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Teacher Information
Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle, Revise, Respond (5 R's)
The Garbage and
Recycling project will increase the awareness of students concerning the need for solid
waste management, and give students a sense of individual and community responsibility, as
well as global responsibility to care for the environment. A desired outcome is that
students will take what they learn home and families will recycle more, thereby reducing
the amount of solid waste our communities produce.
GRADE LEVELS
Grades 4-8 (adaptable to all grade levels)
SUBJECTS
Environmental science, math, geography, language arts, and health
TIME LINE
This unit is designed
to take approximately 10 forty minute class periods, depending on how you as
the instructional leader choose to branch out.
Activities
This project is an
engaged learning project with students putting lessons to real-life application.
It is directed at improving students' knowledge of science and math, as well
as their attitudes and behaviors. Students will use real-world scientific and
mathematical procedures, such as collecting data, finding patterns, and assessing
results.
Student activities will include an introductory activity using Recycle City, defining a scientist's role,
defining what trash is and discovering how their community manages solid wastes. They will
identify trash categories and items included in each category. Students will compare
their trash habits, school/community trash disposal methods, and school/community use of
recycling, and create a trash profile of a typical student.
Students will explore questions such as: What is trash? How much trash do they produce as
individuals? families? schools? communities? How is their trash disposed of? recycled?
reused? How could they reduce the amount of trash they generate? What does their trash
consist of? What does it mean to recycle? What can they do to promote recycling at school?
How much trash do residents create? What are some concerns of the businesses and residents
of the community? How do items persons throw away hurt the environment? What concerns do
communities have about trash?
As
a result of these activities, students will see ways in which they can have an impact on
reducing the amount of trash produced by their community, and ultimately, realize how the
environment affects our culture and how our culture affects the environment.
Students will assume the role of a student-research scientist. Students will collect and
weigh their classroom trash as well as the lunch food waste and trash. This data will be
compared with data from other participating classrooms. Students will investigate and
communicate with trash pals using e-mail and the World Wide Web; collect, analyze,
organize, and display data through graphs and maps; access the Internet to find resources
on solid waste management and recycling; collaborate with a waste disposal company in the
development of their school recycling center.
Assessments
Performance-Based
Assessments are meaningful, challenging experiences that involve presenting
students with an authentic task, project, or investigation, and then observing,
interviewing and/or examining their artifacts and presentations to assess what
they actually know and can do.
Generative
Students and their teachers create the assessment criteria and/or tools so that they are
meaningful and generate knowledge.
Seamless and Ongoing
Instruction and assessment are integrated; assessment of the process and products
occurs throughout the instruction.
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Math
Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
Art
Computers & Internet
Music
P.E. & Health
Other
Multi-Disciplinary
