Learning pack #2: Protecting our forests

Whether we’re talking about deciduous, coniferous, rain or dry forests, a healthy forest is maintained by a delicate balancing act of give and take. Many people live directly from and in forests, which provide food, shelter and even medicinal plants for healing. 

Still, when economic interests take over, this delicate symbiotic relationship can be thrown out of balance. Economic and environmental interests often clash in the forest because wood is a wildly popular and seemingly irreplaceable raw material for entire industrial sectors, including paper and pulp. But vast swathes of forest are also destroyed, not for their wood, but to make way for palm oil and soy plantations, cattle ranching and mining.

What can children and young people do to help protect the forest? How can they help restore balance?
Deutsche Welle’s learning pack “Protecting our forests: A vital ecosystem under threat” enables educators to tackle this topic with young people aged 12 to 16, as well as with youth and environment groups. All materials may be downloaded and used by educational institutions for non-commercial purposes free of charge.

The learning pack includes:

• 1 booklet for teachers (for classroom teaching) 
• 1 workbook for participants (for distance learning) 
• 19 picture cards
• 9 films (the links can be found in the teaching booklet and workbook)  
• 1 experiment
• 1 interactive web documentary

For in-person lessons:
Please begin by downloading the "booklet for teachers" when you are preparing your lessons. There you will find copies of all of the worksheets, including explanatory handouts and solutions. You will find the booklet available as a PDF file below under "Explore More."

For distance learning: 
When conducting lessons online, please also download the interactive "workbook for participants" along with the "booklet for teachers." You will find both under "Explore More." You may then send the workbook PDF file to participants as an email attachment. The workbook includes the worksheets but not the solutions. Participants may then complete their work alone on their computers, save the work and mail it back to you. Participants will require Acrobat Reader to complete the booklet. It is available to download for free.

Write to us 
If you have questions about our Global Ideas learning packs or if you need a print version of the material including the DVD, please contact us at: globalideas@dw.com