Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1-4
Key Stage Target
Curriculum Links
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
✓KS1 ✓KS2 ✓KS3 ✓KS4
✓Geography ✓Citizenship ✓Science ✓Politics
A Guide to CLIMATE CHANGE WEEK 2014
Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, inspiring a new wave of action to
create a sustainable future. In a week of activities (March 3rd - 9th) it showcases practical
solutions from every sector of society.
Each year, half a million people attend 3,000 events in Britain’s biggest environmental occasion.
To mark the day we have put together a selection of great films which deal with issues
surrounding climate change, from Al Gore’s thorough exposition of the problems we could
face in the future in An Inconvenient Truth to the ‘worst-case-scenario’ drama of The Day After
Tomorrow. Each film features an accompanying guide, discussion questions and additional
activities to spark discussion and encourage debate framed in the context of the curriculum for
Geography and Science.
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1-4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
The films included in this resource are:
Planet Ocean (2012, E) 11+ 93 mins
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992, U) 5+, 76 mins
A Turtle’s Tale - Sammy’s Adventure (2010, U) 5+ 85 mins
An Inconvenient Truth (2006, U) 11+ 100 mins
Encounters at the End of the World (2007, U) 14+ 99 mins
The Day After Tomorrow (2004, 12) 11+ 124 mins
Running a film club in your school can enrich the curriculum and allow young people to explore
a wide variety of issues, experience cultures beyond their own, and develop their creativity,
communication skills and confidence.After watching a film students are encouraged to
comment during a post-screening discussion before writing reviews on the website (which has
a real audience of other young people) where they can analyse the film and develop their
literacy and critical skills. Above all, students and teachers can enjoy the shared experience of
watching and discussing a film together.
Set up a free film club and enjoy free access to thousands of films and education resources for
learning through film and about film. To join or for information visit www.filmclub.org, email
support@intofilm.org or call 0207 288 4520.
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Planet Ocean
(2012, E) 93 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 11+. Suggested subjects for discussion are the way we use
and abuse our seas and oceans.
What’s this film about?
This international documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand narrates the links between people and
the oceans and the challenges that will be faced by humankind in the future.
Why this film?
Combining astonishing aerial shots and underwater imagery, Planet Ocean takes us on an
unprecedented journey into the heart of one of the least known regions on our planet, the
oceans. Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand and editor-in-chief Michael Pitiot aim to make a film
that changes the way people look at the oceans and explains one of Earth’s great natural
mysteries. They also want the film to help young people believe in a better and more
sustainable tomorrow. Filmed in extreme geographical conditions all over the globe, this film
describes the modern odyssey of people who go out to discover their blue planet.
What the critics think
“I thought Planet Ocean was a good film as it explained well about the environment, what's
happening and what we need to do about it.”
Film club member, Carly, aged 11
“Planet Ocean sends a clear message that a more sustainable world is not only desirable but
achievable.”
Watchalyzer.com
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Before the film: Starter Activity
Look at the picture of the island village off the
coast of Panama.
How might this place be affected by climate
change?
Is there anything that can be done to protect this
place?
San Blas Islands, Panama
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. How are the oceans important to life on our
planet? How do they influence the climate?
2. Where do people fit into the story of the world’s
oceans?
3. It states in the film that people have been fishing
the seas for 40,000 years. How has this changed
over time? Do you think we have had a good or a
bad impact on the world’s oceans?
4.What is happening to the polar ice caps? What
are the other effects of climate change on the
oceans?
Next Steps
1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club
in your school, college or youth group through
http://www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Ask your students to fill in the Planet Ocean
Wordsearch worksheet and answer the questions.
Related Resources
Watch an interview with the maker of Planet
Ocean, Michael Pitiot here: www.filmclub.org/
behind-the-scenes/details/348//encounterName/
michael-pitiot
Teacher’s Notes
1. The oceans are where scientists believe
life began with single-celled organisms.
They are essential in redistributing warm
currents from the equator towards the
poles, giving Earth a temperate climate
necessary for life to exist.
2. Half the world’s population lives less
than 100 km from the sea. It is essential
as a source of food and fishing as a job
sustains 500,000 people worldwide.
3. Until recently fishing was small scale and
sustainable - having a limited impact on
the seas. Now 90 million tonnes of
marine life is fished each year, half of it
by only 1% of the boats. Students can
debate the relative effects of this deep
sea trawling on the environment of the
oceans.
4. The ice near the poles is melting due to
increased carbon emissions and rising
temperatures. This could have serious
consequences for the marine currents
that regulate our climate. Other effects
are the killing of corals and other marine
life.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Planet Ocean Wordsearch
In the wordseach below there are many different kinds of sea life. Try to find as many as
you can from the list in the box.
crab, dolphin, fish, lobster, octopus,
porpoise, seal, shark, squid, starfish, turtle, whale
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Choose three animals from the list and then research how pollution to the oceans
might affect them.
Is there anything we can do to help these species?
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
(1992, U) 76 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 5+. Suggested subjects for discussion are the importance
of our planet’s rainforests.
What’s this film about?
Charming, eco-conscious animated tale about a rainforest inhabited by sprites and talking
animals, who find that humans are chopping down the rainforest.
Why this film?
FernGully is a beautiful, pristine rainforest peopled by all manner of sprites and talking animals.
Humans, they believe, have become extinct after battling with a malevolent spirit of destruction
known as Hexxus, who was eventually defeated by the wee woodland folk and trapped inside a
tree. However one young fairy, Crysta, is more curious than most and one day decides to
explore the world outside the forest. She discovers not only that humans still exist, but they are
chopping down her beloved FernGully. These events lead to the release of the evil Hexxus, who
is determined to wreak his revenge on those who imprisoned him.
What the critics think
“I like this film because it was very colourful. I liked the part when the bad guy turned into a tree
because it looked really funny”
Film club member, Danny, aged 8
“FernGully is neither weighty nor whiny. It sings its message unobtrusively through - and for the trees. And most importantly, it never forgets to be delightful, for children and their
moviegoing guardians”
Desson Howe, Washington Post
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1
Before the film: Starter Activity
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
A
B
What do you already know about the rainforests?
Look at the two pictures A & B.
What words would you use to describe each picture?
What do you think has happened in picture B?
Photo: © www.hickerphoto.com After the film: Discussion Questions
1. What is life like for Crysta and the other fairies in
the forest? Think of some things that are the
same for humans and some things that are
different?
2. Why do you think rainforests are so important to
our planet?
3. What can we do to help save rainforests?
4. Which character in the film do you think has the
most to learn?
Next Steps
1. 1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club
in your school, college or youth group through
http://www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Although they cover about 2% of the surface
of the planet, more than 50% of the world’s
plant and animal species live in the rainforests.
Find out about the different kinds of wildlife
that live in the rainforest. Design a poster
showing some of the most exotic species, and
how they are adapted for life in the forest
using the FernGully Rainforest Poster.
Photo: © Daniel Beltra
Teacher’s Notes
1. Crysta and the other fairies live an
idyllic lifestyle in the rainforest. They
have all the food they need and exist
peacefully in their natural
environment. They don’t have jobs
like humans but are affected by the
consequences of deforestation.
2. The rainforests are sometimes called
‘the lungs of the world’ as they
provide so much oxygen. They are
also home to much wildlife and
medicines too.
3. We can use recycled paper and card
instead of allowing more trees to be
chopped down.
4. Crysta learns to believe in herself and
how to make a difference. Zak learns
to treat the environment with more
respect.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
FernGully Rainforest Poster
Design a poster to alert people to the problems of deforestation. Use ideas from the
film FernGully to help you. Use lots of colour and show the wildlife as best you can.
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1 & 2
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
A Turtle’s Tale - Sammy’s Adventures
(2010, U) 85 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 5+. Suggested subjects for discussion are marine life and
the effect of pollution.
What’s this film about?
A turtle’s adventures travelling around the world looking for his true love and showing the
damage done to the oceans.
Why this film?
Sammy the turtle is undertaking an extraordinary 50-year journey. He attempts the epic task
that all turtles face - surviving the perilous oceans in a bid to one day return to the very beach
he was born upon. But it's not just sea-going predators that threaten Sammy’s life in this cute
animated adventure. Pollution, discarded plastic and treacherous oil spills all damage the once
tranquil environment and set back Sammy’s own romantic mission - to find the beautiful Shelly,
the childhood sweetheart he became separated from at sea. This is a visually rich and jovial 3D
Belgian animation tempered by a poignant environmental message.
What the critics think
“I thought the film was really really good, it was exciting and a excellent film”
Film club member, Leah, aged 8
“The underwater world of little Sammy the turtle and his friends jumps out of the screen in a
riot of colour and excitement.”
Sue Robinson, Radio Times
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 1 & 2
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Before the film: Starter Activity
Look at the photograph. What does it show?
Make a list of the animals responsible for the
rubbish on the beach.
Make a list of the animals who might suffer
because of the rubbish on the beach.
Photo source: ©Lawrence Hislop / Unep
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. How are the oceans important to life on our
planet? How do they influence the climate?
2. Where do people fit into the story of the world’s
oceans?
3. It states in the film that people have been fishing
the seas for 40,000 years. How has this changed
over time? Do you think we have had a good or a
bad impact on the world’s oceans?
4.What is happening to the polar ice caps? What
are the other effects of climate change on the
oceans?
Next Steps
1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club
in your school, college or youth group through
http://www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Ask your students to label the parts of a sea turtle
using the Sammy’s Adventures Worksheet.
Teacher’s Notes
1. The oceans are where scientists believe
life began with single-celled organisms.
They are essential in redistributing warm
currents from the equator towards the
poles, giving Earth a temperate climate
necessary for life to exist.
2. Half the world’s population lives less
than 100 km from the sea. It is essential
as a source of food and fishing as a job
sustains 500,000 people worldwide.
3. Until recently fishing was small scale and
sustainable - having a limited impact on
the seas. Now 90 million tonnes of
marine life is fished each year, half of it
by only 1% of the boats. Students can
debate the relative effects of this deep
sea trawling on the environment of the
oceans.
4. The ice near the poles is melting due to
increased carbon emissions and rising
temperatures. This could have serious
consequences for the marine currents
that regulate our climate. Other effects
are the killing of corals and other marine
life.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Sammy’s Adventures Worksheet
Label the various parts of the sea turtle below.
Choose from:
Beak, claw, eye, front flipper, mouth, rear flipper.
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
An Inconvenient Truth
(2006, U) 100 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 11+. Suggested subjects for discussion are our contribution
to climate change and what we can do about it.
What’s this film about?
Thought-provoking assessment on the causes and symptoms of climate change from former
US Presidential candidate Al Gore.
Why this film?
A lecture on the causes and symptoms of climate change from former US presidential
candidate Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth might sound like the kind of thing best left to a late
night slot on a special interest channel. However, it's been a huge hit in cinemas and on DVD,
largely due to the lucid and engaging manner in which it explains what our lifestyle is doing to
the planet - and just as importantly, how we can attempt to change that.
What the critics think
“People would think it's boring watching a commentary/documentry but I think it's ok because
it tells us how to stop global warming and advises us on how to save the world.”
Film club member, Tyler, aged 12
“It's an enduring irony of movies that one guy talking can be more compelling than a million
dollars in locations, extras and effects.”
Paul Arendt, BBC
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Before the film: Starter Activity
Look at the graph opposite. It shows the
percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s
atmosphere since the year 1750.
What does the graph show?
Can you think of any reasons why this change has
happened?
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. What is the main point that Al Gore is trying to
make in this film?
2. Do you think this kind of film is effective at
changing the way we treat the planet?
3. Which part of the film did you find most
interesting? Was there anything you didn’t
understand?
4. What, if anything, would you change about the
film to make it more effective?
Next Steps
1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club
in your school, college or youth group through
http://www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Ask your students to look at the map and answer
the questions on the An Inconvenient Truth
Worksheet.
3. Find out more about how to reduce the ‘carbon
footprint’ of your school or your FILMCLUB and
make a poster showing ways to be
environmentally friendly.
Teacher’s Notes
1. Gore is telling us about the links
between the amount of CO2 in our
earth’s atmosphere and the average
temperature of the planet.
2. The film contains a lot of data given
in the form of graphs and charts.
Students can debate whether they
think this is an effective way of
proving a point or whether it’s a bit
dry.
3. Some of the information used is quite
complicated but hopefully students
with some prior knowledge of
climate change should understand
most of it.
4. The film is mostly in the style of a
lecture given to a small audience.
This is interspersed with stories from
Gore’s life which make it more
personal. Students may have ideas
about making the film more dynamic.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
An Inconvenient Truth Worksheet
Copyright GCSE Bitesize
Global carbon emissions by country (in %)
10%
14%
17%
20%
more than 25%
Make a list of places Carbon Dioxide comes from?
What countries are the worst producers of Carbon Dioxide?
Why do you think this might be the case?
What do all of these countries have in common?
Why do you think countries like Kenya, Madagascar and Burkina Faso don’t have high
carbon emissions?
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Encounters at the End of the World
(2007, U) 99 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 11+. Suggested subjects for discussion are climate change
and living at the end of the world.
What’s this film about?
When legendary director Werner Herzog journeys to Antarctica, the people he meets there are
just as fascinating as the wildlife.
Why this film?
As you might have guessed from the title, this isn't your average nature documentary. Werner
Herzog travels to Antarctica to stay at the McMurdo Science Station, where over a thousand
researchers and scientists live, not in igloos, but in climate-controlled housing. It’s not as
isolated as you might think though, as they even have their own bowling alley and radio station.
Herzog's distinctive voiceover provides the perfect guide to this weird and wonderful place at
the ‘end of the world’.
What the critics think
“There were some great scenery especially when they dived below the ice”
Film club member, Luke, aged 10
“As a nature doc alone, Encounters at the End of the World would stand as one of the year's
best. But it is the people who choose to live and work at the very ends of the Earth that are
Herzog's real subject.”
Dominic Wells, The Times
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Before the film: Starter Activity
How many penguins do you think live in Antarctica?
How many people?
Answer: over 40 million penguins, 4500 people (1000 in winter)
How are penguins adapted for life at the South Pole?
What adaptations do you think the people there have
to make?
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. In what ways is Encounters At The End of the
World different from other documentaries you
have seen about the South Pole?
2. This isn’t explicitly a film about climate
change, but it still has a lot to say about it.
How does it get its message across?
3. As this film reveals, there are a lot of
eccentric people living on the edge of our
planet. Who do you remember? What do
you like about them?
Next Steps
1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club in
your school, college or youth group through http://
www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Imagine that you are living at the McMurdo Science
Station in Antarctica for a few months. What would
you do to keep yourself occupied? What would you
see? How would you feel? Write a diary of a typical
day.
3. Ask your students to fill in the Encounters at the End
of the World Worksheet.
Related Resources
Watch an interview with director of Encounters at the End
of the World, Werner Herzog at http://www.filmclub.org/
behind-the-scenes/details/314/werner-herzog
Teacher’s Notes
1. Herzog states at the beginning that he’s
not going to make a film about ‘fluffy
penguins’ but is more interested in what
makes people want to come and live at
the ‘end of the world’. His style is very
much to let people speak for themselves
without too much guidance from him as
the filmmaker.
2. The film shows the cast of scientists and
thinkers that populate McMurdo and
provides short narratives about what
they think about their environment.
There are some images of the impact
that humans are having but it is delivered
in a subtle way.
3. Students can say which characters in the
film they liked. Stefan Pashov is a
philosopher, Samuel Bowser is a diver.
David Ainley studies the penguins at
Cape Royd and Clive Oppenheimer is a
vulcanologist from the UK. They all have
distinct personalities and things that
make them interesting.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Encounters at the End of the World Worksheet
Make a list of facts you have learnt about Antarctica:
Make a list of problems facing Antarctica and their potential solutions:
Problems
Solutions
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
The Day After Tomorrow
(2004, 12) 124 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 11+. Suggested subjects for discussion are climate change
— fact and fiction.
What’s this film about?
In this ecological disaster movie, the rapid onset of global warming envelopes America under a
new ice age, forcing student Sam and his friends to try and survive arctic New York.
Why this film?
As global warming becomes a more urgent issue with every day that passes, The Day After
Tomorrow imagines what would happen if effects of man-made climate change shifted into
high gear - plunging the world into a new ice age. While this is a work of fiction, much of the
science behind the film is rooted in fact. So as well as being a thrilling adventure movie, The
Day After Tomorrow is also a wake-up call for all of us in the fight to safeguard the future of
our planet.
What the critics think
“Disaster movies are almost always extremely far-fetched. This is probably one of the most
likely to happen. Special effects and acting scenes full of intelligence”
Film club member, Thomas, aged 11
“It's solidly founded on environmentalists' credible warnings, allowing the movie to trash the
Northern Hemisphere in the noble cause of eco-awareness.”
TJ, Time Out
Teacher Notes - Key Stage 3 & 4
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
Before the film: Starter Activity
Average January temperatures for Quebec in
Canada and Volgograd in Russia are about -12°C,
whereas in the UK they’re about 6°C.
All three places are the same distance from the
north pole (51°N).
Can you think of reasons why these differences in
temperature exist?
Answer: The UK like the rest of Western Europe is warmed by a warm current called The Gulf Stream
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. Some have criticised this film for straying too
far from scientific facts. Do you think
scientific accuracy is important in a film?
2. If you knew that life as you know it was
ending in two days’ time what would you
do? What do they do in the film?
3. What do you think is the most important
thing an individual can do to stop the
events in the film The Day After Tomorrow
becoming a reality?
Next Steps
1. Order films for free by starting an Into Film club
in your school, college or youth group through
http://www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
2. Discuss the facts behind global climate
change compared to what was presented in
the film and ask your students to fill in the The
Day After Tomorrow Worksheet.
3. Find out more about how to reduce the ‘carbon
footprint’ of your school or your FILMCLUB and
make a poster showing ways to be
environmentally friendly.
Teacher’s Notes
1. Many of the extreme weather events
in the film are real but exaggerated in
order to make the film more
dramatic. Ask your students to list the
events and separate fact from fiction.
2.Students can say how they would
react to their whole world changing
in the space of a couple of days. In
the film they evacuate the Southern
States of the USA, which in reality
would probably be a logistical
nightmare.
3.There are many things we can do as
individuals to reduce our ‘carbon
footprint’. Students can say what they
already do to lessen their impact on
the environment. They might be able
to suggest ways their film club could
become more sustainable.
Student worksheet
A Guide to Climate Change Week 2014
The Day After Tomorrow Worksheet
Many things in the film are based on real science, while others are pure Hollywood
fantasy.
Make a list of things you saw in the film, that you think could happen with Climate
Change and a list of things that you think are much more unlikely.
Things in the film that
COULD happen
Things in the film that
COULD NOT happen