Author: CEIP Plurilingue Espiñera Aldán, grade 6
PARTNERS: class II C (grade 7), I.S. Abbé J.M. Trèves - St.Vincent, Valle d'Aosta, IT; class II B (grade 7), I.S. Abbé J.M. Trèves, Valtournanche, Valle d’Aosta (IT)
Introduction
In our school we believe that children need to get to know the living beings closest to them, to feel them as something very precious that we have to make last; to get to know nature and feel it as something of our own.
We are very lucky to be able to enjoy wonderful forests, sources of life, just a few metres away from us. Forests are, without doubt, a natural resource of incalculable value, which is why we must defend their protection. To do so, we must take an active role in their conservation, being aware of the problems posed by the threat to biodiversity posed by invasive species.
You are the citizens of the future, with the power and the knowledge to join forces and take initiatives for the protection of this treasure.
Knowledge is power, so let's learn about our forests and how to help preserve them. Let's do it!
Learning Objectives
- To become aware of the environmental impact of invasive species and the importance of protecting biodiversity.
- To collect and analyse useful and accurate information.
- To know the main species of fauna and flora in our environment.
- To identify invasive species.
- To reflect on, learn about and propose solutions to tackle the problem.
- To raise awareness of respect for the natural environment through plastic works.
- To value and enjoy contact with nature.
Task
Collection photos during of the activities implemented
We will carry out three main tasks consisting of reflection, information search and action.
For informative documentation, the tasks will consist of:
- Brainstorming on "The richness of our forests".
- Collecting information on fauna and flora (native and invasive) through the different sources provided.
For the "action", the main tasks will be:
- Taking a field trip to the school's immediate surroundings and observe the species and people's footprint on the environment.
- Identifying the fauna and flora of certain ecosystems and the environment and draw up fact sheets about them.
- Leaving our "positive footprint" on the environment, rejoicing in the rubbish we find and creating an artistic work to raise environmental awareness.
Process
1. Brainstorming.
- What do we know about this topic? In groups of four and using the cooperative work techniques "mural sentence" and "rotating folio", you will activate previous knowledge about the contents to be worked on, generating new ideas.
2. Gathering information.
- You will look for information using the documents provided on: native and invasive species of trees, bushes, plants, birds and other animals present in the area; as well as on the importance of preserving biodiversity. You will find the search links in the margin of this page. You can use other complementary links.
3. Elaboration of didactic material on the species of trees, shrubs and plants.
- Based on the study of the trees located in our school grounds, you will draw up a map (of the school grounds) with the different tree species. You can see an example in the documents section.
- Going deeper into the study of the different varieties of trees, you will draw up technical sheets of the most representative autochthonous species. These sheets will contain information on their origin, physical characteristics and usefulness. There is an information sheet in the documents section that you can use as a model.
- Thanks to the investigation of the different species, we will reflect on the number of invasive species present throughout Galicia, which have an impact on the conservation of biodiversity.
4. Study of the ecosystem of the pond.
- You will also create a panel with information about the pond's ecosystem. This will contain the information collected about the different amphibians and insects that live in the pond.
- You should include QR codes that link to the website where all the information can be found. The images (using the HP reveal application) will link to augmented reality videos made by the students with the help of the teachers.
- See the example attached in the documents.
5. Observation of fauna: birds.
- The trees in our forest provide shelter and food for many animals in the surrounding area. In our centre we are lucky enough to have a bird observatory, made of tree branches, which allows us to camouflage ourselves to observe the flight of the numerous species that visit us in peace and quiet. From this place and with the help of the document about the most common birds in the area (attached in document section), we will observe the presence of these animals.
- From the information obtained, you will draw up information sheets on the birds (you can see the example in documents section too). These will include their main physical characteristics (size, plumage colour...), their feeding habits, nest construction... You can also include a QR code linked to the sounds made by each species.
6. Our positive footprint. 
- After reflecting on the importance of the species that surround us and all that nature brings us, we will share this reflection with our neighbours.
- To carry out this environmental awareness-raising task, we will make posters with messages about caring for the natural environment. These posters will be made in an ecological way, as they will be biodegradable. They will be made of wood and the messages will be written with the pyrography technique (we will not use toxic paints).
- We will go to the busiest forest in the area (in our case, the "Bosque Encantado"). During the walk through the forest, we will attach these posters to the trunks of the trees, so that they are visible to passers-by. This way, everyone who walks through this beautiful place will be able to read the reflections and tips on natural care that you have prepared.
- We will also take advantage of the walk to collect all the rubbish we find in the area.
Evaluation
- The impact of human way of life on the environment.
- Knowledge of the flora and fauna of the environment.
- Identification of invasive species and the problems they cause.
- Environmentally responsible advice and behaviour.
- To be able to search different sources of information in a truthful way.
- To develop strategies for organising and planning tasks.
- To develop cooperative work skills.
- To create interactive panels and infographics sheets.
- To encourage critical thinking and adopt ways to raise awareness of the issue.
- To get started in the use of different languages.
- To assume responsible attitudes towards the environment and promote respect for nature.
- Linguistic communication
- Mathematical competence
- Basic competences in science and technology
- Digital competence
- Social and civic competences
- Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
- Cultural awareness and expressions
The work will be assessed on the basis of involvement, thoroughness and cooperation at different stages of the project. The students will create rubrics to determine the degree of learning.
Conclusion
Thanks to this project, students became aware of the problem of invasive species for the conservation of biodiversity in forests.
Through this Seedquest, they had access to information and tasks that encouraged reflection on this issue.
With the help of the Internet and new technologies we have been able to carry out different documentation tasks, as well as to share our work and experiences and learn from other neighbouring countries.
The students have enriched their previous knowledge about plastic, as well as developed skills and competences, such as ICT skills and teamwork.
With this way of working, we have been able to establish relationships with other schools, break the isolation of the school and empower ourselves.