14+ years (Key Stage 4)
Our lesson ideas are intended to enhance learning and embed sustainability into your teaching.
They are ideas designed to inspire and provoke further questioning and investigation by young people into social and environmental issues. They can be adapted in a variety of ways to suit your needs.
To see which subject areas the lesson ideas cover and how they link to the curriculum download our KS4 curriculum grid. To find out how they fit with the Eco-Schools nine topics, download our Eco-Schools KS4 topic grid.
Can't find what you're looking for? We have some more Key Stage 4 resources based around global citizenship and community cohesion developed in partnership with the Love Where You Live campaign. Visit our campaigns area to find out more.
Lesson Ideas
1. Eco Cities (download pdf)
Students design their own Eco City in order to understand how a community can become self-sufficient by considering ways to produce energy and food and manage transport and waste in a sustainable manner.
2. Energy to change lives (download pdf)
To appreciate that 24/7 electricity is a luxury for us in the UK and that by investing in renewable energies and sharing knowledge we can work towards global access to electricity.
3. How well travelled is my lunch? (download pdf)
To understand where students' lunch comes from, calculate its ‘food miles’ and to suggest ways in which the school might be able to make the lunch in a more sustainable way.
4. Mentor a business (download pdf)
To take the role of a sustainability consultancy for a small local company and create and present a sustainability evaluation report and strategy to the company.
5. Our school's carbon footprint (download pdf)
To understand the school’s carbon footprint, compare this to other building footprints and to calculate the emissions per year.
6. Solar in the community (download pdf)
To explore other areas in the community where solar panels could be fitted and engage the community in considering whether their community could use more solar power.
7. Water in our lives (download pdf)
To create an art piece/installation to represent and highlight the importance of water in our lives.
8. Comparing brands (download pdf)
To investigate and evaluate the sustainability practices of two companies in order to compare and determine which company currently has the better approach.
9. If I were a councillor (download pdf)
To understand the role of a councillor or MP and for students to discuss what they would do if they took the role. Students present their case to the local councillor or MP.
10. Passion for fashion (download pdf)
To produce a fashion show in order to raise awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion.
11. Cleaning Products - Practical Investigation (download pdf)
Investigate how effective disinfectants (school/household cleaning products) are for killing microorganisms. Compare the ‘old fashioned’ solutions, eco-friendly and standard supermarket brands.
12. Green Products – Debate (download pdf)
To understand your position as a consumer and to evaluate the affect products you choose will have. The aim of this lesson is to help students reflect on and appreciate their position as a consumer and to evaluate what their choices will mean for health and the environment.
Download all our lesson ideas as a .zip file