Biodiversity Lesson in time for COP15

As part of our series of Climate Action Schools Live Lessons, We're offering a morning of workshops all about Biodiversity and COP15

Everyone is welcome to join in with a class, youth group or Eco-Committee on throughout the week of 5th December for bespoke sessions for Early Years to P3, Upper Primary and High Schools. and again on 9th December for an assembly to celebrate your work. 

Lessons will be accompanied by classroom activities to do throughout the week, and all sessions will be recorded to watch again later.

For Early Years – Primary 3: please join us Tuesday 6th, 9.30-10.00am  when we will once again welcome our friends from RZSS Edinburgh Zoo who with the help of some of their animals, will teach us how all species from small to big are important for our planet to be healthy and for us to live. 

For Upper Primary (P4-P7): please join us Monday 5th, 9.30 – 11.30am when we'll learn what the Himalayas, the Arctic and the Cairngorms have in common. Jasper Hughes from Highland Wildlife Park RZSS will take us on a journey to answer this question and to learn about these fascinating habitats, the unique adaptations that its inhabitant species require, and how they are linked to climate change and the coming COP15.  Then, acclaimed author and eco-journalist Sarah Roberts  will share her experience working in many of the most extreme and attractive places on Earth, where she has been amazed by unique habitats and extraordinary species, witnessing their sad decline but also meeting some of the many people who are passionately working to restore nature. 

For High Schools we offer a pre-recorded session to view at any time during the week with a linked debate activity. The lesson will cover the history of UN COPs, with a focus on the upcoming Biodiversity COP15 taking place in Montreal, Canada. We will discuss the importance of biodiversity, with definition of relevant terms and understanding its importance to human health and wellbeing. We will consider what young people can do to help protect and restore biodiversity locally and globally. The session will introduce a debate activity, where students will learn the wide ranging effects that single species can have on an ecosystem and then debate the issue of reintroducing Wolves to Scotland.

We also welcome all ages to our Friday assembly on 9th December from 9.30 – 10 am where we will summarise what we have learned and show examples of your work. 

To join this Live Lesson or watch any of the other recordings please visit the Eco-Schools part of our website here.

As always, we are grateful to our partner organisations Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and The Scottish Book Trust for helping to make this Live Lesson happen.