The document provides information about empowering children and teachers regarding climate crisis through primary geography education. It discusses how empowerment involves developing attitudes, values, knowledge, critical thinking and agency. It emphasizes developing functional core knowledge about facts and vocabulary as well as empathic knowledge about meaning-making and values. It also stresses the importance of developing critical thinking skills and decision-making agency in children. The document presents various approaches and topics that can be covered in primary geography curriculum to educate children about climate crisis in an age-appropriate yet meaningful way.

1. Empowering
Children in Times
of Climate
Crisis: From
curiosity to action
with primary
geography.
Dr Paula Owens

2. Empowering Children and Teachers
Empowerment = authority or power given to
someone to do something.
Empowerment is about attitudes and values,
knowledge, critical thinking and agency.
Paula Owens 2021
2
As teachers we may need to
follow a set curriculum but we
can populate it with precise
content of our choosing and
teach it according to the context
and needs of our pupils.’
Owens, Witt and Willy (2021) p.5
‘..pessimism turned to hope
when witnesses felt they had
the power to act.’
(Alexander 2010, p.189)

3. Functional
Core knowledge:
facts, vocabulary,
typologies,
Empathic knowledge
Own and others’ meaning-
making, values
Critical
Thinking
Decision-making
and agency Cultural
Critical
After Stables, A (1998)
Paula Owens 2021 3
Critical Environmental Literacy

4. Language Matters!
• Climate Change
• Climate Crisis
• Climate Emergency
• Global Warming
• Global Heating
• Global Cooling
• Carbon
• Mitigation
• Adaptation
• Sustainable
Paula Owens 2021 4
Crisis
- a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger
- a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all
future events, especially for better or for worse, is
determined; turning point.
- a time when a difficult or important decision must be
made
From the Greek word meaning to distinguish, choose,
decide'
Glossary sr15_glossary.pdf (ipcc.ch)
Key Terms You Need to Know to Understand Climate Change | Climate Reality (climaterealityproject.org)
Global warming should be called global heating, says key scientist | Climate crisis | The Guardian
Global Warming vs. Climate Change | Resources – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (nasa.gov)
What is climate change? - Met Office

5. Paula Owens 2021 5
How do we talk about nature?
Biodiversity is the diversity of life. … we are
embedded in Nature.
Dasgupta (2021) p4
… affection can flourish only if we
each develop an appreciation of
Nature’s workings
Dasgupta (2021) p.5
A 2017 Wildlife Trusts survey found
a third of adults unable to identify a
barn owl, three-quarters unable to
identify an ash tree – and two-thirds
feeling that they had ‘lost touch
with nature’.
The hunger is there, but the
knowledge is not. . Macfarlane (2018)
A single oak leaf
Fallen from Autumn glory
Glows beneath the tree

6. What do we mean by Sustainability?
A way of living that ensures people live within
planetary limits, thereby conserving the
environment for future generations.
(Scoffham and Owens, 2017 p.258)
Paula Owens 2021
6
Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term
goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while
sustainable development refers to the many
processes and pathways to achieve it
Sustainable Development (unesco.org)
The concept of sustainable development was
described as “development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
Bruntland Commission Report (1987)
society, environment, economy (and culture)
(Language? People, places and jobs?)
ALL ABOUT FUTURES

7. From Hicks (2014)
Probable, possible and preferred futures
Paula Owens 2021 7
What do we think
will happen?
What do we want to
happen?
What can we do to
make a difference?

8. Paula Owens 2021
8
Thanks to Years 5 & 6 @AllSaintsCIW All saints Primary School Gresford
Considering other points of view
Building Supplier
Headteacher
Café Owner
Local Child
Home owner dog walker

9. Critical Thinking in the curriculum

10. Geography NC: use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their
school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.
Practical problem solving
Where shall we put the bin?
Place: the playground where we play and eat our fruit.
A shady place where the heat won’t make it smell much
in summer
Not near the bench where we sit in case wasps come.
Not too far away in case people are too lazy to go there.
We can use a map and mark in good and bad places.
We can vote.
We can check if the idea is a good one.
Paula Owens 2021 10
Developing Agency

11. Paula Owens 2021
11
Enquire, empower, enact
Why are their habitats being destroyed?
How can we design and build an owl box?
Where shall we site it?
Where do Little Owls/ Tawny Owls /Barn Owls
live?
What do they eat?
How does weather and climate affect Owls
and other animals?

12. Paula Owens 2021
12
Geography in a coherent curriculum
Weather,
Rainfall
Temperature
Barometer
Energy
Distribution
and processes
Human activity,
climate change,
deforestation ..
Solar energy
and how
affected by
daily weather.
Agency: reducing
energy use
Where is it
windiest and
why?

13. • Where does the food in our lunchbox come from?
• How often should we eat meat? If at all?
• What is fair trade and is it really fair?
• How important are food miles?
Air 0.16%
Rail 9.90%
Road 30.97%
Water 58.97%
Very little of global food is transported by air; this greatly reduces
the climate benefits of eating local - Our World in Data
Paula Owens 2021 13
Challenge Misconceptions

14. Owens, Rawlinson, Willy & Witt (2020) © WildThink
Primary
Geography
Naturally
Curious
Spatially
Aware
Globally
Connected
Deeply
Concerned
Critically
Engaged
Geography is part of a basic
toolkit that young people need at
their disposal if they are to play
their part in the world.
Scoffham (2019)
What can primary geography do?
… a lifelong curiosity and
fascination about the
world and its people
(DfE 2013)

15. Paula Owens 2021
15
KS1 Opportunities in Geography
What does
the NC say?
By end of Year 2
Locational
Knowledge
North and South Poles, Equator, 4 Compass points N, S, E,
W Locational language, name & locate: 7 continents & 5
oceans. Name, locate, identify: 4 countries and capitals of
UK & surrounding seas.
Place and
scale
Local scale study UK and non-European country
Human and
Physical
processes
Identify seasonal & daily weather patterns (UK & local
scales).
Identify hot & cold areas of the world in relation to
Equator & North & South Poles
Skills Begin to ask questions. Identify places using maps, atlases,
globes, aerial images & plan perspectives, make maps,
devise basic symbols, fieldwork, geographical vocabulary.
Essential
vocabulary about
the weather.
Connecting human
& physical.
Spatial
framework to
relate to.
Get to know &
value where
you live.
Notice and discuss
unusual weather.
Map seasonal
change
Think like a
geographer
Critical thinking
to separate facts
& opinion

16. Why is energy more
focused at the Equator?
Why is the Arctic so
sensitive to global
heating?
How are people coping
with change?
What’s it got to do with
me?
What is the weather like?
How does it affect our
everyday lives?
What are the seasons?
Why do we have them?
What animals live in the
Arctic? What is it like? How
is it changing?
End of Y2 End of Y4 End of Y6 End of Y9
Geography
Science
What mitigation strategies
are there for us?
#CurriculumMaking
Where are these places?
What are they like? Why and
how are they changing?
What happens when an
environment changes faster
than an animal can adapt?

17. Envisioning a Coherent Curriculum
Curriculum
Making
IMPACT
IMPLEMENTATION
INTENT
Is there a vision for
sustainability and how
does it reflect and
support the whole school
context?
How has curriculum
content been selected
and sequenced, and how
does this reflect the
vision?
How does the curriculum
develop knowledge, skills and
values in, for and through
sustainability?
What curriculum
content is selected
and why?
How good is teachers’
subject and pedagogical
knowledge?
How well does teaching
embed secure
understanding and how
do you know?
How are high-quality
resources used to support
learning?
How do children learn to separate
fact from fiction and take other
views into account (critical thinking)?
How well does teaching provide
opportunities for participative
decision-making and action?
What do pupil outcomes
tell us about the
appropriateness of the
curriculum intent??
How well can pupils make
evidence-informed choices and
explain actions and ideas?
How well does the curriculum
link to and support actions
and decision-making on
campus?
Adapted from Kinder and Owens (2019) Primary Geography Autumn 2019
Paula Owens 2021
17

18. Our 5 R’s
Reduce
Reuse
Repair
Recycle
Respect
What is the vision that drives
your curriculum?
Paula Owens 2021
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19. Useful resources
Paula Owens 2021 19

20. Paula Owens 2021
20
What do you know about
changing lives?
What do you know about Cookstoves?
In Haiti? In DRC?
What do you know
about micro – hydro?
In Peru?
About cooler cities in
Colombia?
Five short films showing different technologies in action. See the School Films too.
Stories of hope to investigate with atlases and question grids.
Or solar pumps in
Kenya?
https://www.ashden.org/winners/pamir-energy

21. Thinking Local to Global
LOCAL
(in the Global)
GLOBAL
(in the Local)
Choosing an Energy
Monitor
Investigating school
water use, food
sourcing
Patterns of energy
consumption
Sustainable energy stories
from around the world
Investigating where food
comes from.
Home and school
energy surveys
Investigating Peak Oil
Learning about different energy
technologies
Improving biodiversity
in the school grounds
cities and their energy use
Energy saving games
Eco-action games
Calculating Carbon footprint
Investigating development
Learning about
weather and climate
And see
Eco-schools Curriculum Links Resources Global Learning England
Young Geographers Go Green
Video of Earth’s Light at Night
Climate Change cartoons
Sea level
rise
Cartoon climate change timeline
Zero Carbon Britain: Making It Happen
Teaching For A Better World
Gapminder
UK Climate Change • Let's Go Zero (letsgozero.org)

22. Short videos for use in class (all less than 5 mins)
- Climate Change in the Arctic BBC iPlayer - Go Jetters - Series 3: 27. Climate Change, The
Arctic Ocean (suggest for activity start at 1:49 – 5:26) (EYFS – KS1)
- Energy saving in a primary school Marton Primary School - Ashden (KS1)
- Seed gathering in the Amazon Rede de Sementes do Xingu - Ashden (KS2)
- Sustainable cities and cooling actions Alcaldía de Medellín - Ashden (KS2)
Paula Owens 2021 22

23. Where despite disparities
We all care to protect this world,
This riddled blue marble, this little true marvel
To muster the verve and the nerve
To see how we can serve
Our planet. You don’t need to be a politician
To make it your mission to conserve, to protect,
To preserve that one and only home
That is ours,
To use your unique power
To give next generations the planet they deserve.
…..
So, earth, pale blue dot
We will fail you not.
From
Earthrise
Amanda Gorman
24 Hours of Reality: "Earthrise" by Amanda Gorman - YouTube
23 Paula Owens 2021

24. IPPC Report 2021:useful links
• Interactive atlas IPCC WGI Interactive Atlas
• Technical summary IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf
• Glossary sr15_glossary.pdf (ipcc.ch)

25. Sources and Reading
Paula Owens 2021
25
Alexander, R. (2010) Children, Their World, Their Education. Abingdon: Routledge
Allen, M.R., O.P. Dube, W. Solecki, F. Aragón-Durand, W. Cramer, S. Humphreys, M. Kainuma, J. Kala, N. Mahowald, Y. Mulugetta, R. Perez, M. Wairiu, and K. Zickfeld, 2018:
Framing and Context. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse
gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-
Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D.
Catling, S. (2019) Key Concepts in Willy, T. (2019) Leading Primary Geography Sheffield: Geographical Association
DfE (2013) National curriculum in England: geography programmes of study https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national -curriculum-in-
england-geography-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-geography-programmes-of-study accessed January 2020
Dolan, D. & Usher, J. Where in the world is Covid 19? Primary Geography Spring 2021
Chorekdijan, L. (2017) ‘Critical thinking to promote sustainability’ Primary Geography, 93, pp. 24-25
Hopkin, J. and Owens, P. (2016) ‘Critical thinking in geography’ Primary Geography, 91, 3 p. 23 https://www.geography.org.uk/Journal-Issue/e0bf0aca-54c6-4081-9603-
9a5ded38a2ac
Hicks, D. (2006) Lessons for the Future: The Missing Dimension in Education
Hicks, D. (2014) ‘A geography of hope?’, Geography, 99, 1, pp. 5–12.
Hicks, D. 2014. Educating for Hope in Troubled Times: Climate Change and the Transition to a Post-Carbon Future. London: Institute of Education Press.
Hicks, D. (2019) Climate Change: bringing the pieces together Teaching Geography (1) 20-23
Hicks, D. (2018) ‘Why we still need a geography of hope’, Geography, 103, 2, pp. 78–85.
McCarthy, M. (2017) ‘Challenging geography through silent debate’, Primary Geography, 94, 2, pp.7-9 https://www.geography.org.uk/Journals/Primary-Geography
Macfarlane, R. (2018) The Primary Geography Interview Primary Geography Summer 2018
Owens, P. Willy, T. Witt, S. (2021) Editorial Primary Geography, Focus on Empowering Geography, Spring 2021, pp.4-5
Smart Energy GB (2019) Survey reveals children's climate change concerns 5th June 2019 https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/resources/press-centre/press-releases-
folder/world-environment-day
Stables, A. (1998) The Case of the SCAA Guidelines and Environmental Literacy Environment Education Research
UNEP (2019) POST-2020 GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK: DISCUSSION PAPER https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/d0f3/aca0/d42fa469029f5a4d69f4da8e/post2020-prep-01-01-
en.pdf
Scoffham, S. (2019) Foreword in Willy, T. (2019) Leading Primary Geography Sheffield: Geographical Association
Scoffham, S. (2021) Finding Hope at a time of Crisis. Primary Geography Spring 2021, pp.8-9
Trott, C.D. (2019) Children’s constructive climate change engagement: Empowering awareness, agency, and action, Environmental Education Research.