How can we approach high school students perspectives on human-induced environmental changes? How can we appropriately illustrate the concept of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch marking human influence on the Earth system? And how can science pay more attention to what young people have to say about these current changes?
Changing Natures focuses on individual perceptions of environmental change. We invite high school students to contribute to a new digital collection on the Anthropocene. Students may tell their story about how they perceive environmental change through an object of their choice. This creates an interactive way to address complex environmental issues and showcases their unique perspectives.
Interactive teaching and learning materials
Changing Natures and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin provide digital teaching and learning materials for free use: In two interactive units of 45 minutes each, the students get to know the digital collection of Changing Natures and contribute collection objects on their own. Becoming part of the collection and contributing their own perspectives and personal experiences, they may reflect on the relationship between humans and nature in the context of environmental changes. In doing so students can experience how a theoretical concept affects and relates to their everyday experiences.
The interactive materials are provided by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and were developed and tested before in different workshops.
The package includes an elaborated and tested lesson plan, guidelines and instructions, worksheets, presentation and visual aids as well as information about the project and the concept of the Anthropocene.
For more information on the materials and to download them, click here: Teaching and learning materials.
How to contribute?
1st: Choose your object!
First, please choose your own object for the collection. Your object only has to match three criteria, it should…
…have a personal connection to you.
…tell something about how humans are changing the environment.
…be from the past.
You decide which contribution belongs to the changing natures collection: be it an everyday object, an old document or a personal memory, such as an old cookbook, a plant or a photo.
2nd: Show us your object!
Take a photo of your object.
Tip: The object should be clearly visible in the photo, please don’t show any people.
3rd: Make your object and its story part of the collection.
Create an account at https://www.changing-natures.org/en/registration
- You will receive an email from us after creating your account. Please confirm your account by clicking on the link in the email!
- Now you can create your contribution by clicking on Contribute.
- The website will guide you through the process step by step. If something is unclear to you, you can also consult the step-by-step instructions. There you will find further explanations.
- Once you have filled in all the information, you can save your contribution. From now on, it can be viewed under "Dashboard".