Teacher's Corner

SCBD Teacher Resources

• The Green Wave is an excellent opportunity to involve your students in a fun international environmental campaign. It’s a way to encourage students to learn about trees and biodiversity, to acquire event planning skills, and to work with members of the community, including government, business and media representatives. It’s also an opportunity to tell the world about your school’s biodiversity initiatives and to connect with like-minded teachers around the world.

• The biodiversity and agriculture educational module is designed to match the 2008 theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity. It comprises of an online educational web portal for primary school students and five accompanying lesson plans for educators. You can also download the children’s web portal in a booklet format. The resources are aimed at students in upper primary school (grades four to six), but could be adapted for other levels.

• As part of its 2007 edition of the CBD School Outreach Programme, the Secretariat created a presentation on biodiversity and climate change that was delivered by staff and volunteers to schools across Montreal, Canada, home of the Secretariat. This presentation is available here in PDF format and includes presentation notes. We encourage educators to look at this presentation as an example of a tool to raise awareness on climate change and biodiversity.
  View the presentation.

Teacher Resources from Other United Nations Agencies

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) aims "to bring education to all the world's people, based on the principle that education is a universal human right". Explore their extensive education portal.

• For guidance on addressing issues of biological diversity at the secondary education level, see the following UNESCO publication: Biological Diversity for Secondary Education.

• The United Nations Cyberschoolbus website promotes education about international issues and the United Nations. It contains activities and projects that teach students about global issues in an interactive, engaging and fun way. Visit the Cyberschoolbus website.

Teacher Resources from Non-governmental Organisations

• Find lesson plans on all life forms in the oceans. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) education page has "projects for students that allow them to exchange ecological information and become amateur taxonomists utilizing web-based lesson plans and the OBIS website".

• "The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour." Their teacher's website has lesson plans, presentations, articles, posters, profiles of rainforest species, information about on-the-ground conservation projects and illustrated stories (in English, Spanish and Portuguese).

• The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has developed resources to help children learn about biodiversity. Their Schools For A Living Planet website covers topics such as forests, habitats, water and marine ecosystems.

• "The Virtual School of Biodiversity aims to catalyse international co-operation between universities in the field of biodiversity research and education, with a view to promoting both the understanding and the conservation of the natural world's biological diversity."

• "ARKive’s free fun-packed teaching resources are suitable for 5-18 year olds and cover a range of key science and biology subjects including: adaptation, endangered species, food chains, Darwin and natural selection, classification, identification, conservation and biodiversity. These teaching resources include: classroom presentations, activities and handouts, teachers' notes as well as links to ARKive species profiles and scrapbooks."

• "Biodiversity 911: Saving Life on Earth is a lively exhibition that tells the important story of biodiversity using science, humor, and creativity."

• "A to Z Teacher Stuff is a teacher-created site designed to help teachers find online resources more quickly and easily. Find lesson plans, thematic units, teacher tips, discussion forums for teachers, downloadable teaching materials & eBooks, printable worksheets and blacklines, emergent reader books, themes, and more."

• "EPI inspires science education and improves conservation efforts through field-based student-scientist partnerships."

• Read the Educator's guide to biodiversity.

• "The Living Systems Resource Kit investigates all aspects of how native biodiversity does and could make a positive contribution to Victorian agriculture, to farm families and rural communities."

• "The Wild World maps are designed to help you bring into your classroom the wonders of biodiversity and the urgency of conserving it."

• "Download lesson plans from the Biodiversity and Conservation: Web of Life website that address environmental themes facing our planet today. Topics include Climate Change, African Biodiversity, Island Biodiversity, and many more."

• "TOBAGO is non-government organisation committed to the conservation and restoration of Tobago's environment."

• "Join the thousands of schools around the world where students are exchanging information, opinions and ideas on a variety of science topics with young people in every continent. Exchanges are possible in several languages. Explore the Science around the world website to see the wide range of topics and free resources in several languages."

Databases of Teacher Resources

Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government institutions review and host databases of teacher resources on biodiversity topics, as well as other topics related to education for sustainable development. Here are a few examples:

• India's Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) has innovative programmes and educational material and builds capacity in the field of education for sustainable development. Learn more about CEE's work, including biodiversity conservation. CEE also runs a fun, colourful and educational children's web magazine called kidsrgreen.org.

• Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) has a teacher-reviewed database of "Resources for Rethinking". Visit this Canadian NGO's bilingual (English and French) website and resource database.

• In the United Kingdom, the Global Dimension website offers a helpful guide to lesson plans, books, films, posters and websites with a global dimension.

• The Sustainable Schools area of Teachernet supports schools on their journey to sustainability by providing relevant online material. It is also based in the United Kingdom.