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MODULES FOR
GRADES K-2
Lesson 1: Truly Trash
Overview
What are young children's current ideas about solid waste? In
this activity, the class has a visit from a very familiar, but
peculiarly dressed character known as Truly Trash. Truly
invites students to share and compare their ideas about trash and
garbage at home as well as at school.
Lesson 2: Truckloads of Trash
Overview
How much trash do we produce? First, students guess the amount
of classroom trash they produce in a week and then test their
guesses. During the same period of time, students guess and
record the quantity of weekly waste at home with the help of their
families. The class investigates the quantities of trash
produced in the lunchroom and throughout the school. As
students predict, measure, record, count, compare, and discuss, they
begin to recognize the extent of waste that they, their family, and
their classmates produce.
Lesson 3: What About "Away"?
Overview
Now that students have become aware of the huge amount of trash
they produce and throw away, they find out more about
"away." What happens to trash after the garbage
trucks pick it up? The class observes as the garbage truck
empties the dumpster and compresses the trash. Then, a visitor
gives the class information about where the truck takes the trash
and what happens next. The class ends the lesson with a bash called
the Trash Smash.
Lesson 4: Trash or Not?
Overview
Students become aware that landfills fill up. They
consider the problems of locating sites for new landfills by playing
the NIMBY Game (Not In My Back Yard). Next, the class
takes another look at trash to see what they are throwing
away. Students listen to and illustrate a story, Things Are
Made Of Stuff, which introduces the idea of natural
resources. Then, students develop their understanding of
natural resources by forming the Class Container Company.
Teams of students "mine" clay, use it to make containers,
and use the containers in the Natural Resource Or Trash Game.
Lesson 5: Making Choices
Overview
As small teams of students sort the accumulated classroom trash
into categories for recycling, questions arise about ways teams sort
their trash. Students are challenged to find out more about
recycling materials. They take home packets consisting of
their Things Are Made Of Stuff booklets and a letter designed
to encourage their family's involvement. Armed with additional
information, students complete their sorting and send the materials
off for recycling. Students learn about the recycling of
materials in a team activity. Next, students explore the
strategies of reducing and reusing as other choices
for disposing of solid waste. Finally, students fill out a Making
Choices Contract in which they describe their own choices.
They are awarded badges that read Ask me about my choices to
reduce solid waste.
MODULE FOR GRADES 3-5
Lesson 1: Looking at Lifestyles
Overview
What kinds of things do we throw away in one day? How do
discarded items reflect our lifestyle? Students will keep a
record of the kinds of things that they and their family throw away
in one day. After students join small teams to consolidate,
expand, and display their lists, the class reviews the lists and
discusses how the items reflect their lifestyle. Next,
students read and discuss a story about the lifestyle of Seminoles
in a clan camp. They use a worksheet to focus on the food and
waste of the Seminoles. Then, students use the story and
worksheet to compare our food and waste to that of the Seminoles
during that period of time.
Lesson 2: Resources Rap
Overview
What materials make up bicycles, sneakers, and toothbrushes?
Where do these materials come from? To help the class answer
these questions, small teams present information in the form of
raps, skits, and newscasts. Then, teams use the information to
challenge each other in the Reason For The Resource Game.
Lesson 3: Where is "Away"?
Overview
What happens to our garbage after it is hauled away by the garbage
truck? Excerpts from Stuart Little and Charlotte's
Web help students consider that question, and motivate them to
respond in writing to a prompt. Next, teams create and share
posters showing their ideas about the disposal of garbage. For
a historical perspective, the class observes and discusses a simple
model of a "dump."
Lesson 4: Recycle Cycle
Overview
What about recycling as a means of disposing of or reducing solid
waste? Where and how are recyclable materials collected in
your community? Why bother to recycle? Students consider
these questions as they participate in a variety of
activities. They use information gathered at home to play the
class game, Roadblocks to Recycling. Then, small teams
research and present information about the recycling process.
Next, students make Mobius strips as concrete symbols of the
recycling cycle. Finally, students respond to a writing prompt
in which they explain the connection between people's choices and
actions -- and recycling.
Lesson 5: Choices
Overview
What is the impact of our ordinary, daily activities on solid waste
management? Can our choices make a difference? Students
consider these questions as they plan an imaginary supper for their
families. Teams record the packaging of each item on the
simple menu and decide whether the packages are recyclable,
reusable, or must be discarded as waste. Students take a
closer look at packaging and the purpose for packaging as they do a
homework assignment. When teams revisit their Super Supper
Record Page, students are challenged to reduce the items that
must be disposed of as waste.
Students continue to explore the idea of reducing waste.
Teams present skits showing choices people can make to reduce the
amount of solid waste they produce. Then, vignettes motivate
the class to consider class projects for reducing, reusing, or
recycling solid waste. Finally, the class develops an action
plan and implements it.
MIDDLE LEVEL SCIENCE CURRICULUM ON SOURCE
REDUCTION - AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION (a National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) module)
Section 1: Getting the Facts About Garbage
Activity 1: A Big Waste Problem, No Matter How You Slice It
Students will learn what exactly goes into our trash. They
will also discover differences between weight and volume, and be
able to explain why these differences occur and what they mean.
Activity 2: Generations of Waste
Students take part in a simulated archaeological dig that allows
them to work out a particular historical time period based on the
trash that a "typical" family discards.
Activity 3: Today's Waste: What's in My
Trash?
If students liked learning about the past from going through
"old" garbage, they'll really enjoy investigating our
society by analyzing their own trash. This activity works as
an extension of the previous one or can be used as a stand-alone
lesson.
Section 2: Introducing Source Reduction
Activity 4: Where Does the Trash Go?
Out of sight, out of mind. That's how we usually think (or
don't think) about trash. In this lesson, students will learn
about the four basic options for waste: composting, recycling,
incineration and landfilling. At the end, they'll start
thinking about ways to prevent or eliminate garbage, leading into
the main topic of this curriculum -- source reduction.
Activity 5: Island Survival
You're on an island with a few other people. There's only so
much you can bring, and you can't leave anything behind when you
leave. What's the best strategy to ensure your survival
without creating too much waste? What does the ability to
survive on an island say about our ability to survive on the
Earth? This is a highly creative way to introduce the concept
of source reduction.
Section 3: Producing Less Packaging
Activity 6: Physical Properties of a Package
What is a package? What functions does it serve? Why are
some light and others heavy? Some strong and others
flimsy? Students will start thinking about why packages are
the way they are, and get a feel for ways in which packaging can be
reduced.
Activity 7: A Juicy Investigation
What's the most environmentally efficient way to serve orange
juice? Fresh squeezed? In plastic containers?
Glass bottles? The answer may surprise you and your
class. This activity combines good critical thinking plus
analytical skills to determine the best way to get one's fill of
Florida sunshine.
Activity 8: Coffee Conundrum
Students investigate two types of coffee packaging and learn
that recyclability may not always be the choice that saves the most
resources. Students investigate different types of packaging
and determine which package uses the fewest resources and generates
the least waste.
Section 4: Reducing Hazardous Waste
Activity 9: What's Hazardous About Household Products?
Students classify hazardous waste and become familiar with the
terminology, potential problems and characterizations of household
hazardous materials, and start thinking about how they can reduce
the use and improve the disposal of these materials.
Activity 10: Finding Safer Substitutes
What is the best way to polish silver? What is tarnish, and
how can we remove it safely? Students will learn the answers
and find inexpensive, safe and effective ways to replace standard
products that may be classified as irritants, corrosives or toxics.
Section 5: Seeing the Whole Picture
Activity 11: Retrace Your Waste: Life Cycle Analysis
Students learn to evaluate products over their life cycle -
acquisition of raw materials, manufacturing and processing,
distribution and transportation, use/reuse, recycling and
disposal. They are taught to use logical and critical thinking
skills to trace a product through its life cycle in reverse order.
Activity 12: Paper or Plastic? A Life Cycle Analysis
Perspective
Which of these alternatives reduces waste the most? Students
must compare weight and volume, along with energy consumption and
the amount of water and airborne pollutants created during the
production, transportation and recycling of both. Reuse of
bags is also brought into the equation. The results may
surprise you.
Section 6: Making a Difference
Activity 13: Can We Really Reduce Our Cafeteria Waste?
Students will be able to collect significant data by surveying
the waste habits of their peers. The activity is designed to
last five days to ensure that the data collected will be fairly
accurate.
Activity 14: The Great Paper Waste
Students explore the causes of the explosion of paper waste from
books, magazines, newspapers, paper and advertising materials.
They will consider how technology and behavior can work to reduce
paper waste at school, home and in the office.
Activity 15: The Decision Makers
The Governor has asked waste experts (your students) for a
comprehensive plan to cut waste. Using what they've learned
and the latest EPA data, they must formulate a plan and sell it to
the Governor.
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