Reef Beat education series: yesterday, today and tomorrow - learning about the past, looking to the future

Abstract

The 2008 Reef Beat education series - yesterday, today and tomorrow is an innovative and curriculum-linked teaching resource that includes activities and challenges to stimulate enquiring minds to discover all they can about the Reef. The implementation of the teaching and learning opportunities offered by these activities will enhance and extend student learning. The activities within this resource can support teachers to: plan learning activities that focus student learning and thinking on the biological diversity that inhabits the Reef, the connected ecosystems that support it and the activities and behaviours we can all adopt to ensure its sustainable future; provide students with opportunities to gain an appreciation for the Shifting Baselines concept and how it applies to their environment including the Great Barrier Reef; contribute to the responsible development of active and informed citizens with a better knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem and its inhabitants; engage students and empower them to educate their peers and other members of the broader school community. The activities within this unit are targeted at Upper Primary and Middle School students. The activities cover a range of Key Learning Areas with an aim to engage students via multiple intelligences, targeting essential learnings, whilst working towards achievement standards. The 2008 posters and activity book are designed to be used together as a classroom resource.