Category Archives: Topic (History and Geography)

Click on the map to go to Google Maps and see where orang-utans can be found.

We have been finding out about deforestation and its environmental impact. We discovered that the habitat of orang-utans has been harmed by the growth of palm oil which, we have learned, is an important ingredient in many of our favourite products such as chocolate, biscuits and cleaning products. Unfortunately, to grow the palm oil has often led to forests being cut down so, although orang-utans used to be found in south-east China and in other regions of South-east Asia, they are now only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Some producers are now trying to grow sustainable palm-0il which means that the forests will be better protected for wildlife but there is still a long way to go to save the habitats for these amazing creatures.

We have also been learning how to use Sway to create information presentations. If you click on the image below, you should be able to read a presentation by Koala27, Meerkat34 and Turtle42 which will tell you more about orang-utans.

Here are the links to the NASA climate change website with graphics that you can investigate to show what is happening to sea ice, sea-level etc. You might like to share these with your family. It is clear why this is a serious problem that we need to try to understand and find ways to tackle… Your Eco-team ideas are a really good place for us to start.

The BBC has posted a brief (90 second) introduction to (and explanation of) some key terms we will be coming across in geography over the next half term when we learn about climate change and the threats to our environment. If you want to have a look at some point, click on the image.