Prepare

The teacher’s role

It is important that students are well prepared for the tasks ahead.

Students will then be confident to take control of their own learning and allow you to become a facilitator, observer and guide.

There will be times when you will work with the class as a whole. For example, you will need to introduce the concept of the eco-game.

At that time you might wish to involve the whole class in a brainstorming session to identify possible sources of information that will assist everyone in their search for information.

At other times you will work with smaller groups to assist them to identify sources, organise their time and allocate jobs to people within the group.

Later you may need to assist students to organise their information and find ways to present it to the whole class.

Before the game begins

Here are some of the things you can do to help prepare your students for the investigation.

• Find out what knowledge students already have about science concepts related to water by creating a concept map.
• Use the information to form groups to investigate the subjects related to water and the crime. Group work is an integral part of the game.

Understanding the basics

• The topics for investigation all relate to water and the environment.
• Find out what knowledge students already have about science
• Students should have an understanding of the water cycle before attempting more complex research.
• Students also need to understand what a catchment is. They could build a catchment model (using such things as modelling clay and water to simulate rain) to show how water travels in the environment.

Outlining the available resources

• Assist students in their research by making lists of local people, places and resources that might be useful. Check the Resources section of this website for useful links.