Chapter Graphic : Environmental Issues
Trend Task
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  Level: Year 4 and year 8
Approach: One to one
Focus: Judge the relative importance of seven environmental threats and justify these decisions.
1.4MB
Resources: 7 pictures showing environmental disasters.

Questions / instructions:

TOP CONCERNS 1999
  YEAR 4   YEAR 8
  Forest fires 73%
  Atomic bombs 65%
  Plastic on sea animals 54%
  Dumping at sea 52%
  Oil spill 47%
  Factory smoke 40%
  Clearing rainforest 29% 		  Atomic bombs 69%
  Oil spill 56%
  Dumping at sea 54%
  Forest fires 48%
  Factory smoke 43%
  Plastic on sea animals 41%
  Clearing rainforest 34%

I am going to give you 7 pictures of things happening on the earth that may be of concern to people. You are to put these pictures in 3 rows on the table.
In the top row put the picture or pictures which you think people should be most concerned about; the things that you think have the worst effect on the environment of the world.
In the middle row, put the picture or pictures that show problems that are not quite so bad.
In the bottom row put the picture or pictures that you feel are not as important as the rest.
Give the student the pictures.
Here are the pictures. Put them into the 3 rows I have described.
Read instructions again if the student needs it.

     
% responses
y4
1999(1995)
y8
1999(1995)
1. Let's look at the top row. You have put [read titles of pictures] in the top row. I want you to tell me why you think these are the most important concerns.
Encourage use of picture titles in spoken explanations.		 a a
2. Let's look at your bottom row of pictures. You have put [read titles of pictures] in the bottom row. I want you to tell me why you think these are not as important as the other concerns. a a
Plastic rubbish on sea animals
a
a
a
top row
54 (55)
41 (46)
middle row
34 (30)
40 (37)
bottom row
12 (15)
19 (17)
Atomic bomb exploding
a
a
a
top row
65 (71)
69 (79)
middle row
25 (19)
19 (14)
bottom row
10 (10)
12 (7)
Factory smoke
a
a
a
top row
40 (44)
43 (44)
middle row
33 (34)
33 (35)
bottom row
27 (22)
24 (21)
Clearing the rainforest
a
a
a
top row
29 (38)
34 (46)
middle row
36 (32)
35 (28)
bottom row
35 (30)
31 (26)
Oil spill
a
a
a
top row
47 (45)
56 (56)
middle row
37 (36)
37 (37)
bottom row
16 (19)
7 (7)
Dumping rubbish at sea
a
a
a
top row
52 (49)
54 (49)
middle row
36 (37)
40 (40)
bottom row
12 (14)
6 (11)
Forest fires
a
a
a
top row
73 (66)
48 (41)
middle row
19 (23)
35 (31)
bottom row
8 (11)
17 (28)
Commentary:
The environmental concerns of year 4 and year 8 students were quite similar, except that year 8 students placed substantially less importance on forest fires (the top concern in 1999 of year 4 students, but only fourth concern of year 8 students). Year 8 students showed greater change from 1995 to 1999, with reduced concern about atomic explosions and clearing the rainforest, but more concern about forest fires. In their reasons both year 4 and year 8 students gave greatest weight to the danger to animal life, then to the danger to human life. Year 8 students gave much greater weight than year 4 students to global (as opposed to local) effects.
 
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