Reducing our carbon footprint

In this lesson, students will investigate the measurement of CO2 as outputs per individual and household, in terms of kilograms of CO2 per annum.

Subject:

Mathethmatics

Economics and business

Design and technology

Levels:

Film:

Topic:

Time required:

1hr 5mins

Country:

Australia , New Zealand

Lesson plans include:

Flash Cards , Worksheet , Fact sheet , Slides , Data Table

Overview

In this lesson, students will investigate the measurement of CO2 as outputs per individual and household, in terms of kilograms of CO2 per annum. They will examine the carbon footprint of average Australians in comparison to the world average and to countries such as Bangladesh, as featured in a clip from 2040.

Learning intentions:

Students will...

understand about densities and masses of solids, liquids and gases
learn how CO2 output by humans can be measured in kilograms produced ‘per annum’
learn that human CO2 outputs can be reduced either through consuming less CO2 or by absorbing or ‘drawing down’ CO2 from the atmosphere
develop teamwork skills as they calculate household CO2 footprints using addition, subtraction and multiplication of large numbers
realise that they can make a difference to global carbon dioxide levels by acting locally and encouraging others to do the same

Success criteria:

Students can...

explain in simple terms why liquids, solids and gases have different densities
convert kilograms of CO2 into a given approximate volume at room temperature, using multiplication
use provided data and successfully use addition, subtraction and multiplication to calculate and solve aggregate amounts of CO2 for individuals, neighbourhoods and societies
express examples of local and household actions that can be taken to reduce their own individual carbon footprint and those of their families

Credits and acknowledgements:

Curriculum material and mapping has been developed and written by Cool.org.

Cool.org, GoodThing Productions and Regen Studios would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of Good Pitch Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation, and our philanthropic partners in the development of these teaching resources.

Watching the film

If your school or institution has a ClickView subscription, you can access 2040 on the ClickView platform.

If you do not have access to ClickView, you can purchase an educational licence to screen the film to your class and request a streaming link to share with your students. Please complete the Host a Screening form on our website and our team will be in touch to assist you.

The educational licence is for primary and secondary schools who wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host on-site screenings for the school community.