SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
25 MARCH 2017, 8.30PM
JOIN IN TO SUPPORT
ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
#EarthHourUK
wwf.org.uk/earthhour
MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
BE PART OF IT – THE WORLD’S
LARGEST DISPLAY OF SUPPORT FOR
ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
Join in WWF’s Earth Hour as millions of people around the world
come together to call for action to protect our brilliant planet.
By taking part your students will join the world’s largest grassroots
movement for the environment. Earth Hour is a time to shine a light
on the things we love about our world and remind ourselves that we
can all play a role in protecting it for future generations.
At 8.30pm on Saturday 25 March 2017 millions of people around
the globe will turn out their lights for Earth Hour. Last year a record
5,380 schools across the UK took part in activities in the days and
weeks before the big event. It was a massive demonstration of just
how much young people care about their planet.
This year, in the biggest ever Earth Hour, we’re asking schools to
turn out their lights and use the activity ideas given in this pack,
one of which is to create some magical theatre with shadow puppets.
By telling others about climate change, they will be sending a crystalclear message to our leaders that we care about our planet and that
the time for action is now.
Make your Earth Hour matter and join us for Earth Hour 2017.
Together we can make a difference – wwf.org.uk/earthhour
COVER IMAGE: © WWF-CANADA / FRANK PARHIZGAR
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
THE HIGHLIGHTS
2007
In 2007, Sydney, Australia launched the first Earth Hour with
2.2 million people turning off their lights to call for action on
climate change.
© WWF/SEWELL
2016
In 2016, a record 178 countries and territories across the globe
took part. Iconic landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Sydney
Opera House, from the Tokyo Tower to the Empire State
Building, switched off their lights to celebrate Earth Hour.
© WWF/MARTIN LEERS
UK
In the UK over 6 million people took part. The lights went
out in key buildings including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace,
Brighton Pier and Manchester’s Old Trafford. In Wales, over
30 landmarks went dark, including Caerphilly Castle and
Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum, and in Scotland
just under 200 local and national landmarks switched off,
including The Kelpies and Edinburgh Castle.
© GLOBAL WARMING IMAGES / WWF
Earth Hour is a spectacular symbolic action that inspires
millions to marvel at our amazing planet and shines a
spotlight on the challenges that it faces. Over 80% of people
who took part last year felt inspired to do more to protect our
brilliant planet. Earth Hour is also about change. This year
will be even bigger as more people show that they are taking
action for our planet.
© NASA
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
WHY SHOULD
WE CARE ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE?
Your students are inheriting an amazing
world. But today it faces some of its biggest
challenges ever. Climate change threatens
everything we love about our planet. We
might not be able to see it changing with
each passing hour, but the irreversible
effects of climate change are growing.
The Earth’s atmosphere is warming, faster
than it probably ever has. In some cases
weather patterns, climates and natural
environments are changing quicker
than wildlife or people can adapt.
Oceans are becoming more acidic, crop
yields are disrupted and we’re seeing
more extremes in weather conditions
and threats to people, wildlife and their
natural habitats. Nearly 1 in 6 species are at
risk of extinction due to climate change.
© GLOBAL WARMING IMAGES / WWF
© GLOBAL WARMING IMAGES / WWF
NEARLY 1 IN 6
SPECIES ARE AT
RISK OF EXTINCTION
DUE TO CLIMATE
CHANGE.
© GLOBAL WARMING IMAGES / WWF
Nowhere is left untouched by climate change. Your students will
probably be aware of the threats posed to polar bears by the shrinking
of the Arctic ice cap, but closer to home, some of our best loved species
such as puffins are threatened by climate change due to sea temperature
rise, extreme weather events and a change to where their prey is located.
© FLORIAN SCHULZ/VISIONSOFTHEWILD.COM
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
WHAT DOES CLIMATE CHANGE
MEAN AROUND THE WORLD?
THE ARCTIC
Species that depend on
the ice such as narwhals,
polar bears, and some seal
species, are at increasing
risk with shrinking sea
ice cover.
AFRICA
Elephants can drink up to
225 litres of fresh water a
day. As rainfall patterns
change, humans and
wildlife are competing
for diminishing sources
of water.
SUDAN
PHILIPPINES
The Sahara Desert is
expanding, eating into
farmland. The increased
pressure for food and
land is fuelling conflict
in the area.
Communities are facing
more frequent, stronger
storms as the ocean’s
surface temperature
increases.
LET’S MAKE EARTH
HOUR MATTER!
USA
As you turn out the lights
in your school, encourage
your students to think
how they will choose to
change. There are lots of
ideas in our Shaping our
Future: The climate
challenge resource.
Register here to
download your free copy.
As winters get warmer
and shorter, moose
populations in the
northern United States
are declining due to tick
infestations, helped by
warmer weather.
wwf.org.uk/shapingourfuture
THE OCEANS
Marine turtles are very
sensitive to temperature
changes at all life stages
- the sex of turtles is
determined by the
temperature of the sand
the eggs are laid in, so
hotter temperatures can
skew sex ratios. Rising sea
levels also threaten turtle
nesting areas.
IMAGES – THE ARCTIC: © STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / WWF
THE OCEANS: © JÜRGEN FREUND / WWF
ANTARCTICA
The Antarctic ice sheet is
the largest single mass of
ice on the planet. It plays
a vital role in regulating
the Earth’s temperatures
by deflecting some of the
sun’s rays away from the
Earth. Almost 90% of
glaciers in the Antarctic
Peninsula have retreated
since the 1960s.
AFRICA: © JEFF FOOTT / WWF
ANTARCTICA: © FRITZ PÖLKING / WWF
BANGLADESH
AUSTRALIA
More glaciers in the
Himalayas are melting,
carrying more water down
to the flood plains. Rising
sea levels also make
communities in low lying
countries like Bangladesh
more vulnerable to
flooding and threaten
tiger habitats. The number
of cyclones likely to hit the
country is growing.
Scientists believe the
increased intensity and
frequency of forest fires is
linked to climate change.
In March 2016, higher
ocean temperatures and
acidity destroyed almost
half the corals in the
pristine northern third
of the Great Barrier Reef
through coral bleaching.
SUDAN: © MARTIN HARVEY / WWF
AUSTRALIA: © PABLO SANCHEZ / WWF
PHILIPPINES: © PABLO SANCHEZ / WWF
USA: © ANTHONY B. RATH / WWF
BANGLADESH: © ALBRECHT G. SCHAEFER / WWF
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
OVER TO YOU!
Climate change is a huge challenge that faces us all, but there are plenty of
ways that you can help your students to learn more about it and feel part of
the huge positive force for change in our world. Here are some ideas to try
out in your class around Earth Hour 2017. These activities could be run
for an hour, a day, or a week. They are also some that go beyond ‘the hour’
to encourage your students to stay engaged with protecting our planet.
ASSEMBLY
Come together as a whole school for an assembly by candlelight or torch light. Watch the
film or use the Powerpoint about Earth Hour and inspire your students to get involved.
You can find the film at wwf.org.uk/earthhour/school-resources
To get everybody in the local community on board why not organise a poster competition to
remind everyone of the event and date: Saturday 25 March 2017 at 8.30pm. Share your stories
and posters with us, we’d love to see them; email to [email protected]
GLOBE TROTTING
Earth Hour starts in the Pacific Island of Samoa and sweeps westwards across the world,
reaching Tahiti 24 hours later.
Why not get your students fired up with a map race? On a sheet prepare a list of the same
10 questions for each group of four students. Base the questions on places that are on the
timeline and particularly affected by climate change (download at wwf.org.uk/earthhour/
school-resources). Get students to use maps, atlases and globes to develop their geographical
knowledge. Hand out the first question (for example, ‘on which line of latitude and longitude
is Samoa?’ or ‘name a country that borders Brazil’). In small groups, pupils find the answer to
the question and one person from each group then rushes back to you with the answer written
down. It the answer is correct, you then give that person the second question to take back to
their group. Carry on until one group wins the race.
It’s important to encourage students to think about their links to other countries along the
Earth Hour timeline (download at wwf.org.uk/earthhour/school-resources).
Discuss some of the effects of climate change in these countries. You could also explore the
connections we have to these places through food and go on to look at food and sustainability.
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
GO THE DISTANCE FOR EARTH HOUR
Earth Hour travels a distance of 24,901 miles around the Earth. Why not fundraise
this Earth Hour and set your class or school a challenge to complete an epic
Earth Hour marathon over a week, fortnight or term? They could cover the same
distance using only ‘green’ transport that does not harm our planet. Walking,
cycling, running or using a scooter will also help them keep fit, concentrate better
in school, and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature as they move.
You could also carry out some maths activities based on time zones. Give students
a list of cities around the world and ask them to calculate the time there for a given
hour in your own town, using a time zone map. Students could then make up a
scenario for their partner to solve. For example: you are on holiday in India and
you need to phone your friend back home at noon UK time to tell them when you
are coming home. What will the time be in India when you phone?
TIME FOR A QUIZ
Get your students to team up and find out how much they know about climate
change. For Earth Hour, you could do the quiz by torchlight. After students
have completed the quiz go through the answers and discuss what they have
learnt. What has surprised them most? You can download the quiz at
wwf.org.uk/earthhour/school-resources
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
SPREAD THE MESSAGE WITH SHADOW PUPPETS
Earth Hour is a great way to get people together to think about our planet in the
warm glow of candles or lanterns. Making shadow puppets with your students
will bring the dark to life. They will have fun creating stories and making the
characters and, at the same time, they will be reflecting on climate change and
what they can do about it. This project can be carried out over a couple of lessons,
or even a whole week.
In small groups, ask your students to develop a story that conveys a message on
climate change to others. They will then make shadow puppets to tell their story.
How to make the puppets
To make the puppets you will need black card, scissors, fine straight sticks
(dowelling, straws or lollipop sticks will also work), sticking tape, and split pins
for jointed puppets. Students should draw their puppets onto the cardboard. They
will find that the puppets work better if they are drawn large. However, they don’t
need too much detail, as this can weaken the shape. You may wish to help with
some detail by cutting out shapes such as eyes, using a scalpel blade.
If students are making puppets that move, then they will need to cut the puppet
at the joint such as the elbow, knee or shoulder and overlap the two sections,
attaching them with a split pin. A stick will need to be attached to the end of the
limb, as well as the central body, so that it can move.
On the big day of the performance put up a large white sheet to make a screen.
You will need a light source on the same side of the sheet as the puppets and,
for Earth Hour, a large torch or camping lamp is ideal. You may find that two
torches produce better shadows. When performing, the puppets will be seen best
if they just touch the sheet – parts that are not touching will not be so visible to
the audience.
Your students could put their shows on to the whole school in the days before
Earth Hour as a way of encouraging others to take part. Afterwards they could
take their shadow puppets home, together with a message to parents and carers
about Earth Hour. Alternatively, you could use the puppets to create a display
about Earth Hour and the climate change message in school.
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MAKE YOUR EARTH HOUR MATTER – SECONDARY SCHOOL TOOLKIT
AT HOME
GOING BEYOND THE HOUR
Encourage your students to get their families
involved and turn the lights out at home for Earth
Hour. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the time
together. Going for a nature walk in the dark can feel
very special and, since the vegetation will not be so
dense in early Spring, even in a city environment,
students may be lucky enough to see mammals such
as foxes.
Earth Hour will pass very quickly but it doesn’t have
to end when the lights come on again. Talk about
what you can do over the next year to reduce your
impact on the planet. Each one of us can make a
difference. There is no time to stand still on action
for climate change.
wwf.org.uk/shapingourfuture
wwf.org.uk/greenambassadors
It can also be fun to encourage students to turn off
their torches for part of the walk and, as their eyes
become used to the dark, they will be amazed by how
much they can see. Try playing a listening game. Sit
in silence for five minutes and listen to the sounds
of the night. Then give everyone the chance to talk
about what they have heard.
STAR GAZING
Spend some time star gazing, preferably somewhere
away from polluting lights. If you have a pair
of binoculars you might get a better view of the
constellations or even see the surface of the moon.
Why not download the Forestry Commission’s
stargazing guide at forestry.gov.uk/stargazingguide, also see the map of events on wwf.org.uk/
EHtakepart.
© JEREMIAH ARMSTRONG / WWF-CANADA
TELL US ABOUT IT!
Share your Earth Hour stories with us, we’d love to
hear them. Email them to [email protected] or
@wwf_uk and #EarthHourUK
@WWFScotland and #EarthHourUK
@WWFCymru and #EarthHourUK
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NEED MORE HELP?
If you have any questions, ideas or want to share your plans,
we’d love to hear from you. Contact the schools and youth team:
[email protected]
#EarthHourUK
For a future where people and nature thrive | wwf.org.uk
© 1986 panda symbol and ® “WWF” Registered Trademark of WWF. WWF-UK registered
charity (1081247) and in Scotland (SC039593). A company limited by guarantee (4016725)
For a future where people and nature thrive | wwf.org.uk
© 1986 panda symbol and ® “WWF” Registered Trademark of WWF. WWF-UK registered
charity (1081247) and in Scotland (SC039593). A company limited by guarantee (4016725)
25 MARCH 2017, 8.30PM
JOIN IN TO SUPPORT
ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
wwf.org.uk/earthhour