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In Term 2 2013 our concept is Sustainability. Note that the wiki resources were originally created for Survival - but there is a great deal of overlap and you might find some of this wiki useful.

The Key understanding for our 2013 concept of Sustainability is " Am I a caretaker of God's creation?"

Links to some useful resources for Sustainability SKM resource on Sustainability - the resource we used in 2010 TKI Unesco resources TES resources World Wildlife Fund 5+ a day resources Schoolgen energy education resources

=In 2009 we are going to be planning around the concept of Survival.= Some key questions we need to consider when planning for our teaching programme What is valuable for children to know about survival? Why are we teaching survival and why is it important for children to learn about survival? What are the concepts necessary for children to gain a deep understanding re Survival? What significant issues might arise from, or be related to, Survival?

Some of the definitions of survival put forward by teachers on the Professional Development day were:
Making it through a tricky situation The ability to adapt or change The skills, factors or adaptations required to continue existing in a given situation Coping through hardships or adversity The act or fact of surviving under adverse or unusual conditions Adapting, remaining, sustaining A person, place or thing that lives through a hardship and survives The ability to survive or endure under adverse or unusual conditions The experiences that don't kill you but make you stronger To remain alive after experiencing a threatening situation

Why are we going to be teaching about survival?
These are some of the ideas put forward on our Professional Development Day. Because survival is relevant to every aspect of the lives of children To develop life skills which are transferable To help children to cope with change To give children perspective - survival is relative To help children to make good choices and to be prepared Because living things have basic needs Learning to value things that are special eg plants, animals, humans, families, treasures, history, heirlooms To develop a better understanding of where we belong Looking after what we have - eg natural resources of gold, oil, forests, water Because we have a role of being guardians in our world To understand that things take time to renew if we spoil them To be able to understand and support survivors To be aware of natural disasters and the impact they can have on people Because humans have an impact on the environment To learn about real tales of survival and heroes To be better informed about how to keep ourselves safe The opportunities for ethical discussions It is a concept that will always be relevant We live in a region where there are many opportunities for natural disasters - volcanic activity, earthquakes, water It is a concept that is relevant locally and globally

=**Possible Key Understandings or Big Ideas for Survival**= Survival can be maintained Things can influence survival Adaptation assists survival Survival is dependent on tenacity, endurance and optimism Is it your character or DNA that makes you a survivor? Adaptation or change are essential to being able to survive in changing conditions Resilience impacts on survival Everything needs to survive Lessons can be learned from what has not survived Choices, attitude and luck can influence survival Interdependence is crucial to survival Some things don't survive

**What concepts do children need to have or develop to understand the topic of survival?**
Adaptation Change Time Diversity Extinction Influence Preparedness Consequence Interdependence Tenacity/ endurance Leadership Crisis Species Genetic modification Death Morals and ethics Fear Caring Recycling Evolution Habitats Ecology - systems and relationships Endangered species Biodiversity Icons Conservation

=What issues might arise?= How can we use our teaching programme to develop values? What happens when there are conflicting needs? Whose needs should prevail and why? What if we could save some endangered species through those we keep in zoos. Would the wild ones still matter? Whose responsibility is it to protect native animals? What if a non-native bird is endangered? Does an icon matter? Should pet cats be banned to protect birds? Recycling - will people do it? Sustainability Can stealing ever be the right thing to do? Does the right to survive allow crime? The hare and the tortoise - who is best adapted to survive? It is not clear that intelligence has any survival value Peace is the condition of survival in the nuclear age Survival of the fittest - should we help the weakest? Man or animal - which is more important? Family history - why care? Recycling - drop off or pick up - which is better?