The Convention's CEPA Programme
Teaching Materials
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| A game for 6-12 year olds, produced by WWF Hong Kongand distributed to all primary schools in Hong Kong, looks at the challenges facing Lolo, a Black-faced spoonbill, during its migration. More info here. |
The school curriculum presents a highly effective route for educating children about wetland values and functions, yet there are several problems which make it difficult for teachers to "deliver" an effective wetland message in a classroom setting. In many countries, environmental education may not formally be included as part of the curriculum making it difficult to introduce wetland issues into the curriculum. In others, environmental education may be a recognized component of the national curriculum but wetland issues in general, and the Ramsar principles of wetland conservation and wise use in particular, may not be specifically identified as areas to be covered in the classroom. In yet others, where wetland issues are identified in the national curriculum, teachers may not have the necessary knowledge or training to translate this into classroom activities.
It is generally true that the best resource materials for use in classrooms will be those tailored to a particular age-group and delivering a specific message - to give an example, you might be developing curriculum materials for 8-12 year-olds living around the Okavango Delta that investigate the human uses of water in the area and how they affect the health of the wetlands. This is a specific message that requires targeted material. In most situations it will not be possible to transfer ready-to-use materials from one country to another: the information usually has to be made locally relevant. The aim of this section of the CEPA mini-Web site is rather to provide examples of available materials that will inform, inspire and provide useful contacts to those who are preparing materials and delivering the CEPA message. Its success depends on the willingness of users to share information - please contact Sandra Hails by e-mail at hails@ramsar.org if you have materials to share.
To start the ball rolling, here are some interesting teaching materials, presented in two sections. Section 1 details structured classroom lessons based on wetlands for teachers of various age-groups. Section 2 details materials which can be used to supplement curriculum activities - books/booklets on wetlands for use with children, games, wall charts, water and wetland related games etc.
Oxfam's Climate Chaos programme provides teachers with a week of activities on climate change for 9-11 year olds. They provide a 5-day plan of activities including links to videos, excellent animations, classroom experiments, group projects etc. |
WOW!: The Wonders Of Wetlands, an educator's guide is an acclaimed, comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum guide for educators of grade levels K-12. The activities have been correlated with the US's National Science Education Standards developed by the National Academy of Sciencesand and with science content standards in several US states. Available for purchase online. |
The Electronic Naturalist is a new on-line education program providing a weekly environmental education unit. Each unit has artwork, text, activities, additional web sites, plus online access to a professional naturalist. Two reading levels are available for grades K-3 (Quick Read) and 4-8 (Full Read). |
WWF-Hong Kong has developed an interactive environmental education CD (in English and Chinese) "Footprints in Wetlands"which aims to provide additional supporting materials to aid teachers in carrying out on-site environmental education in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Copies (free) are available from Ms. Yvonne Wan, WWF Hong Kong Administration Officer at ywan@wwf.org.hk |
| Produced the the Estonian Environmental Board, a series of classroom materials and videos in Estonian with some materials also available in Russian. Links to all materials here. |
Produced by the Australian Government Discovering wetlands in Australia – a primary classroom resource is a resource package for teachers primarily intended for working with Primary School Years 3-6, but also relevant for wetland education centres and others. |
Produced by the Ramsar Secretariat in collaboration with UNESCO, and with support from the Danone/Evian Group, a board game has been produced for children of all ages. Ramsar: a fun game to quench your thirst for knowledge is available in English, French and Spanish. More information here |
The Australian Government has created a useful web-based Water Education Toolkit on water and wetland education resources in Australia. It provides Australian teachers and schools with access to hundreds of water education materials and although this resource is mainly to assist teachers, students will also find it a valuable tool when researching school assignments and seeking additional water information. Available here |
Catchment to reef - a number of products on this web site are aimed at children. Two well illustrated booklets for download are Are you connected: a guide to the processes linking land, sea and reef and Nutrients, Catchments & Reefs: A guide to nutrients in your landscape. Poster also available. |
Marine Debris - a web site with publications and educational resources for addressing marine debris issues, as well as information on how to get involved. |
Lolo’s Flying Journey, a game for 6-12 year olds, produced by WWF Hong Kongand freely distributed to all primary schools in Hong Kong, looks at the challenges facing Lolo, a Black-faced spoonbill, during its migration in east Asia. Available for download in PDF format here |
The Water Cycle: the digram is available for download in over 50 languages along with detailed, explanatory texts available in many of these languages too. Made available by the US Geographic Survey's Water Science for Schools Programme. |
Explore Our Wetlands is an interactive web animation produced by the Australian government that aims to enhance the understanding and awareness of the community of the role of wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment. |
A Climate Change poster was produced as part of the outcome of a joint Ramsar/CBD expert workshop on Wetlands, Water, Biodiversity, and Climate change in March 2007. Available in PDF format here. |
The Ramsar Game was launched in 2005 at the 9th Conference of the Parties. Targetting 5-14 year olds, it delivers fun, awareness and learning about wetlands. Launched as a board game in English, French and SPnaish, it has been produced in other languages and as a floor-sized version. Find out more about it here. |
Canon Envirothon provides students with a chance to get "up-close and personal" with North America's natural resources. Offering both in-class curriculum and hands-on field experiences focused around ecology, natural resource management, and current environmental issues, this unique combination of learning experiences and breadth of study is part of what has made the Envirothon a huge success with students and educators across the United States and Canada. |
WaterAid, a charity dedicated to helping people living without safe water and sanitation, provides some interactive games on water issues for 11-14 and 14-16 year-olds as well as a variety of resources aimed at teachers for use in the classroom with different age groups on a range of development issues. |
This interactive website is all about shorebirds, their amazing lifecycles, the flyways and many organisations and people who are dedicated to sharing information about these extraordinary birds. This site was developed by the Hunter Wetlands Centre in Australia. |
On-line information on all aspects of water in our environment. Although US-based, the facts and figures on surface waters, groundwaters, the water cycle - and much more - are useful for teachers and students wherever they are. Water Science for Schools |
CD-ROM (in Spanish) on sustainable management of water resources designed for schoolchildren (10-13 years) in Latin America. Includes materials for children and their teachers. Read more here. |
A card game, produced by La Fundación Humedales, de Bogotá, Colombia, targeted at schoolchildren living near the Laguna de Fúquene, helps them to understand more about the plant and animal life in their local lagoon. More information here in Spanish and English. |
Wild and Wonderful Games CD inlcudes the instructions to 17 environmental games linked to such themes as adaptation, food chains, habitats, and migration and several are relevant to wetlands. The CD can be ordered here. |
A company with the unlikely name of the Digital Frog has produced an interactive CD-Rom. Includes animations, narration, games, text, full color photographs and a comprehensive workbook. Can be purchased on-line. Digital Field Trip to Wetlands |
