RAINFOREST ADVENTURE

Educational Aims:

• To promote conservation of the resources on our planet.
• To enrich learning and support curriculum development and delivery.

Features and Educational Benefits

• Attractive characters and product design encourage learning and are fun to work with
• Students choose one of several routes available to travel through the knowledge adventure
• Develops reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills
• Enhances the development of skills in decision-making, problem-solving, critical and strategic thinking
• Offers opportunities for research and investigation at different levels
• Provides a springboard for learning into several curriculum areas including geography, science, environmental studies, creative writing, history and cultural studies
• Provides a learning tool to emphasise the cumulative effects of activities, detrimental and beneficial, over time.

Methodology

• The adventure is set in the year 2121 when the planet Earth has overcome the threats of destruction by abuse and misuse of its vital and unique resources.

• The Rainforest Knowledge Adventure addresses the destruction of the Rainforests on earth as the new millennium 2000, approaches.

• Pupils meet our characters who are able to travel through space and detect disturbances in the solar system, both historically and looking to the future.

• Employing a team of attractive fictitious characters, the Guardians of the Millennium, supported by factual information from recent developments and experiences in the Peruvian Rainforest, our knowledge adventurer is invited to engage in an interactive experience to consider the detrimental and beneficial facts surrounding deforestation, sustainability and extractive reserves in the area.

• The adventure invites the learner to assist in discovering vital pieces of information which collectively provide a comprehensive portrayal of the issues surrounding economic developments and their effects on the environment and its inhabitants.

• Individual factfiles on relevant topics provide both the 'vital' piece of information and a selection of material which enables the learner to achieve a sound foundation knowledge on each topic and enables progression through the adventure.

• The factfiles provide material for development of:

• reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills
• environmental knowledge
• Geography skills and knowledge
• scientific skills and knowledge of science
• numeracy skills.
• creative writing skills
• history and cultural studies
• evaluation and extrapolation skills

• The knowledge adventure can be used by students working individually and to suit their own pace and for group-work, providing a vehicle for discussion, division of tasks and responsibilities and group decision-making.

• Working through the Knowledge Adventures, finding out about the Guardians of the Millennium, will develop increased awareness and appreciation of the delicate 'state' of our planet. Through these adventures, young people will be introduced to the global commons and learn about issues, developments, actions and conflicts that require consideration and a response. They will be empowered to assess the cumulative effects of the negative and positive activities taking place and to identify the contribution they can make to secure the future of our environment. The adventures are in no way prescriptive. They provide the vehicle for research, investigation and decision-making.

• The material has been piloted with groups of schools in the USA, UK and Ireland. Their feedback in focus groups has been used in developing the approach.

• The references to on-line websites have been investigated and used by these teachers. In their opinion they are 'safe' sites for use by young students.

• Feedback and involvement and interaction are key to the success of the Knowledge Adventures for the Guardians of the Millennium. Functioning in their existing form as a finite learning tool and as a springboard to learning, the Knowledge Adventure will encourage further development both collectively in the classroom and by individuals. The on-line 'One-Derland' site welcomes your contributions on how the Adventure has been applied in your particular situation. Teachers always welcome suggestions from other teachers and love to hear what has been happening in other places. By sharing our use and development of the approach and content of the Adventure, we should be able to make learning more dynamic, inter-active and meaningful.

RAINFOREST ADVENTURE

POTENTIAL LINKS TO CURRICULUM DELIVERY

The information and suggestions set out in this section are provided as stimulus materials and are in no way designed to be prescriptive. Curriculum content varies within countries and internationally but we all seek to encourage young people to learn about the planet on which they live and acquire and develop the knowledge base and skills to make informed choices and decisions on information they have available.

The chart provides an outline of the content of each factfile (on the left hand side) and possible curriculum links and opportunities for further development (on the right hand side).

The content of each factfile provides a limited amount of information to support the adventure and could be used as a base for further research and investigation dependent upon the knowledge level and treatment curriculum guidelines dictate.