EED2601
Assignment 4 PORTFOLIO Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 19 October 2026
LEARNING UNIT 1: KEY IDEAS AND DEBATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
BEd task: Teaching the holistic environment and the Anthropocene
To teach the holistic environment in a Grade 6 Natural Sciences and Technology or
Social Sciences classroom, I would begin with a familiar place rather than an
unfamiliar scientific definition. I would use a photograph of a stream, a street drain or
a wetland near a residential area in eThekwini. I would ask learners to describe what
they can see, including trees, soil, flowing water, houses, roads, rubbish bins,
informal traders and people walking to school. Their answers would help them
understand that the environment includes both natural features and the lives of
people who depend on those features. The holistic environment includes
biophysical, social, economic, political, cultural, spatial and historical dimensions,
, LEARNING UNIT 1: KEY IDEAS AND DEBATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
BEd task: Teaching the holistic environment and the Anthropocene
To teach the holistic environment in a Grade 6 Natural Sciences and Technology or
Social Sciences classroom, I would begin with a familiar place rather than an
unfamiliar scientific definition. I would use a photograph of a stream, a street drain or
a wetland near a residential area in eThekwini. I would ask learners to describe what
they can see, including trees, soil, flowing water, houses, roads, rubbish bins,
informal traders and people walking to school. Their answers would help them
understand that the environment includes both natural features and the lives of
people who depend on those features. The holistic environment includes biophysical,
social, economic, political, cultural, spatial and historical dimensions, which influence
one another (EED2601 Study guide, 2021, p. 2).
I would then draw a large community map on the board and invite learners to identify
connections between these parts. A blocked drain is not only a problem of plastic
waste. Heavy rain can move litter into the drain, poor waste collection can make the
situation worse, and flooding can prevent children from reaching school. Businesses
may lose customers and families may have to pay for repairs. The municipality
makes decisions about drainage and waste services, while residents decide what
they throw away. The activity shows learners why environmental problems cannot be
solved by looking at one factor alone. I would allow learners to name local features in
isiZulu before helping them explain their ideas in the language used for assessment.
The Anthropocene would be introduced as a term used to describe the period of
strong human influence on Earth systems, although its status as a formal geological
epoch remains debated. I would place photographs of a green open space and a
built-up urban area next to each other, asking learners what human activity has
changed. We would discuss roads, settlement expansion, energy use, litter, loss of
natural vegetation and greenhouse gas emissions. Learners would also consider
why communities need housing and jobs, because the lesson should not suggest
that all development is bad. Instead, it should examine how development decisions
affect nature and people, particularly communities with fewer resources (EED2601
Assignment 4 PORTFOLIO Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 19 October 2026
LEARNING UNIT 1: KEY IDEAS AND DEBATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
BEd task: Teaching the holistic environment and the Anthropocene
To teach the holistic environment in a Grade 6 Natural Sciences and Technology or
Social Sciences classroom, I would begin with a familiar place rather than an
unfamiliar scientific definition. I would use a photograph of a stream, a street drain or
a wetland near a residential area in eThekwini. I would ask learners to describe what
they can see, including trees, soil, flowing water, houses, roads, rubbish bins,
informal traders and people walking to school. Their answers would help them
understand that the environment includes both natural features and the lives of
people who depend on those features. The holistic environment includes
biophysical, social, economic, political, cultural, spatial and historical dimensions,
, LEARNING UNIT 1: KEY IDEAS AND DEBATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
BEd task: Teaching the holistic environment and the Anthropocene
To teach the holistic environment in a Grade 6 Natural Sciences and Technology or
Social Sciences classroom, I would begin with a familiar place rather than an
unfamiliar scientific definition. I would use a photograph of a stream, a street drain or
a wetland near a residential area in eThekwini. I would ask learners to describe what
they can see, including trees, soil, flowing water, houses, roads, rubbish bins,
informal traders and people walking to school. Their answers would help them
understand that the environment includes both natural features and the lives of
people who depend on those features. The holistic environment includes biophysical,
social, economic, political, cultural, spatial and historical dimensions, which influence
one another (EED2601 Study guide, 2021, p. 2).
I would then draw a large community map on the board and invite learners to identify
connections between these parts. A blocked drain is not only a problem of plastic
waste. Heavy rain can move litter into the drain, poor waste collection can make the
situation worse, and flooding can prevent children from reaching school. Businesses
may lose customers and families may have to pay for repairs. The municipality
makes decisions about drainage and waste services, while residents decide what
they throw away. The activity shows learners why environmental problems cannot be
solved by looking at one factor alone. I would allow learners to name local features in
isiZulu before helping them explain their ideas in the language used for assessment.
The Anthropocene would be introduced as a term used to describe the period of
strong human influence on Earth systems, although its status as a formal geological
epoch remains debated. I would place photographs of a green open space and a
built-up urban area next to each other, asking learners what human activity has
changed. We would discuss roads, settlement expansion, energy use, litter, loss of
natural vegetation and greenhouse gas emissions. Learners would also consider
why communities need housing and jobs, because the lesson should not suggest
that all development is bad. Instead, it should examine how development decisions
affect nature and people, particularly communities with fewer resources (EED2601
