Create your own stories
What is missing in the fossil museum? It is now time for the pupils to make their contributions to your very own exhibition.
The pupil's assignment
Instruct the pupils to think of something that was unsustainable in the 2020s when they were young, or an important event that led to change during the transition years before 2053.
Share the link below with the pupils. The linked page contains instructions and tools for the assignment:
Let them illustrate their stories with images, drawings, sculptures or digital or physical models. Remind them that they are in the future and are looking back in time.
Agree on when and in what way they should present their work. Suggestions of different ways of presenting are found below.
Some suggestions for pupils struggling to come up with ideas: the lawnmower, the leaf blower (or other petrol-fuelled tools), Smartphone, motorsports, the slaughterhouse, the disposable grill, the oil ship, plastic toys, clothing from fossil materials, a beach that has disappeared.
Suggestions for presentations
- Create a timeline, digital or analogue, containing the pupils’ stories.
- Create a physical exhibition containing the pupils’ stories. Display it in a suitable location at the school, municipal office, library or elsewhere.
- Create a digital exhibition, video or slideshow and share in suitable digital forums.
- Create a play or music from the stories.
- Make a “traditional” presentation in the classroom. It is recommended that there is an audience, perhaps pupils from another class, the school management, parents, the local newspaper or even researchers.
Tip: Host a launch event to inaugurate your exhibition.
Concluding reflections
Conclude your work with Beyond the Fossil Era by letting the pupils write down their thoughts and reflections. Suggestions of questions to ask:
- What do you take away from the work you've done with Beyond the Fossil Era?
- What do you think is important for the climate transition?
- How can we change society now in order to influence the future?
