I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Responsibility

Essential Question:

Why is participating in waste recycling the responsibility of all humans?

Bridge:

Dreams

Content:

Environment: Recycling

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To provide an awareness of the need for recycling in our society. To review strategies for creative problem solving.

Activity: Students are asked to collect one or two items of garbage from home or school. The students will work in groups to experience a throw-away simulation. Begin by dividing the class into groups of 3-4 students and ask each student to share with their group one throw-away item they have collected. Next, ask the group to generate all the possible alternate uses for the item which has been presented using the SCAMPER technique in their brainstorming:

S - Substitute this article for something else.
C - Combine it with other item(s).
A - Adapt or alter the item in some way.
M - Modify, minify, or magnify the article.
P - Put the article to other uses.
E - Elaborate and add details.
R - Rearrange or reverse the article.

Assessment: Involvement of the students in the experience and their contribution to it.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To heighten students' awareness that they, too, can do something to reduce garbage in our society.

Activity: Discuss the simulation experience with the class. As the class generates ideas of what to do with the garbage which is thrown away, try to make them aware of their role in this reduction process. List these ideas on chart paper as they are generated.

Assessment: Student contribution to the group discussion and quality of list generated.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: Use of another medium to formulate the concept of how our actions do make a difference with the problem of municipal solid waste.

Activity: Students listen while the teacher reads Just A Dream. Once the book has been read, discuss the concepts presented. After the discussion, play soft background music while the students draw their "dream" for the world in which they live.

Assessment: Quality of discussion and "dream" drawings.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To teach specific information about the classification of waste, plastic wastes, packaging and waste and finally, ideas of ways to manage the waste problem.

Activity: The teacher presents information using lecture, videos, graphic organizers, and discussion. The teacher reads to the class the book, Where Does The Garbage Go?

Assessment: Level of student interest and the quality of questions and comments.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To reinforce students' understandings of concepts related to waste and how to manage it.

Activity: Garbage Game: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group 10-15 index cards on which you have placed pictures of a variety of municipal solid waste. Ask each group to classify the index cards into the classification categories which they learned about during the instruction given during Quadrant Two, Left Mode--Classifying Municipal Solid Waste.

Prowl For Plastics: Give each student a Prowl For Plastics sheet. Ask them to go home and "prowl" in their pantry for plastics. They should list the products on their sheet on which they found the appropriate plastics code. Share items found in class.

Carousel Walk: On large chart paper, place a picture of an item which has been overpackaged. Below the picture, write these questions: 1) What function does the packaging serve? 2) Is the packaging necessary or unnecessary? 3) Design a new package for this item that uses less packaging. (Make five or six of the above described chart papers, each with a different item, and place the chart papers around the classroom.) Divide the class into small groups. Station each group at one piece of the chart paper. Allow time for each group to respond to the questions. After sufficient time, play "carousel" type music, this is the signal for each group to rotate clockwise to the next piece of chart paper. Continue this procedure until all groups to return to their seats. The teacher may then walk around the room reviewing with the class the ideas which were generated by each group.

3-R (Reduce, Reuse or Recycle) Activity: Arrange the class into small teams. Provide each team with an envelope containing individual statement strips which illustrate the act of reducing, reusing or recycling as well as some blank strips. Explain that they should work as a group to classify the statement strips based on the 3-R philosophy of reduce, reuse, or recycle. Once the students have classified the statements into three categories, advise students they are to generate two new statement strips for each of the three categories. Their ideas are to be written on the blank statement strips from the envelope. In a whole group discussion, have each group read their additional ideas.

Assessment: Group participation and interest.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To extend what has been learned.

Activity: Students will decide upon a project to be done alone or with a group which will extend their learning. Project ideas will be given or the student(s) may create their own project.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. Develop a questionnaire to determine attitudes of neighbors, family, and friends toward solid waster management and recycling. Conduct a survey using your questionnaire. Present your findings to the class.

2. Make recycled paper.

3. Form an environmental club at our school to encourage recycling.

4. Visit and interview a local paper, aluminum or glass recycling business in our community. Share your discoveries with the class.

5. Survey local fast food restaurants to determine how many of them recycle the packaging they use. Present your findings.

6. Interview an employee of a garden center to find out more about composting. Make a report on why people should compost and how it is done.

7. Interview a local community leader to discover what the city is doing about the solid waste problem. Video or record your interview and make a presentation to your class.

8. Gather trash at home or at school and make something artistic.

9. Create your own project.

Assessment: On-task behavior of students.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To have students look critically and constructively at their own work and the work of their classmates.

Activity: 3 Plusses and a Wish--ask each student to share their project with the class. The student presenter(s), other class members and teacher, will orally or in written form, evaluate the project using three positive statements and one wish concerning the project.

Assessment: Quality of student group contribution. Ability to critique work for substance and originality.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To share projects with the entire school in an "A-Way With Waste Fair." To celebrate each other's work.

Activity: Students will display their projects during an "A-Way With Waste Fair" which they have organized for their school.

Assessment: Presentations, participation, and enjoyment of learning.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: