Kenya
Climate Change
Primary School Teacher’s Resource
Third to Sixth Class/Primary 4 to Primary 7
Inside:
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Letter from Nangiro in Kenya
Classroom activities and worksheets
Ideas to act on Climate Change now!
Poster and artwork
Prayers for Lent
Trócaire Better World Award
1
Contents
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Page 3
Background information for teachers
Page 4
Trócaire Better World Award
Page 5
Introductory Activities
Page 6
Climate Change Worksheet
Page 7
Kenya
Page 8
Nangiro’s Story
Page 9
Earth Links Activity
Page 10
Energy Use Drawing
Page 11
Mapping Activity
Page 12
Case Studies from Kenya
Page 13
Classroom Survey
Page 14
Climate Change Quiz & What we can do
Page 15
Assembly/Prayer Service
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,
Tro
caire
s Lenten Campaign 2008
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The focus of this year’s Lenten theme is Climate Change and the country profiled is Kenya.
For Early Years and Junior Primary, we have produced a photo pack on Kenya which contains
a set of 12 photos, stories, activities and curricular links for Junior Infants to 2nd class / P1 to
P3 inclusive. It also links with the Religious Education Programme, Alive-O 1 to Alive-O 4
inclusive. The Senior Primary booklet (Third to Sixth class / P4 to P7) looks at Climate Change
and its effect on developing countries with a particular focus on water. It also links with
Alive-O 5 to Alive-O 8 inclusive. The materials contain background information for the
teacher on climate change, activities and information around responses to water shortages
in Kenya, and suggestions for action. Also included are a Prayer Service and ideas for drama.
We suggest that the lessons and activities be taught as an integrated theme for Geography
and Science in your class for the four weeks of Lent. Most of the activities may be adapted
for children in 3rd to 6th / P4 to P7 classes / Alive-O 5-8. Some of the content may also form
part of Religion lessons linking with Alive-O 5 to Alive-O 8 e.g. Nangiro’s story page 8 and
the circle time activity on page 5. We suggest that every child uses a document folder to
keep all his/her work from the booklet in one place.
We also suggest that you encourage your children to engage with the campaign element of
this year’s theme. Activities to encourage children to think about and do something about
their own ‘carbon footprints’ are included in the pack. More information on
the campaign can be found at www.lent.ie.
We are again including the Trócaire Better World Award. Throughout the
booklet the graphic will suggest ideas for entries. See page 4 for details.
x
TBWA
Where a number of teachers are using the resource in school, additional
copies are available from Trócaire free of charge as well as versions as
Gaeilge.
Contact Trócaire Cork at 021 4275622 email: [email protected]
or Trócaire Belfast at 028 90808030 email: [email protected]
Give your name and school address and the number of copies of the resource required.
Answers
Page 6: A1, B2, E3, D4, F5, C6. Page 14: 1. 20%. 2. True. 3. False, they last 10 times longer and use 1/5 less energy. 4.
False - they could save €260 and enough CO2 to fill 680,000 balloons. 5. a year. 6. 30%. 7. 300%
2
Background notes for the Teacher
‘Too much or too little rain can be a matter of life or
death in Africa. At different times and in different places
across the continent, climate change threatens both.’
Up in Smoke, October 2006
“Above all in our time, man has unhesitatingly
devastated wooded plains and valleys, polluted the
waters, deformed the earth’s habitat, made the air
unbreathable, upset the hydrogeological and
atmospheric systems, blighted green spaces,
implemented uncontrolled forms of industrialization,
humiliating — to use an image of Dante Alighieri
(“Paradiso,” XXII, 151) — the earth, that flower-bed that
is our dwelling”.
Pope John Paul 11, Jan 17th 2001
,
Q. Why is Trocaire campaigning
A.
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around Climate Change?
Climate Change and Africa
There is an increasing awareness of the
implications of Climate Change. Countries such
as Kenya, Zambia and Bangladesh are already
feeling its effects. One of the most disastrous
effects of climate change in developing countries
is the impact on water availability, predictability
and quality.
Africa is singled out as the continent likely to face
some of the worst impacts, through a combination
of the effects of climate but also because of the
peoples’ vulnerability, poverty and reliance on
agriculture that is rain-fed.
Wet areas are becoming wetter and dry areas
drier, leading to more droughts and
unpredictable rain patterns in many areas. This
has a disastrous effect on the majority of people
in Africa who rely on rain fed agriculture to
survive. Seeds are washed away in heavy rains
and plants are wilting due to drought.
The people of the developing world who have
done least to cause the problem of Climate
Change are being worst affected. While rich
countries continue to consume and use energy
levels far beyond what is fair and sustainable,
the greatest impact is being felt by the poorest
people, who are least able to cope. As the
enormous impact of climate change on the earth
becomes increasingly evident, Trócaire is driven
by the fact that the poorest communities are
being forced to deal with these changes today.
Q. What can be done about it?
A.
- Supporting
Kenya
communities in their
efforts to survive and
adapt to climate change.
This includes developing new
farming methods e.g.
diversifying crops, using
terracing and digging irrigation
channels. It also includes
developing strategies which will
provide families with secure sources of
income.
- Campaigning for international agreements
to prevent further global warming and for
richer countries to provide money to help
developing countries to adapt to the effects
of climate change.
Trócaire is supporting communities in:
- Water management: supporting irrigation
systems at household and community levels and
supporting water harvesting projects that
capture rainwater to use during dry seasons.
- Preparedness: Supporting communities to look
at the risk of drought and how they might be
ready to respond.
While Africa’s climate has always been erratic, it is
now tending towards greater extremes and
increased unpredictability. Over the next few
decades, climate change will produce vast changes
in terms of drought and rainfall.
By 2050, it is estimated that:
m 350-600 million people in Africa will not have
access to sufficient water for their basic needs
m there will be a decline of 30% in water
availability for many countries, including:
Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, much
of North Africa and the Middle East, and much
of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia
m the monsoon rainfall patterns in Asia will
change by 25%-100%. Fluctuations of just over
10% are know to cause severe flooding or
drought
The confusing, uncertain and erratic patterns which
people are now beginning to experience were
witnessed by Trócaire staff in Kenya in July 2007.
We met many farmers who no longer knew when
to sow their precious and few seeds. Planning is
more and more difficult and security, both in terms
of food and income, has become increasingly
uncertain. For those farmers, and many more, the
impact of climate change is affecting them today.
This resource includes stories about farmers and
nomads in Kenya and their struggle to find and
conserve water and deal with the consequences of
climate change.
3
TBWA
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Trocaire Better World Award
The Trócaire Better World Award is a non-competitive award which recognises the work
that children and teachers put into exploring themes each year. It is also a way to
encourage children to work together collaboratively as submissions must be
a group or whole class effort.
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What to do:
As the children undertake the activities, keep
their work or record their activities for
submitting to the Trócaire Better World Award.
To help keep track of progress, ask children to
fill in the Trócaire Better World Award poster
which accompanies this pack.
World Water Day, held on March 22nd each year,
could be a focus for the work carried out as you
undertake the activities in the pack. In the lead
up to World Water Day your class could:
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m
m
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Organise a display of the information
gathered – results of surveys, projects on
Kenya, climate change promises etc. Invite
other classes and parents to view the display.
Prepare a presentation for other classes on
some aspects of the theme e.g. Causes of
Climate Change, Effects of Climate Change,
How we can save energy, Kenya etc.
Carry out the science experiments for other
classes.
Cook some Kenyan food and share with
others. Go to http://kijabe.org/nutford/recipes.html
for recipes.
m
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m
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Sing Kenyan songs and perform the Assembly
for the rest of the school.
Invite a speaker to talk about climate change.
Invite the local newspaper to come and
photograph the display and activities.
Suggestions for entries:
m
Take photos of the children working on the
activities.
m
m
Send in posters,
surveys, written
work, artwork, projects etc. If artwork
or posters are too large to post,
send in a photo
instead.
Video children
doing the
activities or
presentations.
…and help to Stop
Climate Change!
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Join the campaign. Go to www.lent.ie for
more information on the campaign and find
out how your class can take part.
Join up to the ‘Green Schools’ project. If your
school is already affiliated, a section on
Climate Change has been added to the
themes as a way of consolidating the work
done.
Write an article for your school
website/newsletter about Climate Change.
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What schools will receive:
The members of a group who submit an entry
will each receive a Trócaire Better World Award
certificate and a Trócaire Better World Award
sticker. In addition, there will be awards for
groups whose entries are of special merit.
These special merit awards will include:
●
●
●
An artefact from Kenya
A CD of music from Africa
A Fairtrade hamper
✃
O
Trócaire Better World Award Entry Form
School’s Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Class: ____________________________________ Teacher’s name: ____________________________________________
Names of children (use a separate sheet of necessary):
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Give a brief description of your entry:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
School Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________
Send your class or group entry to Trócaire, 9 Cook Street, Cork or Trócaire, 50 King Street, Belfast, BT1 6AD by Friday April 11th
2008. Mark your envelope Trócaire Better World Award.
4
Circle Time Activity
1. Invite the children to
imagine that they are
holding the world in their
hands. Encourage them to
imagine they are in space
looking down at the world. The
first astronauts who saw the earth
from space said it was like a ‘blue pearl’.
Set the scene by describing the resources and
beauty of the earth. Explain that you are going to pass the
imaginary world around, they must hold it very carefully and
think about the great things the earth provides. They may
share their thoughts aloud if they wish.
2. Explain that over the next few weeks they will be learning
about a very important resource in the world – water.
Encourage children to reflect for a few minutes about what
they think of when they hear the word ‘water’. Talk them
through some images – swimming, sailing, animals that live in
water, people, animals and plants using water to grow, also
floods, hurricanes, storms, polluted water etc.
3. Encourage the children to think about issues in the
environment they feel happy / sad about. Focus on water and
the environment. Invite them in turn to finish the sentences ‘I
am happy that ….’and ‘I am sad that…’. (e.g. I am sad that
water gets polluted, I am happy that I have enough clean
water’)
4. Explain that what we do in our country affects people in other
parts of the world. Ask children to name a country in the
world, and ask for 10 volunteers some from Europe, Africa, Asia
etc. They stand in the centre of the circle and join hands.
Number off the children 1,2,1,2 … Ask all of the number 1s to
lean inwards and ask the number 2s lean out until they are
balanced.
Song: Circle of Friends (Alive 0-5: T2, L7)
Discuss the balancing activity. Ask the rest of the class to
suggest how the countries represented by
the volunteers might rely on or be
affected by another country in the group.
Make the link to how countries and
people around the world rely on
each other and are affected by each
others’ actions.
Follow up activity – On the other
hand…
Invite the children to draw the outlines of their hands on A4 paper
and fill in a ‘happy’ and ‘sad’ hand
Strand: Science Strand Unit:
Environmental Awareness and Care
(From www.fi.edu/tfi/activity/earth/earth-5.html)
Water Usage Activity
You will need:
To Do:
dmagazines and newspapers
1. Brainstorm all the uses of water. List the responses. Categorise
the answers into uses for cleaning, eating, leisure, farming.
Divide the class into groups and encourage each group to cut
out pictures from magazines or draw pictures showing how we
use water. These can then be used to make a display on water
use. Use the information on household daily water usage
below and place water drop sticker on the appropriate
drawing.
2. Daily household water usage
Make charts on A4 paper with the following information
for children to bring home to calculate how much water
they use.
Toilet: 9 litres; Kettle filled: 1 litre; Sink filled: 4 litres;
Shower: 35 litres; Bath: 80 litres; Washing machine: 95
litres; Wash hands: 2 litres; Brush teeth: 1 litre;
Dishwasher: 50 litres.
3. Talk about it:
Imagine you had to spend 4 hours a day collecting the
water you need. Think of ways this might make you
change how you use water at home.
Follow up activities:
1. Invite the children to think of ways they can save water.
Make small postcard sized signs to display beside sources
of water as reminders – e.g. turn off the tap while
brushing your teeth! Wash the art equipment in a
full sink. Don’t leave the tap running! etc.
2. Read and discuss the information in the fact box
below. Write the information on posters with
results of household water usage survey to form
part of the display for World Earth Day.
TBWA
● Average daily water consumption in Ireland per is
FACT BOX
D Introductory Activities
148 litres per person.
● Two-thirds of people in the world have less than 50
litres of water a day for all their needs.
● Many women and girls in Africa spend 4 hours per
day collecting water.
● A single toilet flush is more than most people in
developing countries use for drinking, washing and
cooking
● By the year 2020, 75-250 million people in Africa
will not have enough water to survive
Strand: Science Strand Unit: Environmental Awareness
Greenhouse effect
To introduce the children to Climate Change, watch the
following clips
http://www.climatechallenge.gov.uk/multimedia/film5.html - a
2-minute film to explain why climate change is happening and
what it will mean.
The following animations explain how the greenhouse effect
works:
http://www.climatechallenge.gov.uk/multimedia/flashmovie.ht
ml, (3rd & 4th / P4 & P5) http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/online/energy/site/EIZInfogr9.asp (5th & 6th / P6 & P7)
The worksheet on page 6 may be completed after viewing
these clips, or in place of them if Internet access in unavailable.
Experiment
d
Materials needed:
2 thermometers,
glass jar, clock or watch, lamp or access to
sunny area.
To do: Place thermometers in a sunny place.
Wait about three minutes, then record the
temperature on both thermometers and also the time.
Then place the glass jar over one thermometer. Every minute,
for ten minutes, record the time and the temperature of both
thermometers.
Background information
The air in the jar cannot circulate, so it gets warmer and
warmer. In the same way, sunlight passes through the
atmosphere and warms the earth. The heat radiating from the
earth is trapped by greenhouse gases.
Take photos and write up the experiment
for the World Water Day display.
TBWA
5
fl Greenhouse Gases And Climate Change
Match the sentences to the drawings and put them in the correct order to find out what causes
the climate to change.
B
A
D
C
A
E
F
1.
Lights, computers, TVs, cookers,
dishwashers and lots of other things,
use electricity, which is supplied by
power stations.
2.
Some power stations make electricity by
burning coal, oil or gas. The more electricity we
use the more coal, oil or gas they burn.
4
3.
5.
Burning coal, oil or gas makes smoke that
contains a gas called Carbon Dioxide or CO2.
CO2 is a natural part of the air around earth. It is
like a blanket that keeps the earth warm by
keeping in some of the heat from the sun.
But as we use more and more electricity and burn
more oil to power cars, airplanes and other engines,
more and more CO2 is sent into the air and makes the
blanket stronger. This makes the earth get warmer
and warmer, and causes ‘global warming’.
The sun shines down on earth, and heat
bounces back up into the air. Some of this
heat is stopped from escaping by the CO2 in
the air. This is a good thing because we want
the earth to be nice and warm.
6.
Warmer weather makes ice melt, sea
levels rise and also causes floods,
droughts and storms.
CO
CO2
TBWA
O2
O2
CO2
O2
CO2
O2
O2
O2
CO2
O2
CO2
E-mail Molly Cool with
any questions you have
about climate change at
www.primaryscience.ie
O2
2
6
In groups, draw
pictures to
show how the
greenhouse
effect works.
2
1. Why do you think Carbon Dioxide is
known as a ‘Greenhouse Gas’?
2 Can you think of some ways of reducing the
amount of Greenhouse Gas in the air?
3. Another activity that causes global warming
is cutting down trees. Look at the drawing
and explain why.
CO
Think about it!
O2
CO2
O2
(Carbon dioxide)
(Oxygen)
P
fl Strand: Geography
Strand Unit: People and other lands - Kenya
Explain to the children that they will be learning
how people in Kenya are suffering because of
lack of water due to climate change. Ask them to
locate Kenya in their atlases, draw an outline of
the country and write in the bordering countries
and sea.
You will need:
from this booklet, access to the
dInformation
following websites:
m http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/hh/goplaces
m http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Geography
/Africa/Kenya/index.htm
m http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb
/world/kenya/index.htm
My favourite subjects in Primary School were
geography, but I really loved science. I played a
lot of soccer at school and in the summer I was
in Samba Soccer. Our school did many fund
raising activities which were great fun. I enjoyed
Skipathon and fundraising for a primary school
in Malawi.
I love Kenya to bits and would like to go there
more often, but I would never move back
because I feel like I’m at home now and plus all
the friends I have made here I couldn’t leave
them.’
Language:
Learn some words and phrases in Kiswahili:
Habari yako?
– How are you?
To Do:
1. Carry out a research project on Kenya under
the following headings:
location, peoples that live there (perhaps
focus on the Turkana people), languages,
clothes, play and pastimes, features of the
natural environment, foods and farming,
homes and settlements, interrelationships of
the lives of people and these features.
Nzuri sana, na wewe? – Very well, and you?
2. Find out about some famous Kenyans:
a) Wangari Muta Maathai see case study on
page 12 of this booklet and
www.greenbeltmovement.org
b)
c)
d)
e)
Moses Kiptanui
Richard Leakey
Jomo Kenyatta
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
From Kenya to Ireland
Robby Oburu, now 19 years, moved to Ireland
from Kenya with his family in 1994. Here he
writes of his impressions of Ireland at that time.
This might lead to a discussion about people
moving to Ireland and how they may have
connections to two places.
‘My first impressions of Ireland were that the
countryside was very beautiful and very green.
You have to keep in mind that it was back in
1994. A lot has changed now. Ireland has grown a
lot since then. The way of life was very relaxed
and people never kept time. This is also the same
as in Kenya where people are very relaxed and
are also bad time keepers. People in Ireland are
very nice and I enjoy their company. There are a
few mean people but that is expected anywhere
you go in the world.
Siyo nzuri
– Not so good
Mambo!
– Things!
Safi!
– Cool/clean!
Hodi! Hodi!
– Can I come in?
Karibu
– Welcome
Kwaheri
– Goodbye
Asante
– Thank you
Pole
– Sorry
Hakuna matata
– No worries
Jina lako nani?
– What is your name?
Jina langu ni…
– My name is ….
Songs
Listen to the Kenyan national anthem on
http://complit.la.psu.edu/swahili/songs/anthem.html
Links with the Alive-0 series
Alive-0 5: T3, L4/L5: Follow Me / Love & Serve
the Lord
Alive-0 6: T1, L1-4: Creation
Alive-0 7: T1, L9: The Garden Story
Alive-0 8: T1, L2: In Relation to God’s Creation;
T3, L7: Kingdom Ecology
World Water Day, March 22nd
Display information about Kenya at
your World Water Day event. Ask
TBWA
for volunteers among your class to
prepare some Kenyan food (with
parental help!), display projects and
sing Kenyan songs. Teach people some
Kiswahili phrases.
7
,
Nangiro
s Story
e
Ejoka!
My name is Nangiro and I have
been asked to tell you a little
about myself and my life. I am
about 12 years old and I live with
my father, grandmother, my
brothers Philip and Peter
and my sister Mary.
My mother died last year.
My grandmother and sister, who is
18, look after the family now. We belong to a tribe
of people called the Turkana people. The region
where we live in the northern part of Kenya is also
called Turkana. You can see from the photographs
that Turkana is a very dry and dusty place. It is very
hot all year round and we get very little rainfall.
My family are pastoralists. This means that we own
animals. The land we live on is owned by the
government of Kenya so we are free to move around
with them to find food and water. Animals are very
important for our daily lives and culture. At the
moment we own 40 goats. Our people used to own
camels and cows, but goats are tougher and survive
on less grass. They also manage to find some leaves
to eat on bushes. These goats are everything to my
family. It is my job to take care of them and make
sure they have food and water.
I leave my home at 7am every morning and bring the
goats to find some bits of grass or bush to eat. If the
goats get enough to eat, they will give milk. We
drink the milk and sell some goats to buy what we
need. On special occasions we eat goat’s meat.
Looking after the goats is hard work because of the
sun, sand and heat, but I am proud to have such a
responsible job to help my family.
We used to own more goats but there was a drought
last year when no rain fell and some of the goats
died. It was a very hard year for us. I spent long
hours in the hot sun walking with the goats looking
for grass for them, but only found dust and sand.
There is a river about 1 km from my home, but that
dried up completely.
My father tells me that Turkana has always been dry
land, but when he was the same age as me life was
better. There was enough rainfall and a lot more
trees growing which bore fruit for both people and
animals. The trees have long since died out. I learn a
lot from my father. He is a leader in the community.
He calls everyone together to meet and talk about
Questions:
m How many people are in Nangiro’s family?
m Why do you think Nangiro says he is ‘about’ 12 years old?
(Explain that in the Turkana culture birthdays are not celebrated
as they are here. People may not receive birth certificates so may
not have official records of dates of birth).
m
m
8
What do the family live on?
Why do you think goats are suitable for the land in Turkana?
their problems so that they can try to work them out
together. The main problem they talk about is the
weather and lack of rain. But even he cannot tell me
why the weather has changed. He only knows that
there will be even more difficult times ahead if the
drought continues. My father also works with a local
group in the parish who distribute food when times
are really bad. He has to make sure that people who
are really in need get some maize flour and cooking
oil.
I am proud to be a member of the Turkana tribe.
Our people have been living here in this way for many
years. Now because of the changing weather some
people have had to move to the cities for work. Our
way of life is changing, but we will always be the
Turkana people. You can see in the photographs some
of the things that are important to us. I carry the
ekichoro and a stick with me wherever I go. I use the
ekichoro as a stool and also as a pillow when I sleep.
You might think it looks uncomfortable, but it means
that my head is lifted from the ground where there
might be scorpions and other insects ready to bite! I
use the stick as a work tool and sometimes a weapon if
needed. You might have noticed the many bright
colourful necklaces my grandmother wears. These are
not just for decoration, they can tell many things. Girls
start to wear necklaces from an early age and the
number of necklaces worn is added to as they grow
older. They buy beads and make rope using palm
leaves and make the necklace from them. The metal
necklace that my sister Mary wears is a sign that she is
ready to get married.
Let me tell you about my home. We have two small
huts, a store for food and medicine, a pen to keep the
goats safe at night time and a small cooking area. The
huts are made from reeds that come from the lake. We
usually sleep outside on camel or cow skin mats
because it is too hot and there are too many
mosquitoes in the hut.
I have heard that all of you listening to my story are
now at school. No-one in my family has ever gone to
school, although some of my friends do. I am too busy
minding the goats. My sister spends her day fetching
water, preparing food for the family and cleaning the
house. My hope for the future is that I will be able to
continue to live as a Turkana man. My father believes
the land will get drier and drier and life will get
harder. But I hope that we will be able to find other
ways of getting water and our way of life will
continue.
From,
Nangiro
As Nangiro cannot read or write, this
story was written based on an interview
with Trócaire staff.
K
m What work does Nangiro do? Does he enjoy it? Does he go
m
m
m
to school? Why not?
What two things does Nangiro always carry with him? Can
you mime how they are used?
How has life changed for the Turkana people since
Nangiro’s father was a boy?
How is Nangiro’s life the same as yours? How is it different?
Z Earth Links
Activity to show the causes and effects of climate change.
To do:
Divide the class into groups of eight. Give each child a card from one of the chains below. Explain
that they have to form a chain so that each card follows on from the last. The first group to
correctly form the chain is the winner.
Afterwards, explain that the activity showed the causes and effects of climate change. Ask if they
found it easy or difficult to get the correct order. Why / why not? Did anything about the activity
surprise them? Explain that the actions described in the chains e.g. driving a car only have a
significant impact when millions of people also do them. Ask which end of the chain would they
try to change and how.
Follow up activity:
Illustrate the chains.
CHAIN 1
The
The car
car burns
burns
petrol
which
petrol which releases
releases
CarbonDioxide
Dioxideintothe
into
Carbon
theair.
air.
Z
Z
The
temperature rises
and makes the
world warmer.
Anne goes by car to
her local school every
morning.
Z
Z
Rainsfail
Rains
in
infail
Kenya.
Kenya.
Z
The world’s climate
changes leading to
hurricanes, floods,
droughts especially in
developing countries.
Nangiro’s family
have to sell some of
their goats.
Nangiro’s
family have to
queue for
food.
Z
Z
CHAIN 2
Z
The Carbon
dioxide acts like a
greenhouse to
trap the sun’s
heat.
A return flight for
two from Ireland to
Lanzarotte releases more
Carbon Dioxide into the
air than the average car
does in a year.
Z
Jamie’s family decide
they need a sun holiday
after the wet summer in
Ireland.
Z
Z
Samuel’s plants and
seeds get washed away and
the soil loses its nutrients.
Z
The
temperature rises
and makes the
world warmer.
The world’s
climate changes
leading to hurricanes,
floods, droughts
especially in
developing countries.
Z
Z
Royanne
Air sells cheap
flights at €8
each.
Z
There
There
are
are flash
flash
floods
floods in
in
Kenya.
Kenya
9
10
B
Spot the energy savers and
energy wasters in this picture
th
TH
5
and
6
class /P6 and P7 Worksheet
D
Cut out the boxes below and glue them onto the appropriate countries on the Carbon Dioxide
World Map
USA
The
produces more Carbon Dioxide
(CO2) than any other country in the world.
This is because it is a very wealthy country
and most of the CO2 produced comes from
heating and cooling buildings and petrol for
cars. America alone produces 25% of all
greenhouse gases, but is one of two countries
that haven’t signed the Kyoto Agreement.
Many countries signed the Kyoto agreement
in order to try to cut down the amount of
greenhouse gases they were producing and
stop climate change.
China
Scientists believe that
will
produce more CO2 than any other
country in the world in the next
20 years. This is because one-fifth
of the population of the world
lives there and there are many
factories making goods that are
sent to countries all over the
world. Think of all the things you
own that have ‘Made in China’
written on them!
Kenya produces 0.2 metric
tonnes of CO2 per person per
year compared to 20 metric
tonnes produced by the USA.
Chad, in Africa, has the
lowest CO2 emissions per
person of any country in
the world. It is a very poor
country. Most energy
comes from burning wood.
Australia is the second
Ireland comes 5
th
in a list
of countries which cause
climate pollution. If
everyone in the world
lived like the Irish, we
would need three earths
to survive.
Norway
produces a lot of
CO2. It is a very
cold country and
a lot of energy is
spent on central
heating.
Sweden
is as cold as Norway, but
nearly half of Sweden’s electricity
comes from renewable energy
(wind turbines, solar panels etc.) so
they don’t burn coal, oil or gas.
They also insulate their homes very
well, so heat doesn’t escape.
highest producers of CO2.
It is a very hot country and
a lot of energy is spent on
air conditioning. A lot of
the electricity comes from
cheap coal.
Source: www.energysavingsecrets.co.uk
th
TH
5
and
6
class /P6 and P7 Worksheet
D
Cut out the boxes below and glue them onto the appropriate
countries on the Water Shortage World Map
Kenya used to have
Asia
In
, most rivers come
from the mountains and
depend on melted snow to
keep rivers flowing in dry
summer months. Global
warming will mean the snow
will melt earlier, the rivers will
dry up earlier and the dry
season will last longer.
England and
Ireland recorded the
In 2007,
wettest summer since
weather records began.
droughts every five or six
years. Since 2000, there
have been droughts
nearly every year.
Hundreds of thousands
of people who depend
on rainfall to water their
crops have had to get
food aid to survive.
Australia
Honduras
Farmers in
in Central America
used to depend on the rain that fell
during six months of the year. Now the
rains come together at one time, causing
floods and droughts.
In
, there
has been a drought in
parts of the country for
the past ten years.
People have water to
drink, but not enough
to water crops.
Egypt
buys half of its
food from other
countries because it
doesn’t have enough
water to grow the food
that is needed.
Source: www.whyfiles.org
11
XCase Studies from Kenya
Strand: Science
Strand Unit: Environmental Awareness and Care
1. Thomas
is 8 years old. He lives in Naibor village in
Kenya with his family and their dog, Thompson. He is
in class 3 in Ol Girgiri Primary school. Because of
water shortages, the principal in the school put in
gutters to catch rain water from the roofs and three
large plastic tanks for storing the water. One is for
drinking, one for cooking and one is for the rest of
the community to use. The principal says ‘When there
is no rain to fill the tanks, the pupils must bring in
their own water. When there is drought, the children
don’t come to school, because they have to go with
their animals to find water further away’.
2. Morris Mwangi is 15 years
old. His favourite subject in
school is science because he
believes you learn how to
farm properly through
learning science. Morris’
family lives on a 6 acre farm.
His father says: ‘The drought is becoming worse every
year, the amount of rain is getting less and shorter
each year. But I have eyes, I have hands, I can work.’
So he dug a pond which holds water to water the
plants. He grows maize and beans that the family
eats. He also grows onions, tomatoes, snow peas and
cabbages which he sells in the market. He plants in
hollows so that the water doesn’t run off, and he uses
a sprinkler head on the hosepipe when watering the
plants so as not to waste any.
3. Elymas
Note for teacher:
The following case studies are examples of how people in
Kenya have responded to the effects of climate change.
To do:
a) Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4. Give each group
a paragraph to read. They may write the answers to
the questions on the back of the handout or in their
copies. They then feedback the information they have
learned to the rest of the class through improvising a
short drama, or in response to questions from teacher
as TV reporter.
b) Through discussion, rate the responses. Question
carefully to ensure they realise that response 3 is
damaging to the environment, as it involves cutting
down trees.
There was a small stream flowing through her farm that
used to flood and wash away seeds and plants. Small
dams were built along this stream which helps to stop
the land being washed away. Seberina’s harvest has
grown from half a bag of maize to five full bags this
year.
5. Silas, Juliate and their three daughters live on a
farm. Over the last 10 years, because of changes in
rainfall patterns, their crops have failed. Silas used to
leave home to find paid work, and the farm suffered.
Then he joined a group which helped him and other
farmers to stay and work on their own farms. Silas
planted seeds last year, but nothing grew. He is going to
try out new crops that will grow well with little water.
6. Alex
works with a group called Caritas Tharaka which
helps farmers. Over the last 10 years, because of changes
in rainfall patterns, crops have failed. At first the group
gave food to people whose crops failed. Then they
noticed that farmers were leaving their farms to find
paid work and their farms were suffering. So Caritas
started food-for-work programmes and encouraged
farmers to stay and work on their own farms. They have
also built dams to collect water from rivers, and
encouraged farmers to try out new crops that will grow
well with little water.
is 8 years old. He and
his family are members of the
Turkana group of people in
Northern Kenya. The family
owns goats and chickens. They
get water from a water tank
and a local river. In times of drought, they have to
find other ways to make money, so they make baskets
and charcoal to sell. People burn charcoal in stoves so
that they can cook food. To make charcoal, a tree is
chopped into pieces about 1 metre long. They are
stacked up and covered with green leaves and soil. A
fire is started at the front of the pile and allowed to
burn for 10 minutes. Then the front of the pile is
closed so that the fire burns slowly back through the
rest of the pile. This then burns without flames,
smoking the wood. After about three days, it has
become charcoal. The charcoal is then put in bags and
sold for about 100 shillings per bag. A loaf of bread
costs about 25 shillings.
founded a group called the Green
Belt Movement (GBM) in Kenya in 1976. She had seen
how many trees were being cut down in Kenya. When
heavy rains fell, soil got washed away because there
were no roots to anchor the soil in the ground. Because
there were less trees, women had to travel further to
collect firewood. The GBM has helped people to plant
almost 20 million trees. Planting trees is good for the
environment, it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide
in the air, it stops soil from being washed away, and it
means that women don’t have to spend so much time
searching for firewood.
4. Seberina Nkuru
Answer the questions:
is a farmer and mother of two
children. She says that the rains are unusually bad. For
a number of years she didn’t get many crops from her
land, then she joined the Wendo group which helps
farmers. With their help, Seberina built terraces along
the slopes of her farm. This stops the rain pouring off.
12
P
7. Wangari Maathai
What problems does the person have?
______________________________________________________
How have they tried to solve these problems?
______________________________________________________
Classroom Survey
Carry out a survey of your classroom and if possible of other classrooms
in the school also.
How ‘green’ is your class?
Class__________ Room No.___________ Teacher_____________________
Survey carried out by ___________________________________________
– Lights
– Are lights left on unnecessarily? _____
– Is there someone in charge of turning off
lights at break times / home time? ______
If yes, who? _____________
– Are there energy efficient light bulbs
Á Recycling
– Is paper recycled? _________
– Is recycled paper used in the school?
___________
– Is the front and back of paper regularly
copied on? _________
used? _________
Computers and Electrical Equipment
– Are all unused electrical equipment and
Present your findings to the Principal. If your
school is not part of the Green Schools
project, suggest that you might join.
computers turned off when not in use / at
the end of the day? __________
– Is someone responsible for checking that
equipment is turned off? __________
– If yes, who? ____________
Suggestions for improvements:
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
q
Windows and Doors
– Are windows and doors left open when
the heating is on? __________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
– Are windows double glazed? ___________
_________________________________________
– Are some windows and doors letting in
_________________________________________
draughts? ____________
Heating
– Can you turn the heating up or down in
this room only? ____________
_________________________________________
Use three different coloured markers to mark
your suggestions as follows: Green – can be
done immediately with no cost. Blue – might
take some time to plan and cost a little. Orange
– might take a long time to plan and cost a lot.
– Are corridors as warm as classrooms?
(They don’t need to be when people are
moving around) ____________
– Is the heating turned off half an hour
before the end of the school day?
Other surveys you can try:
How energy efficient is your home?
Survey how teachers and students travel
to school. Make a chart of your findings.
__________
13
N Climate change quiz
(Answers on page 2)
Select the correct answer for each of the following statements:
1. Up to ___ of energy in homes is wasted by keeping equipment on standby.
(2%, 20% or 30%)
2. If everyone boiled only the amount of water needed instead of filling the kettle to the top, it
would save enough electricity to run more than 3/4 of street lighting in the whole country.
True or false?
3. An energy efficient light bulb lasts 20 times longer and uses half as much electricity as a
standard light bulb. True or false?
4. An average household could save around €130 per year and save 1 tonne of CO2, enough to
fill 340,000 balloons, by using energy more efficiently. True or false?
5. A holidaymaker flying to Florida and back makes as much CO2 as the average motorist
produces in a week / a month / a year.
6. Food (growing, processing, transporting, throwing away) makes up about 3%, 12%, 30% of
our contribution to climate change.
7. Bottled water uses around 20/100/300 times more energy than tap water. (The energy is used
in packaging and transport).
What can we do about Climate Change?
Read the cards below and decide on some activities you and your group or class can do:
I can reduce the amount of electricity I use by…
I can recycle more by…
I can tell people more about climate change by…
I can raise money for an organisation that is working
to find solutions by…
Tree of life
TBWA
m Decide on some things you will promise to try. Write your promises on leaves and
make a large tree on which to display them. Invite other classes to add their promises to the tree.
m Submit any promises related to transport to www.onesmallstep.ie for a chance to
win prizes!
14
f Assembly /Prayer Service
Preparation: Ask each child to write a
prayer about caring for the environment
to read out during the prayer service.
Ask some volunteers to design a poster
that says ‘STOP CLIMATE CHANGE NOW!’
You will need:
Copies of the promises that the
children have made. (See p.14)
Map of Africa with Kenya
highlighted
Microphone/pretend microphone
Candle
Reflective music on tape
A bottle of Holy Water
d
Song: Alive-0 6: ‘Creation’ T1, L2 p.28 or
Alive-O 8: ‘A Wonderful Gift’ p.264
Teacher: We come together today to
thank God for the beautiful, amazing
gift He has given us…the earth. He has
given us water, air, mountains, rivers,
plants, animals, seas…life itself. We pray
today that people all over the world will
take good care of the earth and realise it
is a treasure that we must respect.
Opening Prayer
“God saw all he had made, and indeed,
it was very good.
Evening came and morning came: the
sixth day.”
(Genesis 1:31)
Teacher: In the Old Testament, the
prophets warned about the dangers of
destroying the earth. Let us listen to the
words of the prophet Joel:
Reading
Is not the food cut off
Before our eyes,
Joy and gladness
From the house of God?
The seed shrivels under the clods,
The store houses are desolate;
The granaries are ruined
Because the grain has failed.
How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
Because there is no pasture for them,
Even the flocks of sheep are dismayed
(Joel 1:16-18)
When we burn these fuels we send
something called carbon dioxide into the
air. This works like a blanket and traps
the sun’s heat.
need three earths to survive.
Narrator 3: The problem is that as the
climate gets warmer the ice at the North
Pole and South Pole melts, it also means
more bad storms, flooding, droughts and
hurricanes.
have made)
Narrator 7: It is not too late to do
something about it. Remember we can
all play a part in stopping Climate
Child 1: That sounds good, wouldn’t it be Change. Here are some things we have
nice if we had some warm weather for a agreed to try;
change?
(Children read out some promises they
Child 2: But that might not happen for
years…
Narrator 4: People are already being
affected by it. Let’s go to our reporter in
Northern Kenya who is talking to some
people about this problem.
Reflection: Psalm 104: 10-14 Praise of
God the Creator.
Reporter: (facing audience) So there you
have it, a story of hard work and survival
from Kenya.
Creator God
We announce your goodness because
It is clearly visible in the heavens
Where there is the light of the sun,
The heat of the sun,
And the light of night.
There are rain clouds…..
You make springs gush forth in the
valleys; they flow between the hills,
Reporter: This is (child’s name) reporting giving drink to every wild animal; the
from Kenya. (Turning to ‘Shelmilh’)
wild asses quench their thirst.
Shelmilh and Samuel Mwangi, you and
By the streams the birds of the air have
your family live on a farm. Can you tell
their habitation; they sing among the
us your story?
branches.
Shelmilh: We used to know exactly when from your lofty abode you water the
the rains would come. We knew when to mountains; the earth is satisfied with the
plant and we hardly ever lost our crops.
fruit of your work.
Back then, life was good and smooth,
You cause the grass to grow for the
now life is more difficult. Years ago
cattle, and plants for people to use, to
there used to be short time when no rain bring forth food from the earth.
fell, now it is like one long drought all
Narrator 9: We bring a gift of Holy
the time.
Water. We all make the sign of the cross
Reporter: But you have worked hard to
with Holy Water to remind ourselves
make your farm work?
that we are baptised into the family of
Samuel: Yes, I have eyes, I have hands, I
God.
can work. I dug a pond myself which
Narrator 10: Dear God, we thank you for
holds water. My children water the
the gift of clean water. We pray for our
plants using a hosepipe with a sprinkler. brothers and sisters around the world
We have also tried to grow different
who thirst for water.
types of plants that need less water, and
All: God, refresh those who thirst.
some that we can sell in the market. I
(The children could read their own
have learned a lot from the group I
joined. They train us and help us to cope prayers here also)
with this changing weather.
Closing Prayer
Narrator 5: Thank you. That is just one
example of how people are suffering
because of Climate Change. Two billion
DRAMA
Narrator 1: We have been learning about people who rely on farming may die if
nothing is done to help.
Climate Change and how it affects
Child 3: What is being done to stop the
people around the world, especially
world from getting warmer?
people in Kenya. Kenya is a country in
Africa (show map). We want to tell you
Narrator 6: Over 170 countries around
now why we need to the world have agreed to try to reduce
All: STOP CLIMATE CHANGE NOW!
(Display poster)
Narrator 2: Scientists all over the world
now agree that things that people do
are making the world warmer. Electricity
is made by burning coal, oil or gas.
Narrator 8: We are going to spend a few
minutes thinking of all the things we use
water for, and remember what a
precious resource it is…think about
Nangiro and his family’s struggle for
water in Kenya.
the amount of carbon dioxide they
release into the air. Ireland was one of
those countries but we are not keeping
our promise. Ireland is the 5th worst
polluter in the world. If everyone in the
world lived the way we do, we would
We have nothing except what you have
given us
You are our shield, you protect us.
You are our guard, you take care of us.
You are our safety, all day….
We say thank you today
And tomorrow. And all days.
We do not tire in giving thanks to you.
Extracts from a Maasai prayer, Kenya
Song:
Round the Earth (Alive-0 5 T2, L7)
15
The following resources are available from Trócaire Resource Centres:
Our World Our History: The Maya of Guatemala
Trócaire 2004 €6.00/£4.00
A resource for teachers for 3rd and 4th class. Contains
activities, colour photographs and children’s
worksheets on the ancient civilisation of the Maya.
Our World Our History: Nomadism, Slavery and
Conflict
Trócaire 2004 €6.00/£4.00
A resource for teachers aimed at 5th and 6th class.
Contains activities, photographs and worksheets.
Topics covered include: the Atlantic slave trade,
nomads of Somalia and Irish Travellers, wars in East
Timor and Vietnam.
Trócaire at Work: The Millennium Development
Goals – Worksheets for 5th and 6th class / P6 and
P7
Trócaire 2004 Free
Worksheets profiling how projects supported by
Trócaire are working towards achieving the MDGs.
The nine worksheets provide a range of activities
linked to the Primary curriculum.
Rafiki – CD Rom
Trócaire 1999 €10.00/£7.00
Contains over 10 hours of games, stories, puzzles
and adventures which link children in Ireland with
children in other parts of the world. Countries
featured include: India, Guatemala, Kenya, Brazil
and Rwanda. Rafiki is interactive and participatory
and linked directly to the aims and objectives of the
Primary Curriculum. Age 7+
The World in the Classroom – Development
Education in the Primary Curriculum
Primary School Development Education Project CDU,
Mary Immaculate College €12.70/£9.00
A resource for teachers exploring development
education methodologies and identifying
opportunities for a development perspective in each
of the subject areas in the Primary Curriculum.
Homes and Families in Peru – Geography
resource for 3rd to 6th class
Trócaire 2006 Free
Integrating with the Geography Strand Unit, People
and Other Lands, this resource looks at the life of
three families in Peru. Through activities, stories
and a set of 12 photos, the children will explore the
climate, language, culture, dress, food, education,
transport and daily life in both urban and rural
settings. They will explore issues such as the
concerns of the people, change and how it has
come about, the inequitable distribution of
resources and interdependence.
Maps
Traidcraft, €12.00/£8.00
Peter’s Projection Map (laminated) 85cmx60cm
Websites for further information
www.trocaire.ie
Trócaire’s website contains stories, information and
ideas for taking action on the environment.
www.onesmallstep.ie
Initiative to encourage people to help the
environment by walking, cycling or using public
transport.
www.combatclimatechange.ie
www.climatechangewales.com
www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids
Great activities and information for primary schools
www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/climate_ch
aos
Excellent site with lesson plans and activities.
www.stopclimatechaos.ie
Sign the online petition to lobby the government
to stop climate change
RESOURCE CENTRES
MAYNOOTH
DUBLIN
CORK
BELFAST
Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
12 Cathedral St., Dublin 1.
9 Cook St., Cork.
50 King St., Belfast, BT1 6AD.
Tel: (01) 629 3333
Tel/Fax: (01) 874 3876
Tel: (021) 427 5622
Tel: (028) 9080 8030
Fax: (01) 629 0661
e-mail: [email protected]
Fax: (021) 427 1874
Fax: (028) 9080 8031
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
Written by Anne-Marie Kealy. Artwork by Olga Tiernan. Design and Print: Genprint. Printed on recycled paper.
Trócaire, 2008