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The Daily Waste Times
Students describe qualities of a newspaper article that make it effective. They define waste and identify local waste problems and practices, and select one component of a newspaper which communicates about the issue. issues of waste...
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Waste and Our World Technology Project
Fourth graders recognize that human activity can lead to the production of waste, and identify alternatives for the responsible use and disposal of materials. They use technology to investigate and then present a multimedia presentation.
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Garbage Pizza
Students examine amount of garbage disposed of by average household weekly, classify different categories of garbage and describe composition of landfills, investigate what happens to waste after it is collected by garbage trucks, and...
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Collective Compromise
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, students examine what to do with waste as they plan and implement a strategy for controlling their school's trash.
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Waste Management
Students investigate the amount of trash they generate, the problems that result and possible solutions.They complete four activities regarding household trash, biodegradability, packaging, and recycling.
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Slash Trash! Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Our Way to Zero Waste
The other "Three Rs" are covered in this lesson: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Over four weeks, conservationists collect data about waste in their own homes. They combine their findings with those of other students in order to analyze...
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Time For Action
Students research the major waste management facilities in their community and are encouraged to speak with public officials.
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Flush It! Throw It! Out of Sight, Out of Mind!
Students describe disposal procedures by reviewing water and solid waste disposal cycles and what happens when one step is omitted. They examine the connection between industry and human health.
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Where Is Away?
Students explore ways to dispose of trash. For this lesson, students discuss where trash goes when it leaves their house and other inappropriate ways to dispose of trash. Students brainstorm ways to produce less waste.
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There Is No Away
Students identify how trash is disposed of. In this environmental lesson, students read and discuss the poem "Sarah Sylvia Stout" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the ways people treated the items in the poem. Students discuss how trash...
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Fashion Forward, Fashion Functional
Young scholars consider the implications of waste. In this waste streams lesson, students learn what waste streams are and identify their impact on the environment. Young scholars also recycle waste materials to create functional objects.
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Creating a Mini-Landfill
Learners create a min-landfill from lunchbox waste to discover what happens when they throw away packaging and scraps. Using a clear plastic bin, they throw away their trash and layer it with scoops of soil. Students observe what types...
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Product Packaging Conundrum
In this product packaging conundrum worksheet, learners research product packaging to select materials and design for packaging a model of the school mascot. This page has numerous links to helpful web resources.
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Environment: How'd That Pollution Get There?
Pupils examine how global wind and water patterns aid in the spread of worldwide pollution. In groups, they read articles about the domino effect of pollution and create posters displaying its journey. On blank world maps, students...
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What's Up with Waste?
Fifth graders design a brochure that identifies types of solid waste that are often improperly disposed, explains the effects of this disposal and proposes a solution to the problem. The read humorous books, define vocabulary words and...
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Landfills: Building Them Better
Middle schoolers investigate the three methods of waste disposal. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, answer discussion questions, and write a letter to the E.P.A. from the viewpoint of an environmental engineer.
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Pollution and Marine Life
In this pollution and marine life activity, students use 9 given terms related to types of pollution and ocean food chains to complete sentences. Students number the effects of human sewage and soil runoff that harm ocean organisms in...
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Polystyrene Containers
Students conduct experiments to determine the effectiveness of polystyrene containers at preventing heat loss. For this polymers lesson, students design an experiment to determine how effective Styrofoam burger containers are at...
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Companion to Superfund -- The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Program
Students examine the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. They work together to discover how their local community handles waste disposal. They complete a worksheet to end the lesson.
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100% Recyclable
Seventh graders research recycling activities at schools across the country using e-mail. They research the waste management and recycling program at their school and problem solve to create an environmentally sound program for the future.
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After the Garbage Can: Where Does Our Trash Go?
Students explore how waste disposal has changed over time and what the current issues are. In this disposal instructional activity students collect data and create graphs.
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Hazardous Waste Hot Potato
Students investigate hazardous substances. They work in groups to decide how to properly dispose of such materials..
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How Do Our Attitudes Affect Waste?
Students take a survey to assess typical purchasing practices, to determine the influence of packaging on consumer choices. They also determine whether consumers consider waste disposal and recycling when making purchasing decisions.
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One Person's Garbage, Another Person's . . .?
Students list many, different and unusual items that could be constructed out of refuse and found objects.