Sustainability
Resource Plan
SDG 14: Life Below Water, SDG 15: Life on Land
8 - 9 years
Language(s), Qatar History, Science, Visual Arts
Overarching Goal(s)
- To nurture learners as global citizens who are connected to their own national identity.
- To support learners who think globally and act locally, and who think locally and act globally.
Learning Outcomes
- Learners analyze and interpret the diversity of opinions and ideas relating to glocalization within both local and global contextual and conceptual frameworks.
- Learners consider, contrast, and compare their local heritage and identity within the context of global issues with local impact, and local issues with global impact.
- Learners reflect upon global complexities and how this creates an impact on their lives within real-life situations.
- Learners reflect on action outcomes to demonstrate their understanding of glocalization and SDGS.
Possible Duration (Hours)
5 hours
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Connection
SDG 14: Life Below Water: The lesson will have aspects of some of the animals and plants that live in the water.
SDG 15: Life on Land: The lesson tool promotes protecting and promoting sustainability combating desertification by encouraging critical thinking; applying cultural awareness, and global citizenship skills.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations
English: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Arabic: https://sdgs.un.org/ar/goals
United Nations (2024). The 17 Sustainable Development Goals. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
Action Learning Outcomes
- Learners discuss, evaluate, and plan student-initiated activities.
- Learners become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth.
- Learners undertake challenges that develop new skills.
- Learners consider the ethical implications of their actions.
Content
The content of the lesson tool revolves around exploring the animals that live or are extinct in the Qatari desert, including aspects of culture and identity. This also includes locating and analyzing specific desert life facts, including plants and animal characteristics.
Resource Utilization and Identification: Locating the information at the National Museum of Qatar that is a permanent display.
Subject Matter: Exploring the flora and fauna; the historical and cultural significance of Qatari wildlife and adaptations for desert life in Qatar for their survival. They will go on a treasure hunt to locate the information. The information collected will assist students to create ideas to include in learning engagement 2, creating a desert biome diorama of Qatar.
Glocalization Connections: Connect the significance of the desert biome to the biome of Tundra, to broader global contexts, highlighting the environmental and climate Qatar, the region and beyond.
Differentiation: Choice of flora and fauna to be included in the desert biome diorama with labels.
Critical Thinking: Encourage students to critically analyze and interpret the cultural significance of their chosen animals and plants, considering its potential local and global influence.
Real-world Application: Discuss how understanding the desert animals and plants can promote local, national and intercultural understanding.
Strategies
The strategies employed in this lesson tool are designed to foster analyzing, critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration, and innovative engagement. They include visible thinking routines, responsive pedagogy, and problem-solving approaches to adapt to students’ needs and encourage active participation. Students apply meaningful learning experiences that connect to local culture. Consideration of different biomes in different environments and countries is discussed and observed.
Responsive and Adaptive Pedagogy: Adjust the pace and level of guidance based on student responses and engagement, considering the diversity of the chosen animals.
Visible Thinking Routines: Implement the “KWL chart” routine to stimulate critical thinking and discussion. Encourage students to utilize what they already know, and what they want to find out more about; to extend their knowledge to learn new information.
Inquiry: Encourage students to inquire about the animal characteristics and cultural significance of their fostering a sense of curiosity and exploration through the treasure hunt activity.
Collaboration: Facilitate a class discussion forum where students can share and compare their findings, promoting collaboration and the exchange of diverse perspectives.
Assessment for and as Learning: Use formative assessments like peer reviews of their desert diorama and encourage discussions to enhance critical thinking and analysis on why certain animals were not included (extinct) and what are some problems arising from this.
Problem-Solving: Ask students to identify and propose solutions to challenges related to the animal extinction in desert life and what actions could be recommended.
Learning Experiences
Learning Engagement 1: KWL chart and Desert Treasure Hunt Exploration
Learning Objective:
- To explore the animals and characteristics that live in the desert environment.
- Students will investigate the survival of animals and plants and extinct animals.
Resources:
The teacher to prepare KWL Chart.
The National Museum of Qatar visits desert animals and plants exhibits.
NMOQ’s Qatar’s Wildlife Interactive section “Become a Biologist’. Discover Qatar’s natural world at the National Museum of Qatar.
Activity Description: Pre-booked visit to NMOQ arranged by the teacher where students will explore different animals and their characteristics that live and adapt in the desert environment.
Introduction and Context Setting: Before the visit, explain to students that they will be exploring the animals and their characteristics that live in the desert at the National Museum of Qatar, including plants.
The teacher will prepare a large KWL column chart on the class wall and the students will write using pen markers their understanding and knowledge and include their name next to their responses.
KWL Chart displayed on a large flip chart paper with prompts.
Know – what animals and plants do you already know that exist in Qatar’s desert?
Wonder– what animals and plants do you think will not exist in the desert environment?
The Learned column will be completed upon return from the visit from the NMOQ.
Learned – what animals and plants did you learn about and what were some new animals/plants and facts they learned about.
Visit at the NMOQ:
Students will work in small groups to complete the treasure hunt activity to explore the animals (resource 1a) and find additional information including plants (resource 1b) during their visit at the museum.
Resource 1a and 1b: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Treasure-Hunt-Resource-1.pdf
Students will be provided with the opportunity to visit Qatar’s wildlife interactive section in small groups – The interactive section is “Become a Biologist”, Discover Qatar’s natural world at National Museum of Qatar.
Students will be encouraged to think about responses for the following questions:
How do these animals survive in the desert?
List the animals that survive on the arid desert, and explain what characteristics/adaptations help them to survive on the desert?
Do you think there is sufficient rainfall in Qatar? Explain your answer.
How does rainfall affect the animals and plants in a country?
Would you find a camel in the United Kingdom? Explain your answer thinking about the environmental conditions and adaptations required (global connections).
Would you find an oryx in Iceland? Explain your answer thinking about the survival adaptations and environmental conditions. List some animals that might be found in the Tundra biome.
Tool for Reflection: Reflection Journal
Students can use journals as a reflection tool. This can be sketched with annotations, or notes written in their notebook, a digital document (Google document or word document) to allow them to reflect on their observations, and wonderings. For example, how are these animals able to survive in the heat? How do animals and plants survive in different environment conditions, for example in a colder environment, Tundra biome? The reflection tool helps students make global connections with their local environment.
Learning Engagement 2: Creating a Qatari Desert Diorama
Learning Objective:
- Students will choose different animals and plants using the information from the NMOQ visit that live in the desert to include in their desert diorama.
- Students will reflect on the importance of protecting our animals and plants in Qatar and recommend suggestions.
Part 1: Visible Thinking Routine – “Think-Pair-Share”
Instructions for Teachers:
The teacher will explain to students that they will use the “Think-Pair-Share” routine to explore their chosen animals and plants for their diorama.
Encourage students to think individually, share their thoughts with a partner, and then participate in a class discussion.
Emphasize that it’s a collaborative and reflective process.
Instructions for Students:
Think: Ask students to think individually about their chosen animals and plants. What do they find interesting or what is significant about it? What questions do they still have?
Pair: Have students pair up with another student. Encourage them to share their thoughts about their chosen animals and plants with their partner. They can take turns listening and talking.
Share: As a class open discussion, ask students to share what they and their partner talked about. Encourage them to express their thoughts, questions, and ideas.
Student-Friendly Questions:
- Do we see these animals and plants in the Qatar desert?
- How can we protect our animals and plants in Qatar?
- What are some things you learned from your partner’s thoughts about the animals and plants they want to include in their desert diorama? Will they belong there?
- What are some interesting facts you learned at the NMOQ? (The students might refer to the Learned section from the completed KWL chart.
Reflection from KWL chart responses: Students will reflect and complete the ‘Used to Think’ and ‘Now Know’ sections on their KWL chart. Students can document their observations in their reflection journal.
Used to think: What animals and plants did I think would be found in the desert?
Think now: Are these the same animals and plants I thought, or what has changed in what I used to think?
Part 2: Planning the Qatari Desert Diorama
Students will plan, sketch and evaluate what they need to include in their Qatari Desert Diorama in their journals or large paper. They will need to think about the materials and objects; be creative. In addition, they will need to think about how they will label and explain what they have included in their diorama and the cultural significance to protect the flora and fauna in Qatar. They will also need to think about an action they will take to protect the flora and fauna in Qatar providing at least one example.
They will collate the resources and be provided time to create their diorama in part 3.
Part 3: Creating the Qatari Desert Diorama
Students will create their dioramas using their resources and information. They will hold a showcase exhibition for other classes to visit and highlight the action that needs to be taken to protect Qatar’s flora and fauna.
Checking for Understanding
Learning Engagement 1: Treasure Hunt Exploration and Visible Thinking Routine
- Treasure Hunt: Have students present their treasure hunt responses to the class, demonstrating their understanding of the importance of their survival in the desert, and KWL chart responses.
- Reflection Journal Review: Evaluate students’ reflection journals to assess their comprehension of the importance of flora and fauna; adaptations, survival and their ability to connect them locally and globally.
Learning Engagement 2: Creating diorama of a Qatari desert biome
- Diorama Demonstration Evaluation: After the diorama demonstration, assess students’ insights into the importance of preserving nature and the animals in Qatar.
- Pair Share: Encourage students to engage in a “Pair Share” activity where they discuss the connections of how these animals or environments have a Qatari cultural significance.
What significance do camels have to Qatari culture?
Explain the significance of the desert rose to Qatari culture?
What is the cultural significance of the Oryx to Qatari culture?
What happened when Hajar (may Allah be pleased with her) was left in the desert with little food or water?
Note: Hajar, (May Allah be pleased with her, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, Peace be Upon Him) was left in a challenging situation to survive in Makkah’s desert with her newborn son, Ismail (Peace be Upon Him) with little food and water. In search of water in the intense heat, she traveled between Safa and Marwah hills seven times. Relief came to them from God, The Almighty by sending to them the angel Gabriel (Jibreel), Peace be Upon Him, and he struck the ground with his foot. Then a great spring of water gushed out from it, which was called Zamzam. Hajar made the water like a basin, so she and Ismail (Peace be Upon Them) drank until they were full, Praise be to God, The Almighty.
This is an example of perseverance and placing trust in Allah, The Merciful; The Compassionate, and how she was able to survive in the desert environment that provided sustainability.
- Inquiry-Based Questionnaire: Have students generate inquiry-based questions related to their findings, evaluating the quality and depth of their inquiries.
General Checking for Understanding:
- Peer Assessments: Facilitate peer assessments, allowing students to evaluate each other’s presentations, reflections, or projects based on the subject criteria.
- Creative Projects: Emphasis on creative projects that prompt students to apply what they’ve learned about the animals and plants that survive in the desert and cultural significance to real-life situations, emphasizing local connections to global issues.
Differentiation
Choice of flora and fauna, labeling and explanations.
Key Vocabulary
adaptations, arid, biome, critical thinking, connections, desert, diorama, extinction, fauna, flora, rainfall, survival
Resources
Resource 1a: Treasure Hunt Activity, and Resource 1b: Additional Information Activity.
https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Treasure-Hunt-Resource-1.pdf
Visit to The National Museum of Qatar, Museum Park Street, Doha
