Enquiry 19: What futures are possible in Ireland?

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Key question
> How can we respond to climate change?


Outline
This activity provides the opportunity for children to think about possible futures.


Preparation
This activity requires the children to use local newspapers – ask them to bring them in from home over a couple of weeks.


Learning outcomes

On completing these activities all children will be able to:

> imagine possible, preferable and probable futures in their community;
> describe positive impacts people can make in local, national and global communities; and
> recognise that there are barriers to preferable futures.

Tolka River, Dublin
Courtesy of Susan Pike

Resources
Resource sheets – ‘A day in Dublin, 2040’ (investigation 19a) and ‘Imagining the future’
(Investigation 19b)

Local newspapers
Resource Card no. 6 - Tolka River, Dublin


 

Pdf Investigation 19a: A day in Dublin, 2040
Size: 26.8K bytesModified:  8 February 2011, 10:56
Pdf Investigation 19b: Imagining the Future
Size: 25.4K bytesModified:  8 February 2011, 10:57


Learning activities

1. Read – ‘A day in Dublin, 2040’ (Investigation 19a).

> Discuss it generally.
> What aspects of Dublin 2040 would be good for their own local community?
> What would it look like when compared to image of Tolka Today (resource card no. 6)?
> What could help make these things happen?

2. Look through local newspapers gathered by the children to find out what types of activities are happening in the local community. Cut out headlines / photographs showing these activities.

3. Add in activities taking place within the school.


4. Sort all of the cuttings into two categories /piles:

> Things that are happening now
> Things that will/might happen in the future

5. Use both piles to fill-in the diagram on Investigation 19b - whether on the board or on the activity sheet, separating current and future events as indicated into:

> What is happening?
> What we would like to happen?
> What will probably happen?

6. Discuss: What we would like to happen and what actions could be taken in the school to work towards these futures.