Killowen Outdoor Education Centre Curriculum

SollarvileTM Helping to Deliver the NI Curriculum for Key Stage 3

The programmes characteristics are to help pupils, both as individuals and contributing group members, to become aware of themselves in a wider world,encourage self evaluation and make informed judgements and responsible decisions.Curiosity and imagination is stimulated throughout the cross curricular programme, assisting pupils in understanding and learning.

Issue: World development and human impact on the environment.  Conflict arising from independence of the world’s ecological systems, the depletion of natural resources, pollution and global warming.

Promoting conserving the environment for a sustainable future e.g. resource and energy conservation.

Health Education:  Causes and consequences of pollution and their effects on health at national and global levels.

Economic activities:  The impact of economic activities on the environment eg factory pollution.

Economic awareness: Developing insight into choices and decisions involving the use of resources by examining the impact of the pupils' own lifestyles on the environment.  Accepting personal responsibility for their actions and reflecting on the consequences of different choices for themselves and others.

Earthing space: Knowing that thesun, moon and earth are spherical bodies.  Learning about the position of the sun and planets within the solar system and that the solar system forms part of a galaxy that is part of a larger system called the universe.

Learning that energy sources: eg wind or fossil fuels are ultimately dependant on the suns energy and the difference between renewable energy sources and non-renewable sources. 

Understanding that global resources are limited and need to be shared and why energy should be used efficiently.

The components of food chains and food webs, including;

• The Sun as a primary source of energy
• Producers
• Consumers
• and the nature of energy flow.

Finding out that photosynthesis is the key process that is essential to plant life.

Pollution:  How human activity can damage the environment.

Materials and their uses:  Understand that some waste products can be recycled and why this process is desirable.

First hand experience of talking and listining in a variety of contexts e.g. engaging with others out of the classroom , in small groups, visitors to the school, people encounted on the school visit.

Some of the talking and listening activities;

• Lisening to audio visual
• Listening and responding to presentation and performance of plays.
• Describing and expressing personal feelings through writting and discussion.