Curated OER
Environmental Benefits of Recycling
Fourth graders understand the benefits of recycling. For this recycling literacy lesson, 4th graders read an article and identify the main idea. Students understand the process of transfer to the landfill and discuss how recycling helps...
Curated OER
The Landfill Loafers Meet the Wise Buys
Students discover recyclable materials and the proper disposal of those items through Internet research. Working in groups of four, they search the Internet for uses of recyclable materials. After research is complete, they participate...
Berkshire Museum
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Sorting Through Personal Choices
Raise children's awareness about the importance of conservation with this hands-on science instructional activity. Start by breaking the class into groups and having them collect trash from around the school or local park. Students then...
Curated OER
Earth Day Number Sense
Elementary schoolers count and order objects using numbers 1-300. They bring recyclable items from home. Students group the items, skip count by 2's, 3's, and 5's, and arrange the items on a number line. Recyclable plastic bags are put...
Curated OER
Organic and Inorganic Recycling
Young scholars examine their role in polluting the environment and discuss the importance of recycling. In groups, they place earthworms into compost piles to observe why they are considered natural recyclers. They also practice...
Curated OER
Primary Songs about Recycling
Young scholars compose songs about recycling. For this ecology lesson, students use vocabulary and concepts related to recycling to generate lyrics for an original song. Young scholars construct musical instruments out of discarded...
Curated OER
Talkin' Trash (All About Landfills)
Students investigate the types of waste created by people and identify various options for trash disposal. They read and discuss a handout about what a landfill is and the different types of trash, match types of trash with the proper...
Curated OER
Recycling
Learners explore the recycling process. In this recycling lesson, students gain understanding of how garbage is disposed of. Learners makes lists of things that can be recycled. Students discuss how animals and plants are damaged by...
Curated OER
Worms: Nature's Recyclers
Students explore vermi-composting. In this vermi-composting instructional activity, students listen to the story Diary of a Worm and discuss the parts of a worm. They create worm bins and add organic food for the worms to recycle.
Curated OER
Design a Recycling Game!
Students discover that recycling is using a product more than once so that natural resources can be saved and so that we won't need so many garbage dumps and landfills. They see that there are different ways to recycle. Students design a...
Curated OER
Get Dramatic: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students explain reducing, recycling and reusing. In this science/ arts lesson, students create a commercial and display a backdrop made out of recycled goods. Additionally, students write written responses to writing prompts.
Curated OER
Making Recycled Paper
Students explore the advantages of recycling paper. In this environmental lesson, students produce recycled paper by ripping up paper and putting it into a blender with water to create a mixture. Students use their recycled paper to...
Curated OER
3RC (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost)
Students examine the effects of packaging decisions and the engineering advancements in packaging materials and waste management. They observe biodegradation in a model landfill.
Curated OER
Where Is Away?
Students explore garbage. In this landfill lesson, students investigate how much garbage is collected in landfills on average each day. Students discover hazardous materials that are disposed of improperly and the effects of these...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Trash Talkin'
Students collect and categorize solid waste produced in the classroom. They weigh the waste that has been collected over one week's time, and separate it into recyclable and non-recyclable waste. They talk about the role of engineers in...
Curated OER
Powers of Persuasion
Did you know that clothing and textiles can be recycled, just like glass, paper, aluminum, and plastic? Pupils are introduced to textile recycling and design persuasive posters or letters that raise awareness about this unique type of...
SF Environment
Waste-Less Lunch
Is it possible to have a waste-less lunch? Can your class become leaders in conservation? Discuss the importance of reducing waste during lunch time with a fun instructional activity that can be extended to everyday practices. First the...
Curated OER
Trash Bashing
Young scholars define trash, garbage, or solid waste, discuss ways of disposing of trash, list examples of biodegradable materials, and have trash relay race in order to sort trash into appropriate containers labeled biodegradable,...
Curated OER
Information, Please!
Students examine how aluminum is recycled. In this recycling lesson, students participate in a field trip to a local recycling center to observe the process of recycling aluminum. Students take notes and report their findings.
Curated OER
Being Resource-ful
Students compare the amount of waste that comes from different bags of equivalent amounts of potato chips and decide which would produce the least amount of waste. They discuss recycling and other ways they can reduce waste.
Curated OER
Spanish Lessons on Waste
Learners investigate waste. In this environmental activity, students read a worksheet in both Spanish and English and share how they recycle at home. Learners are encouraged to use key vocabulary words from the worksheet such as...
Curated OER
Solid Waste Takes Over
Students explore solid waste and its effects on the environment. They explain some of the major problems caused by waste disposal and the use of landfills. They suggest ways to reduce the amount of solid waste going into a landfill.
Curated OER
Get to Know Glass
Students learn about the properties of glass. In this making and molding glass lesson, students participate in an experiment where they will learn how glass is created and how it is shaped to create bottles and jars. Students also...
Curated OER
Waste Not Want Not
Students are introduced to the need to save natural resources. Through inquiry, hands-on activities, and problem solving, students increase their understanding of solid waste materials and the need to reduce, recycle, and reuse.