Eco Health Check

Programme: Eco Health Check

Suitable for Key Stages 2 and 3 and available as a half-day activity.

This session uses the nation wide OPAL surveys to do an eco-check on your school grounds. Students will work through these surveys to test the air, climate and bio-diversity of the grounds. All the surveys are added to the national database so students can carry out comparisons between your site and other sites around the country.

Activity Outline
In a typical 2.5 hour session there will be time to do 2 of the following surveys, these can be chosen by you but are dependant on your school grounds having the right habitats for surveying.

Biodiversity Survey – this survey uncovers the diverse range of species living in our hedgerows. The surveys is divided into 4 sections:
1.    What does your hedge look like? – students collect some basis information about the hedge that they will be studying
2.    Is the hedge a source of food for wildlife? – this part of the survey involves identifying different tree and plant species and estimating berries and nuts
3.    What wildlife can you find? – identification and estimation of the numbers of invertebrate species using the hedge
4.    What else is using the hedge? – students record holes which may have been used by mammals

Climate Survey – this survey measures the weather in your school on a particular day but the whole study aims to look at how humans are affecting climate. This activity is divided into 4 activities:
1.    Are aircrafts making clouds? – contrails are the tracks that high-flying planes leave in the sky, this activity looks for different types of these.
2&3. Measuring the wind – students measure wind speed and direction using a variety of techniques allowing them to evaluate the best method.
4.  How hot and cold do you feel? – students evaluate their body temperature and how the climate may be effecting this.

Bugs Count – take part in this survey and see which bugs can be found in your school grounds. Children will learn all about identification and classification of invertebrates. This survey is also divided into sections, one looking at the environment and then 3 timed challenges:
1.    search for bugs on soft ground and surfaces
2.    search for bugs in human-made hard surfaces
3.    search for bugs on plants
Pupils will also be asked to look out for the rare Species Quest Bugs.

All of the surveys can be either put on the database by students or sent away to the OPAL team who will input them for you. In all cases comparisons can be made between results found in your school grounds and other places in the UK.

CURRICULUM LINKS

Key Stage 2
The eco-health check programme links with the National Curriculum attainment targets in English, Citizenship and Science.

English         Speaking and listening – 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 9a, 9c, 10a, 10b, 10c

Citizenship        5a

Science        Scientific Enquiry – 1a, 1b, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h, 2i, 2j, 2k, 2l, 2m
Life processes and living things – 1c, 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 5c

Key Stage 3
The eco-health check programme links with the National Curriculum attainment targets in Science, Geography and English.

Science        Key Concepts – 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.4
Key Processes – 2.1a, 2.1b, 2.1c, 2.2a, 2.2b, 2.3a
Range and Content – 3.3d, 3.4c

Geography        Key Concepts – 1.6a, 1.6b
Key Processes – 2.2a