Teacher Resource

Palm Oil Problem

1. Briefly summarise the BTN Palm Oil Problem story.2. What is palm oil and were does it come from?3. Which products is palm oil used in?4. How many species of orangutan are there in the world?5. In which countries are orangutans found?6. Orangutans are __________________endangered.7. What are the major threats to orangutans?8. How is palm oil important to the economy of Indonesia and

Malaysia?9. What is palm oil often labelled as? 10. Do you think there should be stricter labelling laws for products

containing palm oil? Explain your answer.

Negotiate with students how many activities they will need to complete.

Watch the BTN Palm Oil story again and ask students to record as many key words as they can. Students then clarify their understanding of the key words by writing down what they think the word means. Swap definitions with a partner and ask them to add to or change the definition. Check them using a dictionary or other source.

Key word My definition Dictionary definition

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Episode 428th February 2017

Students will develop a deeper understanding of the impact of palm oil production on the habitat of orangutans. They will also investigate the use of palm oil in grocery products and the issue of mandatory labelling of palm oil products.

Civics and Citizenship – Year 6

The obligations citizens may consider they have beyond their own national borders as active and informed global citizens (ACHCK039)

Science – Year 7

Interactions between organisms, including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food webs (ACSSU112)

Where is palm oil produced? Students investigate which countries produce palm oil and locate them on a world map.

The BTN Palm Oil story explains the impact palm oil production has on orangutans. Students watch the story then answer the following questions:

o What have you learned about palm oil and its impact on orangutans as a result of watching this story?

o How many types of orang-utans are there in the world? Name them.

o Where do orangutans live?

o Describe the orangutans’ natural environment.

o Why have orangutans become an endangered species?

o What is palm oil and where does it come from?

o How are the palm oil plantations important to the economy of Indonesia and Malaysia?

o Some people have started sustainable palm oil plantations. What does this mean?

Create your own multiple choice quiz about orangutans. Think about your audience and how you can make your quiz as interesting and fun as possible. Below are some example quiz questions. Ask other students to complete your quiz.

o What does orangutan mean?o Where are orangutans found?o What is the average life span of an orangutan?o How are orangutans similar to humans?

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Investigate the use of palm oil in grocery products. Peel back the label and learn more about which products contain palm oil and why. Students use the following questions to guide their research:

o Which products contain palm oil?

o How are food products that contain palm oil labelled? Why is it often difficult to tell if a product contains palm oil?

o Which products do you use contain palm oil? Do an audit of your pantry and make a list.

o What are some solutions to the palm oil problem? What is sustainable palm oil?

o Is boycotting palm oil the answer? Investigate the pros and cons of boycotting palm oil.

Explore what certified sustainable palm oil is. o What is sustainability?

o What is sustainable palm oil?

o How is sustainable palm oil produced?

o Who would benefit from sustainable palm oil production?

o What products contain sustainable palm oil and how can manufacturers be encouraged to label and with to certified sustainable palm oil?

Investigate the impact the production of palm oil has on orangutan’s habitat. What is being done to protect their habitats? Design a poster using Glogster or a Prezi presentation that shows the connection between palm oil and orangutans.

Be a reporter for a day. Investigate the issue of palm oil production and the environmental impact and write a newspaper article or online news report. Things to think about:

o Who is your target audience? Use age appropriate language and tone.o Write a headline that is short and to the point. o Use words and pictures in your report. o Find information from a variety of sources. Use captions for any photoso Present the facts and/or opinions clearly and accurately.

Take action! Students brainstorm ways they can take action or raise awareness about the issue of the labelling products that contain palm oil. For example, students could write a letter to Food Standards Australia New Zealand persuading them to make palm oil labelling mandatory. Students can use the read, write, think persuasion map to plan their exposition text.

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BTN – Palm Oilhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4014898.htm

BTN – Saving Orangutanshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3456851.htm

WWF – Which everyday products contain palm oil?http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

CBBC Newsround – Humans put orangutans in dangerhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8520000/newsid_8529000/8529006.stm

SBS – Explainer: What is palm oil and why the controversy?http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/03/26/explainer-what-palm-oil-and-why-controversy

©ABC 2017