Sustainability

Over the course of the past six weeks the boys in Stage One have explored their Unit of Inquiry Central Idea – ‘People can make choices to support the sustainable use of Earth’s resources’.

Identifying the Earth’s resources was the first step. Many of the boys learnt that everyday things that they previously took for granted were not quite as easily obtainable as they had initially thought, or at least needed careful consideration. The boys went on an excursion to Warragamba Dam where they learnt that a lot of careful thought and planning went into them being able to turn on their taps everyday with access to clean water. They also looked at parts of the world where people are not so fortunate, and began to think of solutions to such issues.

One of the 5 Essential Elements of the IB PYP is Action which linked very nicely with the unit, particularly to the idea of sustainability. For many of the boys the idea of sustainability was a new one, or at least it hadn’t been explored in great depth before; for example, many of the boys were initially able to say that recycling is a good thing, but the unit went deeper, getting the boys to think about why it is in a wider context. The boys explored the consequences of over-fishing, deforestation, the need for recycling materials like plastics and climate change to name but a few items, each time looking at their role in the issue and the potential action that they could take.

For some of the boys the action would be simple but valuable considerations- remembering to switch off the lights, having shorter showers, hanging clothes out rather than tumble drying them. For other boys, they were interested in speaking to those ‘in charge’ (the boys looked at the role of government in some cases), and asking those in power how they were going to help with a range of sustainability issues facing the planet. It is great to see inspiring action taking place at a relatively young age, especially as sustainability is a real world and serious issue that the boys will continue to encounter as they grow up.

Sam Watson – Year 1 Teacher