Mission Earth

Enrol the students in a relevant real-world blanket role connected to their local environment and establish the key skills, knowledge and values needed to take on this role. Begin getting to know your local place through research, attentiveness, linking in with existing projects orissues and speaking with local experts. Record and reflect on the students’ discoveries & progress throughout Chapter One.

Introduce the PEEC storybook Something Wrong in Hypertron in connection with the students’ role. This story is set on the fictional planet Zaneth, where in an attempt to ensure children are always busy and having fun, the Ministers are about to chop down the last forest to build yet another fun park. Read and think deeply about the characters in the story, their actions and their values through literacy, philosophy and drama. When the students receive a message from Arlek, a concerned mother from the story, they plan to meet her at PEEC and help her in her mission to find out about forests.

At PEEC, the students witness Arlek’s crash landing, enter her spaceship to share their knowledge of why forests are important and then agree to go on a research mission to discover how forests can be fun. On their return, they embark on an imaginary space journey to speak with the Ministers of Hypertron and help Arlek save Zaneth’s last forest.

Back at school, the children recap the excursion day and then reflect on and continue the story. By also reflecting on their experiences so far, the students consider and articulate what they have learnt about themselves and their connection to place, and identify the skills that they have developed. What now?

The children work together to develop and implement an achievable, student-led project that will link them with the community and make life better in their place.