How Environment the Musical can complement the work of Green-Schools
Green-Schools is an environmental management and learning programme for schools in Ireland. It aims to promote long-term, student-led environmental action which involves the wider community. It’s co-ordinated by An Taisce’s Environmental Education Unit.
Read on to find out how schools involved in the programme can use The Environment the Musical (ETM) pack.
Green-Schools 7 steps
Environment the Musical complements the work of Green-Schools during Steps 5 and 6.
Step 5 is Curriculum Work during which the programme that the school has agreed on is integrated into the curriculum. ETM offers a fun and engaging approach to educating children on some of the key Green-Schools themes. Music and drama are an innovative way to spread important environmental messages and make the experience memorable.
Step 6 is Informing and Involving. This is when the school gets the local community involved. One aspect of this is the Day of Action. A performance of the musical or some of the songs would be an ideal part of spreading the message to all attendees. Most of the songs from Environment the Musical would be suitable for this.
Green-Schools 8 themes
The Green-Schools programme has 8 themes and ETM complements 3 of them. These are Litter & Waste; Global Citizenship – Litter & Waste and Global Citizenship – Marine Environment. The musical and the songs place great focus on the damage of littering and not disposing of waste properly. It also covers volunteering, recycling and dog fouling. Teachers can use scenes from the musical or the songs in isolation to bring the environmental messages to life.
Future use
One of the great things about the pack is that you can use it throughout the school year to reinforce the Green-Schools work. You could incorporate aspects into graduation, Christmas or other holiday performances. Teachers with no musical background can easily prepare a short performance using the pack. Not only will be it be enjoyable and upbeat but also educational for everyone involved.
Useful links
https://greenschoolsireland.org/
https://www.annettemcnelis.ie/
