future generations: what are their rights? examine how we can meet the needs of future generations.

Homework

In the book Wolf Brother Torak says, "You can find everything you need in the forest." Do the pupils agree with him? Ask them to write about if they agree with the statement and explain why / why not.

Further ideas:
Pupils can take part in a shelter building activity. For ideas see www.foresteducation.org/images/uploads/fcms123.pdf

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4