Geogra3: gold standard, beautiful work, Tonga

Geogra3: gold standard, beautiful work, Tonga

The short blog where I share 3 things for Geography teachers!

1. The Gold Standard

For most of my working life, I've been a teacher.  So when I first started looking into the idea of running my own business, I knew I didn't want it to be just about making money - I wanted it to have impact too.  

Now, I've seen a lot of companies stating that they're sustainable or planting lots of trees on our behalf.  But sometimes I get the feeling it's a bit artificial and I felt I wanted to support something a bit more tangible.  Fortunately a friend has recommended The Gold Standard - an organisation that gets companies to pay to offset their carbon emissions and then uses the money to fund small-scale projects that work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  This can include providing clean drinking water, job opportunities for women or restoring nature for example.  

My goal is to contribute 50% of profits earned in my business to The Gold Standard.  There is loads of info on the different projects they are funding and it's possible for individuals to contribute too.  This video clip gives you a greater understanding of what they do:

2. What are you teaching Year 9?

My Year 9s have recently just finished working on The Almighty Dollar and have produced some amazing presentations (see below).  The scheme of work we follow is similar to that provided by Kate Stockings on her blog and we also adopted the Mary Myatt approach of producing beautiful pieces of work for the assessment.  Now I just need to mark them.....! 

3. Resources for Tonga and other Pacific islands.

A significant volcanic eruption occurred in Tonga on 13-15th January 2022.  If you are planning to incorporate the volcanic eruption in Tonga into your teaching, you can't go far wrong with the resources provided on Internet Geography.  There is a summary of the causes, effects and responses as well as a very useful infographic explaining why it was such a powerful eruption.  

Furthermore, if you’re a member of the Geography Teacher Box facebook group, there is a Q and A worksheet to accompany the Martin Clunes series on ITV, Islands of the Pacific.  Episode 2 is a fascinating look at the cultural diversity and physical landscape of the islands Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji.  Well worth a watch to set the context of this part of the world.

And that's your Geogra3!  If you want to make sure you don't miss future editions, make sure you subscribe to the newsletter here.