Year 4 planned, designed and created an Amazon Rainforest ‘immersive experience’ based on the Enquiry Question: ‘It not us, who? If not now, when?’. Using the classroom space, Year 4 set to work on creating two main areas: human and physical geography. These areas included features such as waterfalls, trees, rivers, vines, plants (real and artificial) and common rainforest animals, as well as features such as Christ the Redeemer and buildings, roads and bridges made from recycled cardboard boxes, Lego and paint to represent the city of São Paulo in Brazil.
Year 4 used their writing skills in English to create non-chronological reports based on their chosen rainforest animal, plant or tribe. They then finalised these using their Word processing skills in Computing.
The children also recorded themselves sharing facts and information to make the experience as interactive as possible. They also wrote and rehearsed their own scripts to welcome visitors to the experience as special ‘tour guides’.
Year 4’s chosen ‘critical friend’ was Nicola, our CAFOD rep, who provided us with information about how to raise money to help protect the Amazon. Year 4 then worked with parents, families and the community of St Cuthbert’s to run a cake sale after school to raise money for CAFOD. They have gifted this to the charity to contribute towards buying tools and hiring workers to protect the Amazon from fires and deforestation.