In this next lesson we look at world heritage wild life sites. There are many around and some of them are natural sites, or rather they are not man made. Unfortunately many have been affected by human activity.
In this lesson we look at The Great Barrier Reef.
Form groups of three or four pupils.
Discuss in your group what you know about the Great Barrier Reef.
This lesson contains 5 steps and an evaluation.
Work them through step by step.
Step
Activity
Introduction
Find out what you already know.
Step 1
Speaking
Make a list of world heritage sites. Visit an interactive map. Answer the question.
Step 2
Reading
You read an article about the Great Barrier Reef. Make a list of points you already know. Do the exercise.
Step 3
Speaking
Discuss in small groups questions about The Great Barrier Reef.
Step 4
Grammar
About the future perfect. Read the theory and complete sentences in future perfect.
Step 5
Task
Write a letter in 200-250 words to the local supermarket about the use of plastic bags.
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered the worst coral die-off on record Updated by Brad Plumer@bradplumerbrad@vox.comNov 30, 2016, 9:50am EST
Coral bleaching at Lizard Island in February 2016. (XL Caitlin Survey)
Earlier this year, the Great Barrier Reef was devastated by the largest mass bleaching event ever seen — as record-warm ocean temperatures turned large swaths of this vibrant 1,400-mile habitat into a ghastly white boneyard. Now scientists have finally tallied up the damage. Data released Monday by Australian researchers shows that an unprecedented fraction of the shallow-water coral in the pristine northern part of the reef has died, with average mortality rates of 67 percent.
The brighter news is that the southern sections fared much better, with just 6 percent of coral dead in the central section and 1 percent dead in the south. “The[se] corals have now regained their vibrant color, and these reefs are in good condition,” said Professor Andrew Baird of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in a release. Here’s a map showing the damage:
The scientists note that it could take 10 to 15 years for the worst-hit sections of the reef recover — but the real fear is that, thanks to global warming, another mass bleaching event will come along very soon and make the situation even worse.
Coral reefs are often dubbed the rain forests of the ocean. Anchored by millions of coral polyps — tiny, soft-bodied animals that create elaborate calcium carbonate skeletons that shelter fish — these reefs cover just 0.1 percent of the sea floor but are home to 25 percent of marine fish species.
But coral reefs are also extremely vulnerable to soaring temperatures. In normal times, the living coral polyps form a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a colorful type of algae that synthesizes sunlight and carbon dioxide to create nutrients for the reef.
It is this that gives the coral its purple and gold colors.
This symbiosis only thrives within a fairly narrow temperature band. If the water in the reef gets too warm, the zooxanthellae's metabolism goes into overdrive and starts producing toxins. The polyps recoil and expel the algae from their tissue, leaving the coral with a ghastly "bleached" appearance. At that point, the coral loses a key source of food and becomes more susceptible to deadly diseases.
Bleaching doesn't kill the coral right away; if ocean temperatures drop again, the zooxanthellae will come back. But if temperatures stay high for a long period and the bleaching gets really severe, as was the case in the Great Barrier Reef, then a lot of coral polyps will start to die of malnutrition or disease. Once the coral dies off, it can adversely affect the fish that rely on the reefs. The entire ecosystem suffers.
Now, the good news is that coral reefs can recover from these mass die-offs. Now that El Niño is gone, ocean temperatures have fallen around Australia. New polyps are returning and starting to build new skeletal structures to replace the dead coral.
The hitch is that recovery takes time. Lots of time. In places like the Seychelles, where reefs are mostly sheltered from pollution, tourism, and heavy fishing, it has taken at least 15 years for damaged reefs to come back. In areas stressed by human activity, the process can take much longer. What's more, recovery is often uneven. The fast-growing "branching" corals bounce back first. But there are also older, massive corals that are centuries old and provide valuable shelter for bigger fish. When those die off, they don't return overnight.
Now, there are some things that Australia (and other countries) can do to help make reefs more resilient to bleaching. Humans can limit fertilizer and sewage runoff that further damage the coral. We can avoid overfishing key herbivores like the rabbitfish that nurture the reefs by clearing away excessive algae. We can also avoid wreaking havoc on reefs by rerouting boats around them and restricting construction in the coastal areas near them. Australia is on the wrong track here: In 2015, the government approved plans to expand coal exports via ship in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef.
But ultimately, reducing our carbon-dioxide emissions is the crucial step. Mark Eakin, who runs who runs NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program, told me back in March that we'd likely need to keep total global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius for coral reefs to continue thriving. Right now we're on course to blow past 2 degrees Celsius, which could doom recovery efforts. "At 2 degrees Celsius," Eakin said bluntly, "we are likely to lose numerous species of coral, and by the time that happens, well over half of the world's coral reefs will have vanished forever."
De onderstaande antwoorden moet je zelf nakijken; vergelijk jouw antwoorden met de goede
antwoorden, en geef aan in welke mate jouw antwoorden correct zijn.
By the time my grandchildren are born, most of the rainforests will have disappeared from the earth.
Do you think that the following are likely to happen?
Write sentences saying when you think they will have happened.
Write sentences with the following words:
Electric cars
People sunbathing
Green issues – more important than any other
People destroy earth
Alternative energy more valuable than oil
End nuclear energy
Step 5 - Task
Task: Write a letter
Make a list of ways that plastic bags can damage the environment.
What alternatives are there? Think of personal, local and government levels.
This is the situation:
On January 1st, 2016, the Netherlands banned the distribution of free plastic bags. But for hygienic reasons and to reduce food waste, the ultra thin plastic bags will continue to be provided to markets and vegetable sections in supermarkets.
You feel strongly about plastic bags and you know that your local supermarket hands them out willingly.
Letter
You are going to write them a letter explaining why they should ban plastic bags.
You are going to ask three questions about the plastic bag policy.
You are going to give three pieces of advice indicating how the supermarket can keep the shoppers happy and the environment clean.
Write your letter in 200-250 words.
Use the future perfect in this letter!
Het arrangement Great barrier reef h45 is gemaakt met
Wikiwijs van
Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt,
maakt en deelt.
Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding-GelijkDelen 4.0 Internationale licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding en publicatie onder dezelfde licentie vrij bent om:
het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
het werk te bewerken - te remixen, te veranderen en afgeleide werken te maken
voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
Van dit lesmateriaal is de volgende aanvullende informatie beschikbaar:
Toelichting
Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor havo, leerjaar 4 en 5. Dit is thema 'Environment'. Het onderwerp van deze les is: Great barrier reef. Deze les gaat over world heritage sites. Plekken in de wereld die niet door de mens gemaakt zijn. Echter, deze zijn wel aangepast door de mens. Een voorbeeld hiervan is het Groot Barrièrerif. Er wordt aandacht besteedt aan hoe het wordt aangetast en wat we kunnen doen om het terug te draaien. De grammaticaopdracht gaat over future perfect.
Leerniveau
HAVO 4;
HAVO 5;
Leerinhoud en doelen
Engels;
Eindgebruiker
leerling/student
Moeilijkheidsgraad
gemiddeld
Studiebelasting
4 uur en 0 minuten
Trefwoorden
arrangeerbaar, engels, future perfect, great barrier reef, groot barrièrerif, h45, stercollectie, world heritage sites
Great barrier reef h45
nl
VO-content
2021-06-16 12:41:51
Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor havo, leerjaar 4 en 5. Dit is thema 'Environment'. Het onderwerp van deze les is: Great barrier reef. Deze les gaat over world heritage sites. Plekken in de wereld die niet door de mens gemaakt zijn. Echter, deze zijn wel aangepast door de mens. Een voorbeeld hiervan is het Groot Barrièrerif. Er wordt aandacht besteedt aan hoe het wordt aangetast en wat we kunnen doen om het terug te draaien. De grammaticaopdracht gaat over future perfect.
Introduction - The Great Barrier Reef
Speaking
Speaking
Grammar
Task: Write a letter
