At Home >>

An ideal home resource, families can Live the Journey and follow the progress of the Catlin Arctic Survey team through the resources as they allow full engagement by the user.

The wallchart is printable (A4/A3) and is a good way for young people to see the importance of accuracy and precision when dealing with issues of the planet.

The Guidance Notes explain fully how to use the blank plotting graph and how the ice thickness is measured.

Families with children of different ages can all play a role in 'living the journey' of an Arctic explorer.

At School >>

Scientists use super computers to predict the thickness of the ice, using weather data collected from submarines, aircraft and satellites as an additional factor. The data shows how much heat is reflected back into the atmosphere, or is being taken away, or taken to the ice from the air and water currents.

There are lots of variables: the accuracy of the weather data usually has some uncertainty, and the rules the scientists use to programme their supercomputers don't exactly match the factors that affect ice melting.

That's because the influences contributing to the rate of melting are very complicated; for example, snow cover insulates the ice and prevents it building up in the winter. The salinity of the ice affects how easily it melts.

Using the printable (A4/A3) Live the Journey Wallchart, Geography students can interactively plot their own interpretation of the data allowing them to fulfil the 'global citizens' part of every geography curriculum.

The Live the Journey resource works well with the “Maths on Ice” and “Climate Change” resources. They can be used to encourage students to work either independently or in small groups and.... Live the Journey.

Students can draw on skills used in other subjects to reach their own conclusions about the thinning ice.

Not confined to geography lessons, this resource is ideal for Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Science lessons where students are encouraged to take a personal interest in the changing face of the planet.

All the resources are fully supported by Guidance Notes meaning that they are compatible with Virtual Learning Environment's (VLE's).

Live the Journey particularly supports extension resources for 'Stretch and Challenge'¹. The fact that the students can check their own calculations against those of the explorers means that the progress of the Catlin Arctic Survey can be followed closely by a whole class whilst at the same time allowing students to work at their own pace. ¹ UK-'Stretch and Challenge' – an integral part of every formal post 14 qualification.