conservation education - South African National Biodiversity … · resources, including land,...

conservation educationENV IRONMENT IN THE CURR ICULUM

A resource to support local action and learning for sustainable l iving

in the National Curriculum Statement.

Environment in Economic andManagement Sciences

This pamphlet introduces service pro-viders and educators to ‘environment’ inthe Economics and ManagementSciences (EMS) curriculum for Grades R-9, and aims to give a sense of how one

might work with the curriculumrequirements and opportunities. We

illustrate some of the many relevant LearningOutcomes, Assessment Standards andcontexts, focusing on biodiversity. To seewhere else environmental learningfeatures in EMS, in other Learning Areas,or in the Grade 10-12 curriculum, pleaseconsult the National Curriculum Statements.

The Economic and Management Sciences Learn-ing Area prepares learners to participate in aneconomically complex society, where productivity,social justice and a healthy environment are keyconcerns. Learners become literate and developbasic skills as consumers, entrepreneurs andmanagers of tasks, money and other resources.They need to understand and apply economic andmanagement principles responsibly, and to reflectcritically on the wealth creation process. Theyconsider how economic activities (like the

manufacturing of various goods, from cars to food)have an impact on environment and society.Seeing the world as a set of related and inter-dependent systems is vital, and learners considerhow economic activities depend on the wise use ofresources, including land, water and biodiversity,and how economic activity can support theenvironment and society in a sustainable way (e.g.the reduction and recycling of waste, the fairsharing of the wealth created from the earth).

In the new curriculum, environment and oppor-tunities for environmental learning appear in allLearning Areas. Based on the vision and values ofthe South African Constitution, a key curriculumprinciple is to promote a healthy environment,human rights, social justice and inclusivity. This

principle is reflected in required LearningOutcomes and Assessment Standards, specifiedcontexts and core content, which all supportenvironmental learning. Not surprisingly, therefore,environmental learning must be assessed as part ofthe formal curriculum.

A Healthy Economy Needs …

... a Healthy Environment!

Learning Outcome 1

The Economic Cycle

Learners will be able to demonstrate knowledge and

understanding of the economiccycle in the context of the

‘economic problem’.

Foundation PhaseGrades R-3

We give examples from Grades 2 & 3

�To work towards this AS,learners could explore whatwater and electricity coststheir family, how the Earthis affected when we use toomuch water or produceelectricity; and how wereduce waste when usingthese resources. Teach howusing resources carefullyboth saves money andhelps the Earth, and whyboth of these are important.

�Show the learners howto make something funout of old boxes and bottle tops, to sell or giveas gifts! Let them discoverother resources that couldbe used, or have beenused, in this way.

�Generate income by recycling paper, cardboard, tins, glass;save money by mendingold bicycles, clothesand/or running a second-hand shop. If you have a garden, recycle foodscraps in a compost heap and save money onfertilizer, recycle tyres as planting beds …

Grade 2, LO1, AS5:

Express the importanceand ways of saving andnot wasting money andother resources such as

water and electricity.

Grade 3, LO1, AS1:

Describe ways in whichthe household or school

can generate incomefrom waste materials, orsave money by recycling.

Grade 2, LO2, AS4:

Identify availableresources used to

create innovative andmarketable products.

Grade 3, LO2, AS4:

Collectively plan or run a real or simulated

classroom enterpriseresponsibly by selling or making goods for a

market.

The Learning Outcomes(LO) Apply to All Grades

Learning Outcome 2

Sustainable Growth and Development

Learners will be able to demonstrate an understanding of reconstruction,

sustainable growth and develop-ment and to reflect critically on

related processes.

Learning Outcome 4

Entrepreneurial Knowledge and Skill

The learner will be able to demonstrate entrepreneurial

knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Assessment Standards (A

Intermediate PhaseGrades 4-6

We give one example from Grade 4

Senior PhaseGrades 7-9

We give an example from Grade 7

�To work towards achieving this AS, learnerscould explore the use of resources such as petrol,water, fire wood, shell fish, bait … and serviceslike nature conservation and law enforcement,and others.

Community resources could include abundantwild plants which could be sustainably harvested;pleasant areas where visitors would like to hike,picnic or watch birds; or the facts about naturewhich knowledgeable community membersmight have.

�We need things like healthy foods, enoughwater, homes, the chance to learn, be creativeand contribute to society. Our wants for greatvariety in food, for swimming pools and lushlawns, big houses or huge meals, can be bad forour health, and strain the Earth as more naturalresources are used, and more pollution created.At the same time, many people’s needs are notbeing met, and inequality increases, causingmany social ills.

Grade 7, LO1, AS1:

Explain needs and wants and how differences between them impact on communities and the environment.

Grade 7, LO4, AS2:

Use idea generation techniques to make recommendations on using community

resources to generate income in a responsible way.

Grade 4, LO1, AS2:

Explain the effects on the community of bothresponsible and irresponsible use of resources

and services.

These are only some of the Assessment Standards for EMS –

take a look at the others, including those for LO3.

AS) Change and Progress from Grade to Grade

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the GET Economic and

Management Sciences Curriculum

The learners help in the food garden, to learnlife skills for when they need to look after them-selves – although I don’t assess them on this, asit is not a curriculum requirement. What they dohave to show me, is that they can explain recy-cling. There are many examples of recycling inour garden – we use tyres for built-up beds inwhich the learners can work, even if they are inwheelchairs or on crutches. We re-use grey waterfrom the hostel’s showers and kitchen. We recy-cle vegetable peels in a compost heap and usethis to replace nutrients in the soil. When the

learners can explain how this helps the environ-ment and saves money, and why this is impor-tant, they have achieved Assessment Standardsfor EMS, Life Orientation and Social Science!Next year we will start a stall for selling our pro-duce; while the Grade 3s will not work in it, theywill help to do the planning and calculations, andagain this is something I can assess, to see ifthey’ve achieved the EMS AssessmentStandards”.

Inspired by Harding Special School, Kokstad

A teacher’s story: “We are a school for learnerswith special needs, and proud to be an Eco-School. We earned our Green Flag by running afood garden and soup kitchen which feeds thelearners and community, by installing a watertank and other water-saving devices, and by bas-ing some of our lesson plans on these activities.All the staff participate in the programme, andevery year, when we plan our programmes forthe next year, we look at how we can draw on our

Eco-Schools activities as a curriculum resource. Iteach the Foundation Phase (Grades R-3). Thatmeans I teach three learning programmes:Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills. For the LifeSkills learning programme, I need to worktowards the Assessment Standards of LifeOrientation, Social Sciences, Arts and Culture,Technology and EMS. I’ll give you an example ofhow I’ve drawn on the food garden for my Grade3 class:

Environment in Life Orientation

This pamphlet introduces serviceproviders and educators to ‘environ-ment’ in the Life Orientation curriculumfor Grades R-9, and aims to give asense of how one might work with the

curriculum requirements and oppor-tunities. We illustrate some of the many

relevant Learning Outcomes, AssessmentStandards and contexts. To see whereelse environ-mental learning features inLife Orientation, in other Learning Areas,or in the Grade 10-12 Life Orientationcurriculum, please consult the NationalCurriculum Statements.

Life Orientation helps learners to make responsibledecisions about their health and the environment.Learners and their communities can only be healthyif the earth is healthy too. People need clean water,fresh air, nutritious food and safe surroundings. Weeven need to enjoy the beauty of nature as weexercise outdoors. In Life Orientation, learnersactively participate by identifying environmental

health issues in their homes, school and community.They explore what we can do to make our worldsafer and healthier. From early on, they learn tomake choices and take action for good health andhealthy surroundings. The diversity of plants andanimals are part of healthy ecosystems – like farms,rivers, oceans – which play a vital role in the healthof people and planet.



Making Choices:

A Healthy Me in a Healthy World!

This could be taught in the context of foodgardens, waste dispos-al, a play park, or a footpatrol at a busy road,for example.

This could be taught inthe context of recyclingat school or in the community, for examplepaper, glass, tin, compost.

Learning Outcome 1

Health Promotion

Healthy Environment, Healthy Me

Learners will be able to make informeddecisions about personal, community

and environmental health.



Grade 2, LO1, AS2:

Suggest and investi-gate actions to make

the home andschool environment

healthier.

Grade 3, LO1, AS2:

Participate in a recycling project andexplain how recycling

contributes to environmental

health.


Learning Outcome 2

Social Development

Rights and Responsibilities

Learners will be able to demonstrate anunderstanding of and commitment to

constitutional rights and responsibilitiesand to show an understanding of

diverse cultures and religions.

Life Orientation also has 3 more Learning Outcomes featuring

environmental learning. Do lookthem up in the policy documents!


Many other relevant Assessment Standards are left out here – why don’t you look them up!


We give examples from Grade 5



The Constitution gives children the right to ahealthy environment, and they can call on thisright when demanding that authorities providethem with clean water, for example.

Consider launching an environmental health pro-gramme in Environment Week, Water Week, or onHuman Rights Day!

Grade 5, LO1, AS2:

Investigate a local environmental health problem using different data sources andplan a strategy to address the problem.

Grade 9, LO1, AS2:

Develop and implement an environmentalhealth programme.

Grade 5, LO1, AS3:

Recognise the symptoms and causes of locally occurring diseases and discuss

prevention strategies.

Grade 9, LO1, AS1:

Illustrate and evaluate the influence of ecological,social, economic, cultural and political factors on

own choice of diet.

Grade 5, LO2, AS1:

Apply children’s rights and responsibilitiesto a range of problem situations.

Grade 9, LO2, AS2:

Report on participation in or planning of the localcelebration of a national day.

Environmental health problems might be a lack of safe, green play areas;hunger in the community; poor waste disposal; too much junk food; no toiletsat school; polluting traffic. Programmes to respond could include creating afood garden or park; or a waste management campaign.


Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the GET Life Orientation Curriculum

An Intermediate Phase teacher explains: “Iteach Life Orientation in a rural area. We’ve beenexperiencing outbreaks of cholera here. So forthe Health Promotion outcome of LifeOrientation (LO1) for Grade 5, I used the contextand content of cholera. Cholera is a communica-ble disease which is linked to the Life Orientationconcepts of environmental health and personalhygiene, because the disease spreads throughpeople using polluted water, not taking carewhen going to the toilet or not washing handsbefore handling food. So as part of my LearningProgramme this year I taught two lessons oncholera, using information from the Wildlife &Environment Society, Department of WaterAffairs, and our clinic. We read a true story of aman who had contracted the disease, a fact sheeton prevention, and studied a poster of the lifecycle of the disease. It was not so much the sci-ence that I wanted learners to grasp, as how torecognize and prevent the disease through howwe handle ourselves, our bodies and our food -basic life skills, which is a focus in LifeOrientation.

After the lesson I could assess the learnersagainst three Grade 5 LO1 Assessment Standards:Explore and report on ways to protect the quality

of food and water in various contexts (e.g.preparing food with clean hands and utensils, andboiling water or adding Jik); Investigate a localenvironmental health problem using differentdata sources, and planning a strategy to addressthe problem (this was the problem of local waterinfected with cholera, or lack of access to cleanwater, and our strategy included boiling water andadding Jik, but also writing to the Municipality topoint out that there are not enough toilets, sopeople pollute the river); and Recognise thesymptoms and causes of locally occurring dis-eases and discuss prevention strategies.

Next year I’ll work with the same learners inGrade 6. I’ll have to introduce other communica-ble diseases besides cholera then, for exampleHIV/AIDS, which is another issue we face here. InGrade 6 learners must progress and study topicsin more depth, for example I’ll introduce the LifeOrientation concepts of community norms andpersonal values in relation to HIV/AIDS.

I’m also thinking of using access to clean wateras an environmental health issue, when teachingtowards LO1 and LO2 in Grade 6. I might teamup with the science teacher to make linksbetween biodiversity and health. We should planthis soon, in time for next year!”

A Foundation Phase teacher confesses: “I’vebeen working with the NCS for a while now, butI’m still unsure about the ‘healthy environment’element! This year a service provider helped mea lot, though. I told them I struggled with theGrade 3 Assessment Standard which requires thelearners to participate in a recycling project. Wedon’t have a recycling project at the school and Iwasn’t sure how to set one up. Someone said Imust get learners to collect paper, tins or bottles,and get a recycling company to come and collectthe materials from school. But as we are far offthe beaten track, no-one was interested in col-lecting from us. I started to panic, as I had toassess the learners against this AssessmentStandard before they could pass Grade 3! Then Imet someone from an NGO who works on waste.They said that making compost is also a form ofrecycling – you recycle certain food scraps andgarden waste in the soil, and this helps the envi-ronment as it makes the soil more fertile, so thatwe can grow more food, while reducing theamount of waste that goes to the dump.

The service provider showed me how to makecompost in a bottle! The learners collected thematerials we needed: 2 litre plastic bottles, soil,water, plant material, some paper snippets, veg-etable peels, and even earthworms! We practisedmaking a few bottles, some flopped and someworked well, and we learned from all of them.The learners were not only doing (participationskills), they could also explain what could go intothe compost and why, and how this process offood recycling in nature helps to keep the earthhealthy (knowledge and values). They love theirearthworms, nature’s big recyclers, and are takingthem home over the holidays. Next year I’m definitely starting a compost heap outdoors.”

Environment in Natural Sciences

This pamphlet introduces service pro-viders and educators to ‘environment’ inthe Natural Sciences for Grades R-9, andaims to give a sense of how one mightwork with the curriculum requirements

and opportunities. We illustrate some ofthe many relevant Learning Outcomes,

Assessment Standards and content, focusingmainly on biodiversity. To see where elseenvironmental learning features in theNatural Sciences, in other Learning Areas,and in the Grade 10-12 Life Sciencescurriculum, please consult the NationalCurriculum Statement.

The Natural Sciences Learning Area teacheslearners science process skills; to interpret and usescientific, environmental and technologicalknowledge; and to come to value and takeresponsibility for relationships between science,technology, people and environment. Whilelearners plan and conduct inquiries using diversesources of information, including their owninvestigations, they come to know and appreciatethe workings of the natural world and how

ecosystems benefit people. At the same timelearners are challenged to consider criticallypeople’s interactions with nature, including theimpacts of technology, and to suggest solutions.The three Natural Science Learning Outcomes andthe specified content for the different phases,provide opportunities for studying local plants,animals and ecosystems, investigating our impactson biodiversity, and to do problem-solving aroundconservation issues.



It’s

Ab

outIn

vestigating Earth’s Life-Support Systems

…

… and Acting Responsibly!

Learning Outcome 1

Scientific Investigations

Learners should be able to act confidentlyon their curiosity about natural phenomena,

and investigate problems in scientific, technological and environmental contexts.

Foundation Phase: my body and its needs forhealthy foods and clean water; plants and ani-mals and how they change as they grow; howpeople depend on plants and animals for food.

Grade 3, LO1, AS2:

Participate constructively in an investigativeactivity with understanding of its purpose.


Learning Outcome 2

Constructing Science Knowledge

Learners should know and be able to interpret and apply scientific, technological

and environmental knowledge.

Learning Outcome 3

Appreciating Relationships and Responsibilities

Learners should be able to demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships

between science and technology, society and the environment.

Assessment Standards are taExamples follow



We give one example from Grade 3

Intermediate Phase: ecosystems, interdependency,animal and plant habitats; water in ecosystems andimpact of human activities on water, catchment man-agement and water quality; sources of energy innature; soil composition and properties; fossils asindicators of environmental change.

Senior Phase: photosynthesis, animal be-haviour, adaptations, food webs, biodiver-sity, and the impact of pollution on naturalprocesses.

Grade 5, LO1, AS2:

Carry out instructionsand procedures involv-ing a small number of

investigative steps.

Grade 6, LO1, AS2:

Conduct simple testsor surveys and record

observations orresponses.

Grade 6, LO3, AS2

Suggest ways toimprove technologicalproducts or processes

and to minimise negative effects onthe environment.

Grade 7, LO1, AS2:

Organise and use equipment or sourcesto gather and record information.

Grade 7, LO3, AS2:

Analyse information about sustainableand unsustainable use of resources.

aught through the specified core knowledge and concepts for each phase.w for each phase (for more, see the NCS for Natural Sciences):


Grade 5, LO3, AS2:

Identify positive andnegative effects of scientific develop-

ments and technolog-ical products on thequality of people’s

lives and/or the environment.





Why don’t you look up some of the Assessment

Standards for LO2.

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the GET Natural Sciences Curriculum

A teacher’s story: “I teach the Natural Sciencesin a primary school. I have always had a passionfor nature, and I tried to bring environmentalissues into my teaching, especially as we arefrom an area where the learners don’t get muchother exposure. So I was glad to find that thenew curriculum makes such good provision forenvironmental education.

Last year water pollution hit the news locally,and this year I made this my focus for the secondterm. It fitted well with the required knowledgecontent for the Intermediate Phase, because theCore Knowledge includes Water plays an impor-tant role in ecosystems, sustaining both plantand animal life. Industrial, agricultural anddomestic activities may have a serious impacton the quality and quantity of wateravailable in an area.

Our school had budgetedfor a local field trip, so I tookmy Grade 6 learners to theriver which flows throughour area. In preparationfor the trip, I used anewspaper article onthe local pollution as a‘tuning in’ activity in theclassroom, and we dis-cussed the river as anexample of an “ecosys-tem”. Then I demonstrateda jam-tins-in-a-pyramid activi-ty, to mobilise what they hadpreviously learnt about ecosystems,e.g. that people are connected to animals,plants, water and soils. When I saw that everyonewas ‘tuned in’ to the topic, we brainstormed howwe as junior scientists would find out if our localriver ecosystem was polluted. What kinds ofquestions should we ask? How could we getanswers? You can see that I had the LearningArea purpose in mind, and was teaching towardsthe Grade 6 Assessment Standard 1, PlanInvestigations (for LO1: Scientific Investigations).

I then introduced the learners to the SWAPwater quality testing kit (which also comes in atin!). A service provider showed it to us on acourse I attended last year. So I explained to thelearners how it worked, and how it could help usanswer our questions. The tin contains a numberof simple tests for water quality, e.g. identifyinginsects and other water life, interviewing people

about changes in the river and detecting bacte-ria in sewage. I assigned pairs to one test only;that way a few tins go quite far, and the learnershave enough time to master the test. While Iwould have simply demonstrated one or twotests to the Grade 5s, for the sake of progressionthe Grade 6 learners had to do the range of teststhemselves. I had to assess them on their abilityto do a test and report and interpret their find-ings. This assessment goes towards theirprogress in LO1, AS 2: Conduct simple tests andrecord observations and AS3: Relate observa-tions to the focus question.

The learners enjoyed working at the river,especially those who find book-based enquiries

difficult. But when all the pairs had reportedtheir findings in class, and I helped

them to make sense of their data,they were upset that our local

ecosystem was so badlydamaged. There was littlesign of any water life, andhigh levels of faecal col-iform contamination.Now they want to tracethe course of the riverto find out where thesewage pollution comes

from; they suspect infor-mal settlements where

people don’t have toilets; Isuspect an overflow from the

municipal sewage works. Previously, we would have done

such a further investigation only in an envi-ronmental club. Now I can do it as part of the for-mal curriculum for Grade 6, LO3 (Understandinginterrelationships between science and technol-ogy, society and environment), AS2: Suggestways to improve technological processes orproducts and to minimise negative effects onthe environment and AS3: Suggest how techno-logical products and services can be madeaccessible to those presently excluded. I guessthe technology we’ll be working with will be toi-lets or sewage treatments! I’ll have to find themsome suitable reading on these topics. … And Imust remember to keep assessing the learnersagainst the required standards! I have a feelingthey might do well, because of the active learning opportunities in and outside the classroom.”

Environment in Social Sciences

This pamphlet introduces service providersand educators to ‘environment’ in theSocial Sciences curriculum for Grades R-9, and aims to give a sense of how onemight work with the curriculum

requirements and opportunities. Weillustrate some of the many relevant

Learning Outcomes and AssessmentStandards and required content. To seewhere else environmental learningfeatures in the Social Sciences, in otherLearning Areas, or in the Grade 10-12History and Geography curriculum, pleaseconsult the National Curriculum Statements.

The Social Sciences is about relationships betweenpeople, and between people in the environment,both in the past and today. Its aim is to build anawareness of how we can influence our future, bychallenging economic and social inequalities, andtaking better care of physical resources. Learnersget to know their physical, social and political world,first close to home and then more widely, usingenquiry - and interpretation skills and content fromHistory and Geography. They investigate keyquestions about the interactions between people

and places, how these have changed over time, andwhat their implications are, in terms of social justice(e.g. the fair or unfair distribution of resources),environmental impacts, and social and environ-mental conflicts. The Learning Area providesopportunities to explore issues like threats tobiodiversity, but also encourages a pride in place,identity and heritage. The exploration of issuesalways includes positive case studies andconsiderations of what we can do to reduce or fixthe impact of our actions on our environment.



Explo

ring

People and Places, Past and Present...

... for a Fair Future in a Healthy Environment

History Learning Outcome 2

Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Learners will be able to demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding.


Our examples are from Grade 3

The Geography Knowledge Focus for Grade 3includes the concept of pollution and its broadeffects, as well as managing waste – conceptsof reducing, recycling and re-using.

The first Learning Outcomes deal with Historical and Geographical

enquiry skills, respectively.

Grade 3, GLO3, AS1:

Identify one or more pollution issues in aparticular context.

Grade 3, GLO3, AS5:

Propose solutions to reduce the pollutionproblem being investigated.


Geography Learning Outcome 2

Geographical Knowledge and Understanding

Learners will be able to demonstrate geographical and environmental knowledge and understanding.

Geography Learning Outcome 3

Exploring Issues

Learners will be able to make informed decisions about social and environmental

issues and problems.


Social Sciences has 2 more LOsfor History and 1 more for

Geography.





The History Knowledge Focus for Grade 6includes the history of medicine, indigenousmedicine and traditional healing.

The Grade 6 Geography Knowledge Focusincludes environmental issues: contribution ofsocieties to the loss of biodiversity (disappear-ing wetlands, soil erosion, deforestation,extinction of plants and animals, etc.); develop-ment issues: causes of poverty (disrespect forhuman rights, environmental destruction, lackof access to resources, unemployment, etc);positive case studies.

The Grade 9 Geography Knowledge Focus includesDevelopment issues: approaches to development(including concepts like sustainability); the role ofscience and technology (including modification ofcrops, Green Revolution); sustainable use ofresources: principles of Agenda 21, our dependenceon natural resources, all actions must ensure sus-tainability and everyone must be actively involved inaddressing environmental problems; social andenvironmental conflicts in SA: comparisons - Africaand elsewhere, power, control and discrimination inaccess to resources such as land, water; case studies.

Grade 6, HLO2, AS2:

Give reasons for and explain the results of keyevents and changes in more than one context.

Grade 6, HLO2, AS3:

Identify some aspects of society which havechanged and some which have stayed thesame over time in more than one context.

Grade 6, GLO2, AS3:

Describe some ways in which society haschanged the environment.

Grade 9, GLO2, AS3:

Explain how sustainable development couldimpact positively on people, places, environments.

Grade 9, GLO3, AS1:

Identify social and environmental conflicts inSouth Africa and compare with other contexts.

Grade 9, GLO3, AS4:

Make informed decisions about various solutionsto social and environmental conflicts.


Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the GET Social Sciences Curriculum

A Masiphumelele learner’s story: “My Grade 9Social Sciences project is about Cape Pointwhich is in a National Park. We had to dosomething on how sustainabledevelopment can benefitpeople, places and theenvironment. I choseCape Point becausewe did field workthere, so I had achance to getinformation, andin earlier gradeswe learnt aboutconservation as aland use option.My project showsthat Cape Point wasonce used for mininglimestone to build theCastle of Good Hope, and thenit was farmed, but it didn’t do well asa farm. People used to say the place was godfor-saken and good for nothing. But then it wasturned into a conservation area and became a

famous tourist attraction which brings in a lot ofmoney for its owners, SANParks, and creates

jobs. Some people who used to be unem-ployed take out unwanted trees

there and build footpaths,and my mother has a job

cooking for them. Soto me it is an exam-

ple of sustainabled e v e l o p m e n t .People can keepvisiting CapePoint and payingto see the fynbosand the beautiful

scenery, for everafter, and even the

baboons have a safehaven. My brother is in

Grade 11 and forGeography he also did a

project on Cape Point, but he wrotemuch more than me, and his project also included other examples of ways to conserve theenvironment”.

A Meadowridge teacher’s story: “My back-ground is Geography but in Social Sciences Ihave to combine this with History. This wasquite a challenge, along with theoutcomes-based approach andnew content of the NCS. But Iused what I knew and builton that to extend myrange. For example, Iasked my contacts innature conservation forinformation on theHistory focus area of traditional knowledgeand medicinal use ofindigenous plants. I thenhad to think carefully how touse this content in teachingtowards the Learning Outcomes,which requires the learners to use anddevelop enquiry and interpretation skills – notsimply to memorise the information! In the end,I built a trip to the botanical garden into my

learning programme for the year, and during thistrip the learners had to investigate key questions

I gave them, on the traditional use of plantsfor medicine. They interviewed a

botanist and some of the oldgardeners, who still use plants

for medicinal purposesthemselves. They enjoyedlearning to identify somemedicinal plants, but thiswas not for assessmentin Social Science. I alsofound them some additional stories of

medicinal plant use fromthe Northern Province and

Zimbabwe, to broaden thescope of the lesson, as is

appropriate for Grade 6. But Iwould have been stuck if I hadn’t

planned for this in advance, and drawn on theinformation at the Botanical Gardens”.

Environment In Agricultural Sciences

This introductory pamphlet helps serviceproviders and other educators to findand interpret the environmental focus inthe Agricultural Sciences curriculum forGrades 10 - 12. It illustrates some of the

Learning Outcomes, AssessmentStandards, concepts and content relevant

to environmental learning in the AgriculturalSciences, with a special focus onbiodiversity. For more on the otherrelevant content and outcomes in theAgricultural Sciences as well as otherSubjects, or the Grade R - 9 curriculum, seethe National Curriculum Statements (NCS).

The Subject Agricultural Sciences helps learners tounderstand and manage a farm that isenvironmentally sustainable. Applying the principlesof social and environmental justice, they learn to useresources like water, soil and biodiversity wisely, tolimit the pollution, wastage and poor land usedecisions which degrade ecosystems, and toconsider the well-being of workers and consumers,as well as national priorities like poverty, food

security and sustainable livelihoods. They learn toaccess information and to solve problems usingagricultural knowledge, technology and legislation.In this way the Subject prepares informed andresponsible citizens who can sustainably managenatural resources to produce food and othercommodities, as farmers and managers, or inextension, agri-business, horticulture and relatedcareers.

The environment features prominently in the newcurriculum for Grades 10 – 12, the Further Educationand Training (FET) band. New FET Subjects promotesocial and environmental justice and human rights, inline with the South African Constitution. These

principles can be seen in the Learning Outcomes andAssessment Standards required by the curriculum, aswell as given curriculum contexts, concepts andcontent. Environmental learning is therefore alsoassessed as part of the formal curriculum.

Creating an Environment...

...for Sustainable Agriculture

Learning Outcome 1

Investigate and Analyse

The learner must be able to investigate,critically analyse and understand thechallenging nature of agriculture inorder to plan and solve problems relating to sustainable agriculture.

Learning Outcome 2

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

The learner must be able to demonstratean understanding of the dynamic nature

of agricultural knowledge and of theappropriate technology, and to interpretand apply this knowledge to agriculturalmanagement practices and systems to

ensure a sustainable agricultural environment.

Learning Outcome 4

Interrelated Issues in Agriculture

The learner must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the links betweenhumans and nature and the impact of socio-economic and political issues on natural resources and on sustainable

agricultural production.

AS4: Analyse and describe the valueof a healthy environment andecosystem for the healthyfunctioning of a democratic,productive society.


To teach towards these Grade 10 AssessmentStandards, consider the required content onoptimum resource utilisation: soil and watercontrol and conservation; water quality; agricultural pollution; soil degradation.

AS2: Collect, organise, process andevaluate this information inorder to solve problemsthrough responsible decision-making using effective communication.

AS1: Plan and investigate certainaspects related to agriculture.


Grade 10

AS5: Investigate and explain sus-tainable use of agriculturalresources to obtain optimumproduction using differentagricultural systems.

AS3: Show responsible handlingand use of agricultural equipment according to relevant safety legislation.

To teach towards the Grade 11 AssessmentStandards, consider the required content onoptimum resource utilisation: surveying andplanning; water use – irrigation; soil cultiva-tion including mulching; controlled produc-tion – including permaculture.

Suggested sustainability issues to considerinclude the conversion of virgin land tofarm land, and the conversion of farm landfor other purposes; water tables and waterquality; river health; an ‘ecological waterreserve’ in rivers; soil fertility and contami-nation, the value of protecting biodiversityincluding natural vegetation.

Consider contexts like the responsible useof fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

See Grade 11 for suggested sustainabilityissues; you could consider the positive andnegative aspects, economically and eco-logically, of using genetically modifiedseed.

This may include legislation on the buildingof dams; environmental impact assessmentsrelated to building new infrastructure or theploughing of new lands.

AS7: Recognise and analyse a sustainable agricultural enterprise where the system, management andpractice do not impactnegatively on the environment.

AS5: Demonstrate responsibleinterpretation of legislation on natural resource utilisation.

The Assessment Standards of Learning Outcome 3 deal with

changing agricultural practices and indigenous knowledge … Look them

up, along with others not shown here.


Grade 11 Grade 12

A teacher’s story: “I started teachingAgricultural Sciences this year. I’d like to sharetwo of my lessons. The first was for the Grade10s, towards LO1, Investigate and Analyse, andLO4, Integrated Issues. I taught a section froma text book, on agricultural pollution and itsimpact on natural resources, biodiversity, andthe sustainability of farming. Since theAssessment Standard for LO1 requires learnersto investigate and interpret information theycollect themselves, I set a homework task: theyhad to contact any farmer they know, and findout how these farmers deal with any thesources of pollution we discussed. In the nextperiod we discussed the information they col-lected, so that they broadened their knowl-edge, and I could correct any mis-interpreta-tions. The next activity was to pretend thatthey were extension officers. They had to writeto a farmer (not necessarily a real one) toexplain why it is important to prevent agricul-tural pollution, and what farmers can do toprevent pollution. I used their letters forassessment towards Learning Outcomes 1 and 4.”

“The second lesson I’d like to share was forGrade 11. In the first term we did legislation aspart of Interrelated Issues (Learning Outcome 4).At the end of the term, the learners had to complete the following table, which I then used for

assessment towards Assessment Standard 5:Demonstrate responsible interpretation of legisla-tion on natural resource utilisation. The bestanswers needed extra pages for the last column!”

Dear Mr le Roux,

I am writing to warn you of the dangers of pollution on thefarm. Did you know that pollution is caused by:• using too much fertiliser? (which also wastes your money)• using too much pesticide or herbicide? (also wastes money)• dumping oil and old machinery?

Pollution is a problem. When birds die from eating poisoned prey,you lose a natural from of pest control. When the water onyour farm turns green and slimy, it has too many nutrientsfrom fertiliser run-off. This can interfere with irrigation andkills off water life. Poisons in the water also kill fish, yourworkers can become sick and your children cannot fish anymore.As the river runs from your farm into dams providing drinkingwater, and the sea, you have a big responsibility to keep it cleanfor others and for the environment. At the end of the day it willsave you hassles and money and your children will inherit ahealthy farm.

So please:

Use only enough fertiliser according to instructions.Use only enough poison and don’t spray in windy or rainy weather.Think about going organic – you can get better markets and prices.Send your used oil and old parts to the recycling depot at theCo-Op.

Yours faithfully,Mpo Pholo

The farmer wants to…

Name one law whichthe farmer must consider.

What does the lawrequire the farmer todo?

What is your view onthe need for this law?

Plough up natural vegetation for a newfield

Get rid of a leopardwhich is killing stock

Prevent wild fires

Build a storage dam

Stop the spreading of invasive plants oranimals

Sell the yellow wood

trees on his farm

(The first lesson was adapted from Sisitka, L. et al. in the Maskew Miller Longman text book, Focus on Agricultural Science, Grade 10.)

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the FET Agricultural Sciences Curriculum

Environment in Geography

This introductory pamphlet helps serviceproviders and other educators to findand interpret the environmental focusin the Geography curriculum forGrades 10-12. It illustrates some of the


to environmental learning in Geography,with a special focus on biodiversity. Formore on the other relevant content andoutcomes in Geography as well as otherSubjects, or the Grade R-9 curriculum,see the National Curriculum Statements(NCS).

The purpose of Geography is to prepare informed,critical and responsible citizens and decision-makers, who can challenge social andenvironmental injustices, and make sound decisionsas they contribute to the development of societyand the physical environment. The Subject involvespractical skills to investigate people-environmentrelationships, patterns and processes; relatedfoundational knowledge of the changing nature andinterrelatedness of human existence and theenvironment, and the application of knowledge andskills to suggest strategies to address issues. Theseissues are often complex and not easily solved, and

learners learn to apply principles from concepts likesustainable development, sustainability, democracyand justice, and to recognize the values, attitudesand knowledge systems involved. Regional studiesprovide a framework for understanding the world asa set of interrelated elements that form a system,and thematic studies include an issue-basedapproach, where learners focus on a specific issue(such as loss of biodiversity) in a particular place orregional context. Career opportunities include eco-tourism, environmental management, water andland affairs, nature conservation and developmentplanning.



Sustainably Developing ...

... Society and Environment


Teach towards these Assessment Standardsthrough exploring: weather systems overAfrica and their impact on vegetation andpeople; impact of people on atmosphere (e.g.global warming); populations movements(e.g. urbanization, migration) and human-environment interactions including popula-tion issues, poverty, employment, racism,conflicts, inequalities; among other contentand contexts.

Learning Outcome 1

Geographical Skills and Techniques

Learners are able to demonstrate a rangeof geographical skills and techniques.

AS3: Describe the links betweenenvironmental problems andsocial injustices in a local andglobal context.

Learning Outcome 2

Knowledge and Understanding

Learners are able to demonstrate knowl-edge and understanding of processes andspatial patterns dealing with interactionsbetween humans, and between humansand the environment in space and time.

AS4: Describe the interdependencebetween humans and theenvironment at differentscales.

Learning Outcome 3

Application

Learners are able to apply geographicalskills and knowledge to environmentalissues and challenges, recognize values

and attitudes, and demonstrate the ability to recommend solutions

and strategies.

Assessment Standards for LO1 not shown here include theskills to use atlases, maps and

GIS, and do field work.

Assessment Standards (

Grade 10

AS1: Plan and structure a project orenquiry process. AS2: Integrate information from

a variety of sources.

Teach towards these Assessment Standardsthrough exploring: the role of oceans, theirexploitation and management; ecosystemsand related concepts, processes and interrela-tionships, human impacts and their conse-quences, biomes; resource use and manage-ment including land use conflict; energy useand management including alternativesources; development and sustainability -models, theories, case studies and strategiesto address development problems; amongother content and contexts.

Teach towards the attainment of theseAssessment Standards through exploring:settlement and sustainability issues inurban and rural contexts, e.g. depopula-tion, sustainable strategies to manageexpanding centers or rural depopulation,land reform and redistribution, informalsettlements, water as a critical resource inSouth Africa, its sustainable use and man-agement.

AS3: Examine issues and challengesarising from human and environment interactions in alocal and continental context.

AS3: Explore possible responsesto issues and challengesarising from human andenvironment interactionsin a local and national context.

AS4: Explain different measures ofconserving the environmentwhile addressing human needsin a variety of contexts.

AS1: Apply skills and knowledgeto a range of phenomena,issues and challenges atlocal and national scales.

(AS) Change and Progress from Grade to Grade

Grade 11 Grade 12

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the FET Geography Curriculum

A learner’s story: “Geography is my best sub-ject. We don’t just talk about how bad every-thing is, and how people are messing up theworld. We actually look at what is being done todo things better, and our teacher gets us tocome up with our own solutions, too. We can becreative, but there must be logic to our answers,

and we must have information to back up whatwe say. It’s not easy to find solutions to things likea family struggling to find a space to build ashack on the edge of a nature reserve, but we’velearnt that you need to look at big questions, likewhy people have moved there in the first place,why they cannot make a living where they comefrom, why other areas of land have already beenset aside for up-market housing, and so on. Wedid some interviews as part of our field work thisyear, among people living on the edge of areserve, and others working in it. I like thatGeography helps me to see this big picture, andto find out for myself what’s going on”.

A conservation educator’s story: “We workclosely with the Geography teachers in our area.They visit the reserve for a big part of their workon biomes and ecosystems, and the related fieldstudies conducted by the learners themselves.I’ve learnt that we cannot cover concepts likefood webs, energy flow and energy flow at thesame level that we do with the primary schools!The Grade 11 learners need a much deeperunderstanding of the concepts, in order to fullyunderstand the impact of inappropriate develop-ments, for example, or alien invasive trees, onecosystems, and the implications this has for sus-tainable development and human well-being.They can engage in more abstract thinking than

the little ones, so that’s great, but we still providethem with opportunities for hands-on field work,too. Again, this is not just about identifying plantsor touching and smelling, but really developingskills like doing transect walks and working withmaps, photos and even GIS”.

A teacher’s story: “I set the Grade 12s a projectin which they have to answer the question: Howcan we achieve social and environmental justicein South Africa? This project contributes a bigpercentage of their mark for the year, and Iassess it against a number of AssessmentStandards, from Learning Outcome 1 (AS1: Plana geographical research project …) to LearningOutcome 3 (AS3: Explore possible responses toissues and challenges …). I give them a numberof relevant case studies, from which they thenselect three. They must collect more informationabout these three, and use field work as well asother sources. Among the case studies I’ve given

them is the case of an urban reserve which actsas an initiation village, a land claim settlementwhich promotes organic farming, the employ-ment of convicted poachers to manage localtourism facilities, the introduction of eco-labelling of wine produced on farms which retainsome natural vegetation and has fair employ-ment practices, and a number of developmentapplications, for example for a petrol station in awetland, to grow bio-fuel on a farm which previously produced food, and to build a newdam in a pristine mountain, which would providewater to a big city but reduce the flow to nearbyrural areas”.

Environment in Life Orientation

This introductory pamphlet helps serviceproviders and other educators to findand interpret the environmental focus inthe Life Orientation curriculum forGrades 10 - 12. It illustrates some of the


to environmental learning in LifeOrientation, with a special focus onbiodiversity. For more on the otherrelevant content and outcomes in LifeOrientation as well as other Subjects, orthe Grade R - 9 curriculum, see theNational Curriculum Statements (NCS).

Life Orientation equips learners with the skills,knowledge and values to respond positively to life’schallenges and opportunities, as they get ready toassume their place as active members of society.Responsible citizens take care of their health andrelationships; they care about the well-being ofothers and take appropriate actions to addressproblems in their environment. When people whoare poor or in some other way disadvantaged sufferfrom environmental issues like pollution, whileothers benefit, it’s an issue of environmental justice.Tackling such injustices requires political literacy –

the ability to act democratically, using laws, policiesand relevant channels to exercise our rights andresponsibilities. Life Orientation gives learnersopportunities to learn these skills and clarify theirown values, as they identify social andenvironmental issues and join others in appropriateactivities and services. Relevant issues to explorecould be the impact of natural resource loss or landdegradation on food security, employment andlivelihoods; or threats to biodiversity and humanrights caused by insensitive or inappropriatedevelopments.



Active Citizens in a Challenging World

...

...E

xe

rcising

Social and Environmental Rights andResp

on

sib

ilit

ies

Contemporary issues relevant to Life Oingredients or allergens) to food secu

health to invasive alien trees usingsettlements to choosing clean ene

be called specifically ‘environme

Learning Outcome 1

Personal Well-being

Learners must be able to achieve andmaintain personal well-being.

AS1: Identify social and environ-mental issues and participatein a group project to addressa contemporary social andenvironmental issue.

Learning Outcome 2

Citizenship Education

Learners must be able to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the values and rights that underpin the Constitution in order to practise

responsible citizenship and to enhancesocial justice and sustainable living.

AS2: Investigate the diversity ofjobs according to economicsectors and work settingsand forms of activities in each of these sectors in relation to self.

Learning Outcome 4

Career and Career Choices

Learners must demonstrate self-knowledge and the ability to make

informed decisions regarding furtherstudy, career fields and career pathing.

AS4: Plan and participate in a self-designed, environmentallyresponsible outdoors recreational group activity,analysing the value of ownparticipation in such an activity.

Learning Outcome 3

Recreation and Physical Well-being

Learners must be able to explore andengage responsibly in recreation and

physical activities, to promote well-being.

Assessment Standards (AThe Learning Outcomes (LO) Apply to All Grades

Grade 10

AS3: Investigate the human andenvironmental factors thatcause ill health, accidents,crises and disasters, andexplore appropriate waysto deal with them.

Orientation can range from the labelling of foods (to identify additives, genetically modifiedurity and hunger; from poverty to over-consumption; from air pollution harming children’sg up the water on which people and development depend; from fire hazards in informal ergy sources. While environmental and social issues are often intertwined, an issue can ental’ if it demonstrates the close relationships between people and the natural world.

AS1: Participate in a communityservice that addresses a contemporary social or environmental issue, indicating how it can harmcertain sectors of society morethan others.

AS1: Evaluate services offeredby a community project ona contemporary social orenvironmental issue, andevaluate own contributionto the project.

AS2: Research the requirements foradmission to additional andhigher education courses aswell as options for financialassistance.

AS2: Explore career opportunitieswithin chosen field andinvestigate other innovativesolutions as ways in whichto counteract possibleunemployment.

These are just some of the relevant Assessment Standards for Life Orientation – why don’t you look

up the others!


Grade 11 Grade 12

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the FET Life Orientation Curriculum

A learners’ story: “Last year in Life Orientation,in Grade 11, we joined the Friends of Fynbos tohelp with hacking alien trees. The idea was toclear a big area of land where these treeshave been pushing out the fynbos,and using up water that wouldotherwise have been there forindigenous plants as well aspeople. We had to hackevery Wednesday after-noon for a whole term; itwas a requirement onwhich we were assessed!But that wasn’t all, we alsohad to do an oral presenta-tion on how invasive alientrees can harm some mem-bers of our community morethan others. I did think that alientrees can actually help peoplebecause they provide building materialsand jobs (because some people get employed toclear them, like in Working for Water). But myfriend Jo said that poor people suffer a lot fromfires fuelled by alien trees. They will also suffer ifone day there are so many alien trees using up all

the water and it will cost the government moremoney to provide water. And the poorest of thepoor suffer most when water prices go up. I had

to agree with her. You can look for otherthings to build a house or earn some-

thing but you cannot live withoutaffordable water. This year we

will continue working withFriends of Fynbos. We don’thave to hack any more(yeah!). For Grade 12 wemust evaluate the serviceswhich the Friends offer inrelation to the protectionof biodiversity, water, sus-

tainable livelihoods andhuman well-being, and also

our own contribution to theproject. Jo and I volunteered to

help with awareness-raising, andwe’ll evaluate that contribution. Our

teacher said he’ll give us some guidelines on eval-uation. I want to be quite critical in my evaluationbecause I think not enough is being done toreplant the areas that have been cleared, withindigenous trees.”

A teacher’s story: “Life Orientation is such animportant subject for the FET learner, for so manydifferent reasons. I start the Grade 10s off in thefirst term with a trip to our local naturereserve. The whole Grade 10 groupis there, so it helps them to getto know each other and formgood relationships. I alsouse the opportunity to ori-entate them to what liesahead in the last threeyears of schooling. So Igive them time to justinteract with each other,and also to reflect alone,perhaps through some cre-ative activity. Some of themwill visit the reserve again laterin the year for Life Sciences, butlearning about biodiversity is not thefocus of this particular excursion.

It is however a curriculum-related trip, and I

use the opportunity to address LO3 (Recreationand Physical Well-being) through a hike in thereserve. The learners have to plan this activity

themselves in groups, and they have toconvince me that they’ve been sen-

sitive to their environmentalimpact during the hike, in the

things they packed, and soon. Afterwards they writean essay about the valueof such an exercise forthemselves, and I use thisessay, as well as my obser-vations during the hikeand the planning sessions,

to assess them on LO3,Assessment Standard 4: Plan

and participate in a self-designed, environmentally

responsible group activity, analysingthe value of own participation in such an

activity.”

Environment in the Life Sciences

This introductory pamphlet helps serviceproviders and other educators to findand interpret the environmental focus inthe Life Sciences curriculum for Grades10 - 12. It illustrates some of the


to environmental learning in the LifeSciences, with a special focus onbiodiversity. For more on the otherrelevant content and outcomes in the LifeSciences as well as other Subjects, or theGrade R - 9 curriculum, see the NationalCurriculum Statements (NCS).

The Life Sciences Subject prepares learners to applyscientific knowledge in their personal lives and asresponsible citizens, in order to develop a healthylifestyle, and contribute to the sustainablemanagement of resources like water, energy andbiodiversity. Progressing from the Natural SciencesLearning Area (Grades R - 9), FET learners who

choose this Subject will explore life processes andinterdependence in humans and the natural world inmore depth, using scientific inquiry, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Values and ethicsfeature prominently, and learners must considerboth positive and negative impacts of science andtechnology on people and nature.



Life Sciences:

Using

Science to Sustain People and Planet!


Teach towards these and other Grade 10Assessment Standards through the specifiedcore knowledge for Grade 10, including biosphere, biomes and ecosystems; naturalresources and their management, nutrientcycles and energy flow; human influences onthe environment (e.g. introduction of inva-sive exotic species); local environmentalissues; biodiversity and its value for ecosys-tem functioning and human survival, threatsto biodiversity and conservation.

Teach towards these and other Assessment Standarboom in an elephant population; drop in fish catchsocial behaviour and ethics; the impact of industry (eendangered species (e.g. in fynbos or renostervewild flowers), sustainability and sustainable develop(such as desertification, agriculture, ownership and unot to content to memorise, but topics to investigate

AS3: Analysing, synthesising, evaluating data and communicating findings:Analyse, synthesise, evaluatedata and communicate findings.

Learning Outcome 1

Scientific Inquiry and Problem-Solving Skills

Learners are able to confidently exploreand investigate phenomena relevant toLife Sciences by using inquiry, problem

solving, critical thinking and other skills.

All the Life Sciences Learning Outcomes are listed here,

but only a few of the required Assessment Standards, and just some of the specified content and concepts.

There is much more!

AS2: Interpreting and makingmeaning: Identify concepts,principles, laws, theories andmodels of Life Sciences ineveryday life.

Learning Outcome 2

Construction and Application of Life Sciences Knowledge

Learners are able to access, interpret,construct and use Life Sciences concepts

to explain phenomena relevant to Life Sciences.

AS2: Describe different ways inwhich resources are used andapplied to the developmentof products, and report on their impact on the environment and society.

Learning Outcome 3

Life Sciences, Technology,Environment & Society

Demonstrate an understanding of thenature of science, the influence of ethicsand biases in the Life Sciences and theinterrelationship of science, technology,indigenous knowledge, the environment

and society.


Grade 10

AS3: Analysing, synthesising, evalu-ating data and communicatingfindings: Compare data andconstruct meaning to explainfindings; draw conclusions;asses the value of the processand communicate findings.

AS3: Analysing, synthesising,evaluating data and communicating findings:Critically analyse, reflect onand evaluate the findings;explain patterns; provideconclusions that showawareness of uncertainty;suggest changes thatwould improve techniques.

Teach towards these and other Grade 11Assessment Standards through the speci-fied core knowledge for Grade 11, whichincludes human influence on the environ-ment (air, land, water); population studiesand managing populations (e.g. culling elephants, introducing quotas for fishing).

Teach towards these and other Grade 12Assessment Standards through the speci-fied core knowledge for Grade 12, whichincludes local environmental issues (e.g. apetrol station to be built on a wetland),and the effects of pollutants on the humanbody and health (e.g. allergies).

ds through the specified knowledge which includes, among others: population changes over time (e.g. ahes); historical developments - indigenous knowledge systems, biotechnology, environment, legislation,e.g. acid rain from mining reducing soil fertility and water life); extinction of species, red data listing andeld); exploitation and management of natural resources (like water, soil, abalone, forest products,

pment; eco-tourism; rehabilitation (e.g. restoring wetlands or re-planting after alien clearing); land issuesuse of land) and political, economic, ethical, environmental and other influences on land issues. This referse and concepts to apply, while learners clarify and develop related values and skills.

AS2: Interpreting and makingmeaning: Identify, describeand explain concepts, princi-ples, laws, theories and modelsby illustrating relationships.

AS2: Interpreting and makingmeaning: Interpret, organise, compare and evaluate concepts, principles, laws, theoriesand models and their application in a variety ofcontexts.

AS2: Compare different ways inwhich resources are used inthe development of biotech-nological products, andanalyse the impacts on theenvironment and society.

AS2: Analyse and evaluate different ways in whichresources are used in thedevelopment of biotechno-logical products, and makeinformed decisions abouttheir use and managementin society for a healthy, sustainable environment.


Grade 11 Grade 12

Stories of PossibilitiesWorking with the FET Life Sciences Curriculum

A Grade 12 teacher explains: “The new curricu-lum is challenging, with its principles of highknowledge, high skills; and social – and environ-mental justice. But when I heard an interesting talkabout genetically modified foods, I realised I couldactually teach through this topic – in relation toLO3, the knowledge area Historical developments:indigenous knowledge systems, biotechnology,environment, legislation, social behaviour andethics. I contacted the speaker and soon I had a lotof information including websites and fact sheets.I taught three lessons on the topic, starting withsome samples of Pondoland mealies which are anindigenous example of biotechnology. From thereI moved to modern-day genetic engineering of themaize plant. Some maize is genetically modified

to make it resistant to herbicides. This means thatfarmers can spray these mealies with herbicides tokill weeds. Unfortunately there are negative side-effects, including the possibility of affecting biodi-versity and human health. The learners found thetopic challenging but interesting, especiallybecause we included ideas on what they can do,e.g. ask that GM foods are labelled so consumerscan choose if they want to eat them. They didsome follow-up accessing of information andinterpretation, and put some interesting cartoonsin their letters to the food companies! I did needto mediate both the ‘activist’ and the technicalinformation for them, even in Grade 12. I hopeservice providers will produce more accessible butgood quality information on topics such as these.”

And the last word from a Grade 11 learner inKwazakhele: “This year we had to do a project forpopulation studies in Life Sciences, to come upwith a solution to a problem on population man-agement. Mine was on a population boom among

elephants in an enclosed area. The guys at AddoNational Park let me work with them. I’ve becomeso interested! I want to apply at UPE to study further in Life Sciences, maybe Marine Biology orEnvironmental Science.”

A conservation educator tells this story: “I’mbased on a nature reserve. I’ve been running edu-cational programmes for schools and Landcare forsome time. This year a teacher asked if we couldlink the excursion to the Life Sciences curriculum.I was a bit nervous as I don’t have any curriculumbackground, but together with the teacher I stud-ied the Learning Outcomes, AssessmentStandards and specified content for Grade 10.Then we designed an activity, where the learnerswould audit biodiversity, in order to establish theeffect of alien invasive plants like gum trees. Theywould audit and compare the diversity of plants inan undisturbed part of the reserve, and in an adja-cent area invaded by gum trees. We would givethem this task in the context of a scientific investi-gation: we would tell them that the reserve man-ager wants to remove the gum trees at the picnicsite (which is true), and they have been appointedas ecologists who must investigate whether this isa good idea.

When the learners came for their two day excursion, we did a walk on the first morning, sothat they could get out and experience the beauty of the place. We spent the second part ofthe day planning their audits. It’s important thatGrade 10s plan the inquiry themselves, with help,as they must learn the necessary skills and will get

assessed on their competence to plan an inquiry(Learning Outcome 1). The teacher and I checkedtheir plans while they went for a swim, and after-wards I helped them to improve where necessarywhile the teacher made notes in her assessmentrecords. The next day the learners conductedtheir audits, then came back to camp and inter-preted the data (LO 2). They needed some helpwith the technical aspects, but they surprised mewith the level of discussions which followed. Theydebated, for example, why gum trees were plant-ed in the first place. While the teacher was againbusy with her observation sheets for assessmentof interpretations towards LO2, I explained thatideas about biodiversity, land-use and naturalresource management have changed over time,partly because our scientific theories changed. Iwas worried that this discussion ranged too wide-ly, but the teacher was pleased and reminded methat it addressed aspects of Learning Outcome 3.

When the learners submitted their reports aweek later, their teacher found that they did wellon all the required aspects. She wants to bringthese learners back to the reserve in Grade 11,and asked that we develop a new programmearound the concept of indigenous knowledge, tocomplement what she would be teaching in theclassroom next year.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

COMPILED BY: Glenda Raven & Eureta Rosenberg for C.A.P.E. Conservation Education Programme

PROOFREADING: Kim Ward LAYOUT AND DESIGN: Muhdni Grimwood and Penny Waterkeyn

CONTACT DETAILS

C.A.P.E. Conservation Education Programme Co-ordinator

Rhodes University Environmental Education & Sustainabi l ity Unit

PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140

Tel: +27-46-622 3432 • Fax: +27-46-636 1495

e-mail : [email protected]

website: www.capeaction.org.za

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