In the fall of 2022, teacher Alain Raoul began implementation of a revamped curriculum for a grade 8 course called Career Education 8, which is taught to approximately 250 grade...
Actions from BTCEA workshops
From the workshops at Be the change, my students are now able to have open discussions and share ideas and feelings regarding climate change, without judgement. My class did an extension project based...
Outdoor learning and exploring
Often we go on neighbourhood walks and we are constantly looking at plants, trees and various lifeforms in the neighbourhood. The learning and noticing is contagious; the more students in the class point out ...
Connecting to the land
My Grade 3 students and I planted a garden, and have been visiting each week to observe the growth of our plants...
New Change-Inspiring Course at Lord Byng Secondary!
In the fall of 2022, teacher Alain Raoul began implementation of a revamped curriculum for a grade 8 course called Career Education 8, which is taught to approximately 250 grade 8 students at Lord Byng Secondary. The curricular competencies for the course were open-ended enough to allow Raoul to focus the course on Social and Climate justice. The 15-lesson course is packed with interactive activities and a student reflection booklet which focus on learning about identity, beliefs, power, privilege, oppression, equity, and allyship. The Climate Justice component, (with which Be the Change’s Anna Tokunaga helped so much) introduces students to the topic, the roles systems play in contributing not only to climate injustice, but also to equitable solutions to the climate change crisis, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing about and learning from the land. Students develop their own climate justice story (template developed by UBC Climate Hub) and write a letter to government about a climate issue of concern to them. The course wraps up by connecting directly with nature, with a group bike ride in Pacific Spirit Park. The short-term goal of the course is to get students to reflect on what kind of person they would like to be, what they wish to value, and what role they could play in making positive change around them. Raoul’s long-term goal is to have the course taught across Metro Vancouver and BC. Anyone wishing to acquire a free copy of this curriculum, and advice about implementing it is asked to contact Alain Raoul ([email protected]), who would be happy to help!
Actions from BTCEA workshops
From the workshops at Be the change, my students are now able to have open discussions and share ideas and feelings regarding climate change, without judgement. My class did an extension project based off of the [YCAP] workshop, and the students did their own climate storytelling activity, where we made a poster of our own “climate story” which were displayed in the hallways, and featured in the school newsletter for everyone to see.
Through the Water is Life workshop my grade 7 class took many actions including: walking to school, not eating meat for a day, using reusable wrappers, and collectively reduced their environmental footprint. They are now more conscious about their waste and water usage. Many students have continued to take these actions throughout the year.
Narumi Akagami
Outdoor learning and exploring
Often we go on neighbourhood walks and we are constantly looking at plants, trees and various lifeforms in the neighbourhood. The learning and noticing is contagious; the more students in the class point out different organic things, the more other students notice them. One thing that helps us become enthusiastic about natural items is our "Nature Museum" in the classroom. It's a random assortment of bark, moss, lichen, mushrooms, dried branches, plants, nuts, etc. brought in by the students. If the class sees something in the "museum" they notice it more on our walks. Students love to collect things from the ground and make bouquets from their findings.
Susan Russell
Connecting to the land
My Grade 3 students and I planted a garden, and have been visiting each week to observe the growth of our plants. We are learning to care for the land, as it cares for us!
Mairi Anderson
