Hands-on Activities

Environment Conservation - The Salisbury Plains

In this resource from Defence Dynamics, students are set a mystery to solve in small groups which considers the impacts of human activity on the environment.

Salisbury Plain is a military training area, yet it contains a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and is home to a wide range of species that have disappeared from other areas of the country. Grassland is suitable for military training and this has limited the exposure of the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) to intensive agricultural practices. As a result, it now contains the largest area of chalk grassland in Western Europe and supports a wide range of flora and fauna, which were once widespread but are now scarce in the UK.

The Scrub Clearance resource includes an article detailing a scrub clearance project. The video shows how the military uses the land.

Links

• Student Worksheet
• Salisbury Plain Clearance (article)

Topics covered

Critical thinking, environment, conservation

Relevance

This activity stimulates students to understand how environment and habitat conservation works, and what processes concur into the balance of the ecosystem. In addition, it also gives an overview of the impact of human activity on the habitats and what can we do in order to preserve them and their inhabitants.

The Great Water Wheel - “Acqua e Territorio”

This activity combines theoretical knowledge on water sourcing, local hydrography and water pollution causes. In combination with the theory, practical activities are in place to test the knowledge acquired.

• Activity - Hydrography Study (Secondary)

By working on a regional map, explore with students the major water bodies and waterways of your region: urban areas commonly have rivers passing through them. Teachers can use photos, geographical maps, charts and visual material to study the local territory with students.

• Experiment - How do we clean up water? (Primary/Secondary)

The objective is to follow an established protocol for water purification and observe the results. The experiment can vary according to the age of students. The students will conduct the experiment and observe and comment with the teachers what happens. Then, they will sum up the results with drawings (primary) and/or graphs (secondary).

1. Water Filtration Experiment 

Topics covered

Water sourcing, Pollution, Environment Conservation

Relevance

This activity introduces water sourcing, treatment and pollution to students in a comprehensible way, starting from where water is sourced, how it can be tainted by human activity and how it should be treated before putting it back in the water cycle.

It also encourages students to get to know their local territory and understand basic concepts of geography and hydrography.