ECO2 Smart Schools, Climate Change Conference:

Guide for Teachers

We are really excited to have you and your class onboard for the ECO2 Smart Schools Climate
Conference alongside other schools from around the world.
In November this year, COP26, the annual Conference of the Parties, will take place in
Glasgow, United Kingdom, bringing together representatives from countries all around the
world to discuss and decide climate change action. Inspired by COP26, we have created the
ECO2 Smart Schools Climate Conference, to give a voice to young people from around the
world and to encourage them to share their climate change experiences and take action.

Learning Outcomes
Through participating in the ECO2 Smart Schools Climate Change Conference, pupils will:
 Share their experiences of climate change.
 Understand what climate change is and the impact it is having around the world.
 Develop an understanding of the ways in which we can tackle climate change globally.
 Be empowered to take action against climate change in their school and local area.
 Learn about key international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement.
 Learn about the annual UN Climate Change Conference ‘COP’ and the aims of COP26.

ECO2 Smart Schools, Climate Change Conference - Education Pack

This education pack contains nine lessons, each with their own folder. Each lesson folder
contains a lesson plan, a PowerPoint and supporting resources. The lesson plan outlines the
content of the session, useful information and a guide to the relevant activities and
associated (downloadable) resources that you can complete with your class. The lesson plan
is supported by a PowerPoint, which has been designed to lead you through the content and
which also contains links to expert films produced by Durham University Professors
(available through OASES North East - YouTube) . The content and resources have been
written for a wide audience (ages 7 - 14), so please use your judgement on which activities,
PowerPoint slides, films and resources will be suitable for your class.
Of the nine lessons, there are four core lessons (lesson 1, 2, 8 + 9), which you must deliver in
order to take an active role in the programme, and five optional lessons (lesson 3, 4, 5, 6 + 7),
based on the five key themes of COP26. You can choose to take part in these optional
lessons if you would like to expand your pupil’s knowledge of the subject matter and enable
them to take a more active role in the virtual conference:
Lesson 1 (Core): What is Climate Change?
Lesson 2 (Core): What is COP26?
Lesson 3 (Optional): Adaptation and Resilience
Lesson 4 (Optional): Nature
Lesson 5 (Optional): Energy Transitions
Lesson 6 (Optional): Clean Transport
Lesson 7 (Optional): Finance
Lesson 8 (Core): Sharing our Learning
Lesson 9 (Core): Pledging Action
At the end of each lesson there are key questions for your class to answer. Please make a
note of your pupil’s responses, as these will be useful in lesson 8 when your pupils will be
encouraged to share their knowledge, thoughts and feelings with your partner schools.
Throughout the lessons you should encourage the young people to take photographs and
record film footage, as these will be useful for lesson 8.

ECO2 Smart Schools, Climate Change Conference - Virtual Events

All core lessons must be delivered ahead of the live, virtual events in October. We would be
delighted if your school could attend one of the following virtual events:
 6th October 2021: 10am - 12pm BST
 14th October 2021: 1pm - 3pm BST

Partner Schools
Your school has been partnered in a cluster with several other schools in different countries.
If you haven’t already you will shortly receive the names of your partner schools and contact
details for each school’s lead teacher.
What do I Need to Share with My Partner Schools?
Everything detailed below must be shared with your partner school before the virtual events
in order for you / your partner schools to fully participate in the ECO2 Smart Schools Climate
Change Conferences.
In lesson 8 (Sharing Our Learning) the young people will:
 Create a display / presentation which will detail their knowledge and experience of
climate change.
 Produce a creative piece of art that captures their thoughts and feelings about climate
change.
 Be encouraged to enter images into the ECO2 Smart Schools, Climate Conference
photography competition.
 Think about their / your school’s climate change actions and intentions and place these
into an article.
All of these things will be shared with your partner schools and vice versa.
In lesson 9 (Pledging Action) the young people will explore their partner schools’ responses
to lesson 8 and take inspiration from these to think about the actions that they will take as
individuals / as a school to combat climate change. The young people will be encouraged to
place these actions upon the ECO2 Smart Schools website as shared pledges.
As we would hate for the young people to finish the ECO2 Smart Schools, Climate Change
programme and still have unresolved questions, lesson 9 also provides the pupils with the
opportunity to post questions to the experts depicted in the films, to be answered during the
virtual events.
All of the work completed in lesson 8 and lesson 9 should also be emailed to
info@oasesnortheast.org.uk so that we can post the young people’s work on the ECO2
Smart Schools website and share their thoughts, ideas and pledges during the ECO2 Smart
Schools Climate Change Conferences. It would also be useful to have a whole class photo for
the virtual event (with associated permissions).

If you have any questions throughout the project please do not hesitate to contact
OASES.