Wildly wise
Environmental challenge for students aged 10 – 15
Charlotte Bouchier has news of a new competition for schools enabling students to explore key environmental issues in the lead up to COP26.
What’s happening
The Wild Wisdom Global Challenge launches this month with the aim of teaching young people about the natural world, climate change and sustainability in a fun and exciting way. ITZA is an independent UK company, which has worked with WWF to create a free-to-enter online competition for students aged 10-15, using dramatic content from Sir David Attenborough’s “Our Planet” series and his film “A Life on Our Planet”.
The Challenge involves students undertaking a series of online learning journeys from 8th – 18th November, culminating in a live International Quiz Final on the 2nd December.
Content
The work is designed to be part of the ‘Learn to Save Our Planet’ initiative, which informs young people about the natural world, climate change and sustainability and is running to coincide with COP26, enabling children to learn independently about issues that are becoming increasingly topical.
Learning content is based on Attenborough’s ‘4 imperatives’:
- Revive the oceans
- Use less space
- Achieve net zero
- Eliminate waste
Different approaches
If teachers wish to integrate the Challenge material into a programme of study, they can do so using the lesson ideas and suggestions on our Teacher Portal as part of a blended learning approach. Alternatively, the Challenge can be set as an independent project with perhaps occasional sessions organised in Form time, PSHE, Science, Geography or Eco club when discussions can take place about what is being learned.
Feedback from last year’s pilot challenge was very positive, with teachers and parents reporting that the competition helped children’s understanding of climate issues but was also described by students as “fun learning”. Children reported that they had become really confident to discuss issues with their teachers, friends and family as a result of the pilot challenge.
As one student commented:
Some videos I wanted to watch again and again – it was so interesting. I thought I knew a lot about the environment but I realised I hardly knew anything!!”
Another realised that small actions can make a big difference and that….
‘. . . we can also influence our parents to make the right choices. After the challenge, we now think about what we eat and what we buy because it all has an impact on the Earth.’
Teachers were equally enthusiastic. one commenting, I was actually amazed by the children’s responses in the live quizzes and in general discussions afterwards. It is certainly something we would want to take part in again.
One of last year’s winners, Kitebrook Preparatory School, UK received an online lecture by the producer of Our Planet, Frozen Worlds, about the behind-the-scenes making of this episode. While after the second pilot, winners Arnold House School, UK, received a re-wilding workshop and garden for their school by acclaimed architects Davies & White Ltd. This year’s Challenge will see equally exciting prizes for the winning schools!
How to get involved
- Teachers are able to sign up their school from 1st October and can add their classes from the 7th October on the Teacher Portal (wwfwildwisdom.org). They will then receive a class code which they can pass to their students.
- Students then sign up from 16th October on the Challenge website (itza/io) with their class code and choose an anonymised display name for themselves which appears on their school leaderboards.
- Entry is free to all schools, and content is in English and Spanish.
Dates
The Challenge starts on the 8th November and students have until 18th November to explore all the learning resources and materials on the Challenge website in their own time and at their own pace. This can be at home or at school, for at least 10 minutes a day – earning points as they go, which show on their school Leaderboard.
More information can be found here: Link to the Teacher Guide PDF
The Challenge period ends on 18th November with a live quiz for all students around the world. Competition points are then added up and the top two students from qualifying schools are given a week to digest new content and join a 40-minute live online International Quiz Final on 2nd December to decide the overall winning school!
Charlotte Bouchier is the ITZA Head of Engagement.
An independent company, based in London, ITZA is a team of content creators, film-makers, technologists, cognitive and data scientists and academics.
ITZA would love your students to join this Challenge and help make a difference.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact us at support@wwfwildwisdom.org for more information.
Sign up your school on our Teacher Portal at www.wwfwildwisdom.org
Feature image: Sir David Attenborough pictured in the Maasai Mara, Kenya_A Life on Our Planet. Credit: Keith Scholey / Silverback Films
FEATURE and SUPPORT IMAGES with kind permission from ITZA
